ISSN: 2225-8329
Open access
Despite attention to employee voice behaviour, limited research has examined organisational trust as a multidimensional construct comprising trust in organisation, leader and supervisor within the Malaysian public sector. This study examines the relationship between these three dimensions of organisational trust and employee voice behaviour among public sector employees in Malaysia. Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory, organisational trust is conceptualised as a cognitive factor influencing employees’willingness to express ideas, suggestions, concern, and opinions. Data were collected from 372 employees across federal public organisations in Kuching, Sarawak, Malaysia, and analysed using SPSS 29 and SmartPLS 4. The findings demonstrate that organisational trust dimensions are associated with employee voice behaviour, highlighting the importance of trust in organisation, leader and supervisor in encouraging voice. The findings extend Social Cognitive Theory by demonstrating that trust related cogniitve perceptions contribute to employee voice behaviour within the hierarchical and high context Malaysian public sector. Practically, strengthening organisational trust through transparent practices, trustworthy leadership, supportive supervisory relationship, integrity and accountability can foster participation and constructive communication, supporting governance and service delivery in line with federal public organisations’ goals. Ministries, policymakers, organisations, and human resource practitioners are therefore encouraged to strengthen organisational trust to promote employee voice behaviour.
Alpkan, L., Karabay, M., ?ener, ?., Elçi, M., & Y?ld?z, B. (2021). The mediating role of trust in leader in the relations of ethical leadership and distributive justice on internal whistleblowing: a study on Turkish banking sector. Kybernetes, 50(7), 2073-2092.
Badru, A. F., Karadas, G., Olugbade, O. A., & Hassanie S. (2024). Can employees' trust their supervisor? The role of high-performance work systems and stewardship climate on employee voice. Heliyon, 10(19), e37795.
Bandura, A. (1986). Social foundations of thought and action: A social cognitive theory. Prentice-Hall.
Berg, P., Grift, Y., & Witteloostuijn, A. V. (2022). German and Dutch works councils: A trust theory of legal employee voice. Human Resource Management Journal, 32(3), 605–622.
Colquitt, J. A., Scott, B. A., & LePine, J. A. (2007). Trust, trustworthiness, and trust propensity: A meta-analytic test of their unique relationships with risk taking and job performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92, 902–927.
Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2023). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (6th ed.). Sage.
Detert, J. R., & Edmondson, A. C. (2011). Implicit voice theories: Taken-for-granted rules of self-censorship at work. Academy of Management Journal, 54(3), 461–488.
Du, M., & Bao, Z. (2023). Visionary leadership and employee voice behavior: Mediating role of self-efficacy. Social Behavior and Personality: An International Journal, 51(3), e12228.
Dirks, K. T., & Ferrin, D. L. (2001). The role of trust in organizational settings. Organization Science, 12(4), 450–467.
Dedahanov, A. T., Fayzullaev, A. K. U., Abdurazzakov, O. S., Rakhmonov, D. A., & Zakirova, O. (2022). Paternalistic leadership styles and employee voice: the roles of trust in supervisors and self-efficacy. Sustainability, 14(19), 12805.
Dedahanov, A. T. & Rhee, J. (2015). Examining the relationships among trust, silence and organizational commitment. Management Decision, 53, 1843-1857.
Duan, J., Lapointe, É., Xu, Y., & Brooks, S. (2019). Why do employees speak up? Examining the roles of LMX, perceived risk and perceived leader power in predicting voice behavior. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 34(8), 560–572.
Fatoki, O. (2024). Inclusive leadership and employee voice behaviour: Serial mediating effects of psychological safety and affective commitment. Administrative Sciences, 14(9), 199.
Galford, R., & Drapeau, A. S. (2003). The enemies of trust. Harvard Business Review, 81(2), 88-95.
González-Cánovas, A., Trillo, A., Bretones, F. D., & Fernández-Millán, J. M. (2024). Trust in leadership and perceptions of justice in fostering employee commitment. Frontiers in Psychology. 31(15), e1359581.
Hair, J., & Alamer, A. (2022). Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) in second language and education research: Guidelines using an applied example. Research Methods in Applied Linguistics, 1(3), a100027.
Hair, J. F., Hult, G.T. M., Ringle, C. M. & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). Sage.
Hao, S., & Han, P. (2022). The moderating roles of trust and felt trust on the relationship between proactive personality and voice behaviour. Management Decision, 60(8), 2224-2237.
Hassan, N., Yoon, J., & Dedahanov, A. T. (2025). Servant leadership style and employee voice: Mediation via trust in leaders. Administrative Sciences, 15(3), 99. https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15030099.
