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Purpose Drawing on behavioral integrity (BI) theory, this study aims to investigate how leader BI influences three types of employee silence (i.e. acquiescent, defensive and prosocial) through trust in the leader and examine the moderating role of leader competence in this process. Design/methodology/approach A time-lagged field study was conducted with 285 full-time employees and 87 direct leaders in China. Findings Leader competence strengthens the positive relationship between leader BI and trust in the leader. Such trust reduces defensive silence and increases prosocial silence but does not significantly affect acquiescent silence. Originality/value This study enhances our understanding of how (i.e. trust in the leader) and when (i.e. leader competence) leader BI exerts distinct influences on different types of employee silence.
Wang et al. (Thu,) studied this question.