A Review of Employees’ Social Courage Behavior from a Paradox Perspective: Conceptual Evolution, Theoretical Integration, and Mechanism of Action

In organizational settings, social courage behavior refers to employees’ willingness to voice concerns or correct errors for collective goals or organizational integrity while consciously taking on reputational, status, and relational risks. This paper systematically reviews existing research and distinguishes social courage from related constructs such as moral courage and voice behavior. Drawing on social risk theory, positive organizational behavior, moral cognition and motivation theory, and social exchange theory, it integrates the generation logic of four dimensions-risk, resources, values, and relationships-and conceptualizes social courage as a state-like behavior that can be situationally activated and managed. Furthermore, the paper proposes a theoretical model in which paradoxical leadership functions as the antecedent, leader–member exchange (LMX) quality serves as the mediating mechanism, social courage behavior is the outcome, and organizational support climate acts as the moderating variable. The model reveals the interactive effects of leadership, relationship quality, and organizational climate, enriching theoretical understanding and offering practical insights for fostering employees’ willingness to “speak up” and “act courageously” within organizations.