Expatriate Ethical Leadership and Employee Job Performance: Mediation of Voice Behavior and Moderation of Perceived CSR

This study examines the effects of expatriate ethical leadership on employee job performance. Drawing on social learning and cue consistency theories, we develop a model of the mediating effect of employee voice behavior and the moderating effect of perceived Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Using multi-source data collected from 190 employees and 28 immediate supervisors across two time points in a Mexican subsidiary, the results reveal that expatriate ethical leadership positively impacts job performance by promoting employee voice behavior. However, contrary to our expectations, the positive association between voice behavior and job performance weakens under conditions of high perceived CSR. These findings suggest that when CSR is perceived to be high, employees may feel less compelled to engage in voice behavior, which in turn may diminish the performance benefits typically associated with such proactive communication. Implications for cross-cultural leadership and CSR signaling are discussed.