Moral leadership and psychological empowerment in China

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of perceived procedural justice and interactional justice on the relationship between moral leadership and the four psychological empowerment dimensions manifested in individuals' perceptions of meaning, competence, self‐determination, and impact.Design/methodology/approachData from 241 subordinates, who reported to 110 supervisors, were collected from clothing companies in southern mainland China. The subordinates responded to a self‐report survey, which consisted of the variables of interest. Because of the nature of nested data, hierarchical linear regression (HLM 6.0) was used for analysis.FindingsA fully mediated model of perceived justice was supported. Procedural justice and interactional justice were found to be differentially associated with the elements of psychological empowerment. Specifically, while perceived procedural justice accounted for more unique variance in the empowerment facets of meaning, competence, and impact, perceived interactional justice accounted for more unique variance in the facet of self‐determination.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the literature by first examining the relationships among moral leadership, two types of perceived justice, and the four empowerment dimensions in the Chinese context. A detailed discussion of the implication for both researchers and practitioners is also provided.

Ethical Leadership Behavior and Employee Justice Perceptions: The Mediating Role of Trust in Organization

“…Some researchers (e.g., Kirkman et al 2009;Pillai et al 1999) have argued that leaders should have some crucial influences on employees' perceptions of organization-focused justice (i.e., procedural and distributive justice). As ethical leaders act as organization's moral agents who maintain and promote the compliance of ethical standard of the organization such as fairness, one may expect that their behaviors have an important role to play in affecting employees' fairness judgment regarding organizational procedures and outcomes (Demirtas 2013;Li et al 2012. In this study, we examine these relationships by proposing trust in organization as a key mediating mechanism.…”

“…Their emphasis on the adherence to organizational policies and practices draw employees' attention to the organization's fair procedures (Loi et al 2012). In their study conducted in China, Li et al (2012) found that subordinates under ethical leaders perceive greater procedural justice.…”

Entrepreneur’s paternalistic leadership style and creativity

“…Research on paternalistic leadership suggests that moral leadership is strongly related to positive employee attitudes and behavior (Farh et al, 2006). Moral leadership has an effect on employees' trust in the leader (Li et al, 2012;Wu et al, 2012). In the moral leadership style, leaders demonstrate high standards of trustworthiness and…”

Paternalistic Leadership and Innovative Behavior: Psychological Empowerment as a Mediator

“…A number of studies have analyzed the relationship between paternalistic leadership styles (authoritarian, benevolent, and moral) and innovative behavior and suggested that paternalistic leadership influences innovative behavior [6][7][8]. When leaders with moral leadership styles give employees autonomy and independence, employees become able to influence what happens in their jobs and feel empowered [9]. Moreover, when benevolent leaders support employees [6] and provide them with task related resources [10], it gives employees a sense of power [11].…”