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Ethical Leadership and Knowledge Sharing: The Effects of Positive Reciprocity and Moral Efficacy

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  • Xiaofeng Su
  • Wenhe Lin
  • Jingjing Wu
  • Qiuqin Zheng
  • Xiaoxia Chen
  • Xiaoli Jiang

Abstract

Despite the pivotal function of knowledge sharing for enterprises in today’s highly competitive and ever-changing economic environment, the mechanism about how ethical leadership impacts employees’ knowledge sharing remains a largely unexplored domain in the literature. Drawing on the social exchange theory and social learning theory, this study examines how ethical leadership helps to encourage followers’ knowledge sharing behavior considering the dual-mediating effects of positive reciprocity and moral efficacy. A questionnaire-based survey is used to collect data in China. And structural equation modeling techniques are used to analyze the collected data in order to test the proposed hypothesis. Results show that ethical leadership has positive impact on followers’ knowledge sharing. It is also found that both positive reciprocity and moral efficacy play significant mediating effects, and they are equally important in accounting for the impact of ethical leadership on followers’ knowledge sharing. Based on the analysis results, this paper further discusses theoretical and practical implications.

Suggested Citation

  • Xiaofeng Su & Wenhe Lin & Jingjing Wu & Qiuqin Zheng & Xiaoxia Chen & Xiaoli Jiang, 2021. "Ethical Leadership and Knowledge Sharing: The Effects of Positive Reciprocity and Moral Efficacy," SAGE Open, , vol. 11(2), pages 21582440211, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:sagope:v:11:y:2021:i:2:p:21582440211021823
    DOI: 10.1177/21582440211021823
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Misbah Hayat Bhatti & Umair Akram & Muhammad Hasnat Bhatti & Hassan Rasool & Xin Su, 2020. "Unraveling the Effects of Ethical Leadership on Knowledge Sharing: The Mediating Roles of Subjective Well-Being and Social Media in the Hotel Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-20, October.
    2. 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.
    3. Xiaofeng Su & Anxin Xu & Wenhe Lin & Youcheng Chen & Songtao Liu & Wenxing Xu, 2020. "Environmental Leadership, Green Innovation Practices, Environmental Knowledge Learning, and Firm Performance," SAGE Open, , vol. 10(2), pages 21582440209, May.
    4. Brown, Michael E. & Trevino, Linda K. & Harrison, David A., 2005. "Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 117-134, July.
    5. Robert Isaac & Irene Herremans & Theresa Kline, 2010. "Intellectual Capital Management Enablers: A Structural Equation Modeling Analysis," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 93(3), pages 373-391, May.
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    1. Hao-Fan Chumg & Jia-Wen Shin & Hsiu-Yen Chiang & Man-ting Ho, 2022. "What Drives Working Habits for Sharing Knowledge in Virtual Teams? An Organizational Embeddedness Perspective," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(1), pages 21582440221, March.
    2. Hina Shahid & Shafaq Arif Chaudhry & Furrakh Abbas & Saira Ghulam Hassan & Shoaib Aslam, 2023. "Do Morality-Based Individual Differences and Relational Climates Matter? Ethical Leadership and Knowledge Hiding: A Multilevel Framework," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    3. 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).
    4. Qin Yang & Young-Chan Lee, 2021. "Why Do People Hide Knowledge in the Online Knowledge Community? An Integrated Framework of Protection Motivation, Self-Determination, and Social Exchange Beliefs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(17), pages 1-24, September.

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