The mediating role of justice perceptions in the linkage between ethical leadership and employee outcomes: a study of Indian professionals

Abstract

The present study examines the relationship of ethical leadership with job satisfaction, affective commitment and normative commitment in the Indian context. This study also examines the mediating role of procedural justice perceptions in this relationship. A self-reported questionnaire survey (N = 255) was conducted in various Indian organisations in the northern part of India. As hypothesised, ethical leadership was positively related to all the four dimensions of organisational justice namely procedural, distributive, informational and interpersonal justice. Further, procedural justice mediated the relationship of ethical leadership with job satisfaction, affective commitment, and normative commitment. Results also indicated the mediating role of informational justice in the relationship of ethical leadership with affective commitment and job satisfaction, highlighting the need for information transparency among employees in India. Managerial implications of the study are discussed.