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Does ethical leadership enhance group learning behavior? Examining the mediating influence of group ethical conduct, justice climate, and peer justice

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  • Walumbwa, Fred O.
  • Hartnell, Chad A.
  • Misati, Everlyne

Abstract

The link between ethical leadership and employees' ethical behaviors is well established, but are ethical leadership's benefits confined to ethical behaviors? This study aimed to address this question by examining the extent to which ethical leaders create an environment conducive to cultivating a broader set of desirable behaviors such as group learning behavior. We drew upon and integrated insights from social learning theory and the social marketplace model to develop and test a model that illuminates how ethical leadership enhances group learning behavior. We propose that group ethical conduct, justice climate, and peer justice are three contextual mechanisms through which ethical leadership improves group learning. Using data collected over two time periods from 95 supervisors and 323 work group members from a large financial institution in the United States, we found that ethical leadership significantly relates to group learning behavior, and that this relationship is partially explained by group ethical conduct and peer justice, but not justice climate. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.

Suggested Citation

  • Walumbwa, Fred O. & Hartnell, Chad A. & Misati, Everlyne, 2017. "Does ethical leadership enhance group learning behavior? Examining the mediating influence of group ethical conduct, justice climate, and peer justice," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 14-23.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jbrese:v:72:y:2017:i:c:p:14-23
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.11.013
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    6. Mayowa T. Babalola & Jeroen Stouten & Jeroen Camps & Martin Euwema, 2019. "When Do Ethical Leaders Become Less Effective? The Moderating Role of Perceived Leader Ethical Conviction on Employee Discretionary Reactions to Ethical Leadership," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 154(1), pages 85-102, January.
    7. Bachnik, Katarzyna & Misiaszek, Tessa & Day-Duro, Emma, 2023. "Integrating corporate social challenge, learning and innovation in business education," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    8. Agarwal, Upasna A & Gupta, Megha & Cooke, Fang Lee, 2022. "Knowledge hide and seek: Role of ethical leadership, self-enhancement and job-involvement," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 770-781.
    9. Francesco Pace & Emanuela Ingusci & Fulvio Signore & Giulia Sciotto, 2021. "Human Resources Management Practices Perception and Extra-Role Behaviors: The Role of Employability and Learning at Work," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-11, August.
    10. Sadaf Iqbal & Tahir Farid & Jianhong Ma & Amira Khattak & Mohammad Nurunnabi, 2018. "The Impact of Authentic Leadership on Organizational Citizenship Behaviours and the Mediating Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in the Banking Sector of Pakistan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-11, June.
    11. Edina Molnár & Asif Mahmood & Naveed Ahmad & Amir Ikram & Shah Ali Murtaza, 2021. "The Interplay between Corporate Social Responsibility at Employee Level, Ethical Leadership, Quality of Work Life and Employee Pro-Environmental Behavior: The Case of Healthcare Organizations," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-16, April.
    12. Hornik, Jacob & Rachamim, Matti, 2023. "Justice for all: A marketing perspective and research agenda," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 159(C).
    13. Chenghao Men & Patrick S. W. Fong & Weiwei Huo & Jing Zhong & Ruiqian Jia & Jinlian Luo, 2020. "Ethical Leadership and Knowledge Hiding: A Moderated Mediation Model of Psychological Safety and Mastery Climate," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 166(3), pages 461-472, October.
    14. Seckyoung Loretta Kim, 2021. "Supervisor Knowledge Sharing and Employee Knowledge Sharing: The Moderating Roles of Learning Goal Orientation and Affective Organizational Commitment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-13, April.
    15. Huseyin Arasli & Mustafa Cengiz & Hasan Evrim Arici & Nagihan Cakmakoglu Arici & Furkan Arasli, 2021. "The Effect of Abusive Supervision on Organizational Identification: A Moderated Mediation Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(15), pages 1-15, July.
    16. Hazem Ahmed Khairy & Sijun Liu & Samar Sheikhelsouk & Ahmed M. EI-Sherbeeny & Omar Alsetoohy & Bassam Samir Al-Romeedy, 2023. "The Effect of Benevolent Leadership on Job Engagement through Psychological Safety and Workplace Friendship Prevalence in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(17), pages 1-22, September.
    17. Maureen L. Ambrose & Darryl B. Rice & David M. Mayer, 2021. "Justice Climate and Workgroup Outcomes: The Role of Coworker Fair Behavior and Workgroup Structure," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 172(1), pages 79-99, August.
    18. Muhammad Arshad & Ghulam Abid & Francoise Venezia Contreras Torres, 2021. "Impact of prosocial motivation on organizational citizenship behavior: the mediating role of ethical leadership and leader–member exchange," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 55(1), pages 133-150, February.
    19. Norlida Zakirai Zakaria & Idris Osman & Shereen Noranee, 2023. "The Influence of Personality Traits on Ethical Behavior of Police: The Mediating Effect of Ethical Leadership," Information Management and Business Review, AMH International, vol. 15(4), pages 138-145.

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