Linking Ethical Leadership to Employee Outcomes: The Role of Alienation from Work

Abstract

Although the outcomes of ethical leadership have been investigated, less is known about the mechanism which links ethical leadership to employee outcomes. This study aims to examine relations among ethical leadership, alienation from work, loyal boosterism, and turnover intention. In a sample of 241 employees from Malaysia, analyses using structural equation modelling revealed that alienation from work has a complementary mediation effect on the relationship between ethical leadership and employee outcomes. Consistent with social identity theory, our research indicates that working with ethical leaders reduces employees’ sense of alienation from their work, which in turn allows employees to flourish and demonstrate positive behaviour towards organization. Study offers fresh insights to HR managers and directions for future research.