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Ethical Leadership with Both “Moral Person” and “Moral Manager” Aspects: Scale Development and Cross-Cultural Validation

Author

Listed:
  • Weichun Zhu

    (Guangzhou University)

  • Xiaoming Zheng

    (Tsinghua University)

  • Hongwei He

    (University of Manchester)

  • Gang Wang

    (Florida State University)

  • Xi Zhang

    (Tsinghua University)

Abstract

The importance of ethical leadership in organizations has been increasingly recognized, especially as a shield against unethical employee behaviors and corporate misconducts. Ethical leadership has been theorized to include two aspects: “moral person” and “moral manager.” This conceptualization resonates well with Chinese teachings of Confucius on leadership and management—namely xiuji (cultivating oneself) and anren (bringing the good to others). Based on the theoretical framework of ethical leadership, we develop and validate a new ethical leadership measure (ELM). Through qualitative studies (i.e., face-to-face interviews, open-ended surveys, and literature review) and five quantitative studies, we establish the reliability and convergent, discriminant, and predictive validities of the ELM in a Chinese context. In addition, using a US sample, we find that the ELM has partial measurement invariance across Chinese and American contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Weichun Zhu & Xiaoming Zheng & Hongwei He & Gang Wang & Xi Zhang, 2019. "Ethical Leadership with Both “Moral Person” and “Moral Manager” Aspects: Scale Development and Cross-Cultural Validation," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 158(2), pages 547-565, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jbuset:v:158:y:2019:i:2:d:10.1007_s10551-017-3740-y
    DOI: 10.1007/s10551-017-3740-y
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Sun, Ui Young & Xu, Haoying & Kluemper, Donald H. & McLarty, Benjamin D. & Yun, Seokhwa, 2024. "Ethical leadership and knowledge sharing: A social cognitive approach investigating the role of self-efficacy as a key mechanism," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    2. Emmanuel Osafo & Amy Paros & Robert M. Yawson, 2021. "Valence–Instrumentality–Expectancy Model of Motivation as an Alternative Model for Examining Ethical Leadership Behaviors," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, June.
    3. 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.
    4. Yan Ling & Michelle Hammond & Li-Qun Wei, 2022. "Ethical leadership and ambidexterity in young firms: examining the CEO-TMT Interface," International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, Springer, vol. 18(1), pages 25-48, March.

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