Responsible leadership as a catalyst for sustainable performance: a perspective on psychological and knowledge search mechanisms

Drawing on social exchange theory, this study examines how responsible leadership contributes to sustainable performance by shaping employees’ knowledge search behaviors and how work morale conditions these relationships. This study was conducted in Pakistan’s healthcare sector which operates under high pressure and limited resources. Using a two-wave survey design, data were collected from healthcare professionals and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling SMART PLS 4.1. The findings indicate that responsible leadership enhances sustainable performance both directly and indirectly through exploitation and exploration knowledge search. Importantly, the findings indicate an asymmetric moderating role of work morale. Specifically, work morale enhances the relationship between responsible leadership and exploration knowledge search. However, work morale does not moderate the relationship between responsible leadership and exploitation knowledge search. This nuanced pattern highlights that not all reciprocal behaviors are equally contingent on employees’ affective states. Furthermore, the importance–performance map analysis reveals that responsible leadership and exploration knowledge search exhibit high importance but comparatively low performance, identifying them as priority areas for managerial intervention to improve sustainable performance. The study makes three key contributions. Theoretically, extends social exchange theory by linking responsible leadership to sustainability-oriented outcomes through differentiated learning mechanisms and a selective boundary condition. Empirically, provides evidence from the underrepresented healthcare sector of a developing country, thereby enhancing the contextual relevance of leadership research. Practically, the findings offer actionable insights for healthcare managers, human resource practitioners and administrators seeking to foster sustainable performance through responsible leadership and supportive work environments.