The Power of Ethical Leadership: Fueling Job Satisfaction, Thriving, Performance, and Innovative Behaviors

Abstract

Empirical research relating ethical leadership, job satisfaction and thriving at work is scarce. Therefore, this research aims to explore the impacts of the employee's perception of ethical leadership on their job satisfaction and thriving at work and to examine the impacts of thriving on innovative behaviors and employee performance. We assessed the model within a sample of 216 employees from different sectors. Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used, and results demonstrate that ethical leadership positively impacts employees' job satisfaction and that the employee's job satisfaction also positively impacts their thriving at work. It has also been verified that job satisfaction fully mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and thriving at work. This research emphasizes the significance of the role of ethical leadership within organizations, particularly for employees' behaviors.