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Does ethical leadership predict follower outcomes above and beyond the full-range leadership model and authentic leadership?: An organizational commitment perspective

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Abstract

Although cumulative evidence has shown that ethical leadership, as an emerging form of positive leadership, has beneficial effects on followers’ work outcomes, the demand for identifying the unique effects of ethical leadership has been increasing due to its conceptual and empirical overlap with other similar forms of leadership. Responding to recent calls for scholarly attention to the predictive validity of ethical leadership, this study investigates the unique effects of ethical leadership that goes above and beyond the full-range leadership model (FRLM) and authentic leadership. Furthermore, drawing on Meyer and Herscovitch’s (2001) model of organizational commitment, we examine the mediating effects of organizational commitment on the relationships among ethical leadership, task performance, and turnover intentions, while controlling for the FRLM and authentic leadership in two separate samples collected in South Korea. Our findings suggest that both affective and normative commitment mediate the posited relationships, even in the presence of the FRLM and authentic leadership. Theoretical and practical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Management Studies, College of Business, University of Michigan–Dearborn, Fairlane Center South, 19000 Hubbard Drive, Dearborn, MI, 48126, USA

    Junghyun (Jessie) Lee

  2. Management Department, College of Business, Oregon State University, 340 Bexell Hall, Corvallis, OR, 97331, USA

    Jeewon Cho

  3. School of Business Administration, Kyungpook National University, 80, Daehak-ro, Buk-gu, Daegu, 41566, South Korea

    Yoonjung Baek

  4. Management Department, College of Business Administration, California State University, San Marcos, 333 S Twin Oaks Valley Rd, San Marcos, CA, 92078, USA

    Rajnandini Pillai

  5. School of Business Administration, Hanyang University, 222 Wangsimni-ro, Seongdong-gu, Seoul, 04763, South Korea

    Se Hyung Oh

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Lee, J.(., Cho, J., Baek, Y. et al. Does ethical leadership predict follower outcomes above and beyond the full-range leadership model and authentic leadership?: An organizational commitment perspective. Asia Pac J Manag 36, 821–847 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10490-018-9596-6

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