Hassan, S., DeHart-Davis, L., & Jiang, Z. (2019). How empowering leadership reduces employee silence in public organization. Public Administration, 97(1), 116-131.
Hosseini, E., & Ferreira, J.J. (2023). The impact of ethical leadership on organizational identity in digital startups: does employee voice matter?. Asian Journal Business Ethics, 12, 369–393.
Huang, Y.-K., Chuang, N.-K., & Kwok, L. (2023). "To speak up or remain silent: the double-edged effects of trust and felt trust". International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 35(9), 285-3304.
Hughes, J., Orr, K., & Yusoff, M. (2023). Strategizing for grand challenges: Economic development and governance traditions in Malaysian local government. Public Management Review.
Ibrahim, N., Ismail, A., Mohd Zainol, N. A., Husain, H. A., & Ismail, Y. (2021). Power distance as a moderator of the relationship between organisational justice and job satisfaction. International Journal of Management Studies, 28(1), 25–56.
Ilyas, S., Abid, G., Ashfaq, F., Ali, M., & Ali, W. (2021). Status quos are made to be broken: The roles of transformational leadership, job satisfaction, psychological empowerment, and voice behavior. Sage Open, 11(2), 1–14.
Kim, A. R. J., Nishino, K., Mohamad Adam, B., Zubalqiah, Z., Inthaphatha, S., & Yamamoto, E. (2024). What inhibits “speaking up” for patient safety among healthcare workers? A cross?sectional study in Malaysia. Human Resources For Health, 22(35), 1-12.
Liang, J., Farh, C. I. C., & Farh, J. L. (2012). Psychological antecedents of promotive and prohibitive voice: A two-wave examination. Academy of Management Journal, 55(1), 71–92.
Liu, X., Song, L., Zheng, J., & Wang, Y. (2022). When chinese employees speak up: The experience of organizational trust and authenticity enhances employees’ voice behavior. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19, 15726.
Mayer, R. C., Davis, J. H., & Schoorman, F. D. (1995). An integrative model of organizational trust. Academy of Management Review, 20(3), 709–734. https://doi.org/10.2307/258792.
Morrison, E. W. (2023). Employee voice and silence: Taking stock a decade later. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10, 377–401.
Morrison, E. W. (2014). Employee voice and silence. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1, 173–197.
Nazia, A. H., & Zaiton, H. (2021). Peranan penyederhana jarak kuasa terhadap hubungan kepercayaan organisasi dan perilaku mendiamkan diri dan bersuara pekerja. Jurnal Pengurusan, 62, 1-17.
Nikolaou, I., Vakola, M., & Bourantas, D. (2011). The role of silence on employees' attitudes“the day after” a merger. Personnel Review, 40(6), 723-741.
Pillai, R., Schriesheim, C. A., & Williams, E. S. (1999). Fairness perceptions and trust for transformational and transactional leadership: A two-sample study. Journal of Management, 25, 897-933.
Prouska, R., McKearney, A., Opute, J., Tungtakanpoung, M., & Brewster, C. (2021). Voice in context: An international comparative study of employee experience with voice in small and medium enterprises. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 33(15), 3149–3174.
Silva, V. H., Duarte, A. P., & Simões, L. M. (2024). The impact of paradoxical leadership on employee knowledge-sharing behavior: The role of trust in the leader and employee promotive voice behavior. Administrative Sciences, 14(9), 221.
Son, S. (2019). The role of supervisors on employees’ voice behavior. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 40(1), 85–96.
Unler, E., & Caliskan, S. (2019). Individual and managerial predictors of the different forms of employee voice. Journal of Management Development, 38(7), 582-603.
Whitener, E. M., Brodt, S. E., Korsgaard, M. A., & Werner, J. M. (1998). Managers as imitators of trust: An exchange relationship framework for understanding managerial trust building behavior. Academy of Management Review, 23, 513-529.
Zhang, L., Lou, M., & Guan, H. (2022). How and when perceived leader narcissism impacts employee voice behavior: a social exchange perspective. Journal of Management and Organization. 28(1), 77-98.
Zhang, X., Huang, X., Hu, Y., Chen, Q., & Zhao, X. (2024). The relationship between organizational trust and voice behavior among neonatal intensive care unit nurses in tertiarya hospitals in Sichuan Province: Themediating role of career resilience. Frontier Public Health, 12, e1505641.
Hodi, N. A., Hassan, Z., Bandar, N. F. A., & Kasa, M. (2026). Does Organizational Trust Influence Voice Behaviour? Sharing Malaysian Public Sector Experiences. International Journal of Academic Research in Accounting, Finance and Management Sciences, 16(4), 15–31.
Copyright: © 2026 The Author(s)
Published by HRMARS (www.hrmars.com)
This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at: http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode