Why does ethical leadership matter? Exploration and future direction for sales research

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the relationship between ethical leadership and an employee’s work-related attitudes about, and behaviors for, their company. Using social learning theory, the authors examine how a manager’s ethical leadership influences the relationship between an employee’s job satisfaction and organizational commitment. This research uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate the direct and moderated relationships among these variables using data from 250-employees working in United States-based companies. Results suggest that an employee’s perceptions of ethical leadership moderate the relationship between their job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Implications for managers and directions for future research are provided.