Title: Socially responsible HRM and leadership: impact on Vietnamese civil servants' moral voice

Authors: Minh-Tri Ha; Bao-Son Doan; Thi-Thu-Hien Pham

Addresses: School of Business, International University, VNU-HCM, Vietnam; Vietnam National University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam ' Centre for Public Administration, International University, VNU-HCM, Vietnam; Faculty of Economics and Public Management, Ho Chi Minh City Open University, Vietnam ' Faculty of Economics and Public Management, Ho Chi Minh City Open University, Vietnam

Abstract: This work presents an innovative exploration of the interplay between socially responsible human resource management (SRHRM), responsible leadership (RL), and moral voice (MV) within Vietnam's public sector. This context has been inadequately addressed in the current literature. Using the social identity theory (SIT) as a framework, we explored the relationship between SRHRM and MV, considering affective organisational commitment (AOC) and public service motivation (PSM) as mediating mechanisms. Responsible leadership (RL) and trust in leader (TRU) are moderators in the nexus between SRHRM and MV. Our survey of 732 civil servants in Vietnam, analysed through partial least squares-structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), revealed a significant association between SRHRM and MV, with AOC and PSM as mediators. TRU also mediated the relationship between RL and MV. However, the moderating effect of RL was insignificant. These outcomes offer theoretical progress in human resource management and leadership research, as well as proposing practical guidance for improving ethical conduct in public organisations.

Keywords: moral voice; MV; public service motivation; PSM; responsible leadership; RL; socially responsible human resource management; SRHRM; trust in leader; TRU; Vietnam.

DOI: 10.1504/JIBED.2025.148818

Journal for International Business and Entrepreneurship Development, 2025 Vol.17 No.2, pp.263 - 288

Received: 26 Jan 2025
Accepted: 22 Jul 2025
Published online: 26 Sep 2025 *

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