The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Relationship Between Safety Culture and Trust in the Organization

Year 2026, Volume: 26 Issue: 1, 1 - 10, 03.01.2026

Dilek Balak

https://doi.org/10.21121/eab.20260101

https://izlik.org/JA83NH26EB

Abstract

Human behavior is a critical element revealed in the occupational safety literature. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the basic factors affecting employees' attitudes and behaviors to ensure workplace safety. In this context, this research discusses the concept of safety culture, considering that it has the potential to ensure workplace safety. Another important issue required to change employee behavior is the leadership style. In fact, the safety issue cannot be addressed effectively without the intervention of a manager or leader. Because it is thought that employees who feel safe in the organization they work for and think that their managers treat them fairly will prioritize safety in their work-related activities. For this reason, this study aims to determine how employees' perceptions of safety culture (SC) affect their level of trust in the organization (TO) and whether ethical leadership (EL) has a mediating effect in this relationship. Based on this, data was collected using the survey method from 213 white-collar employees of 58 SMEs operating in the manufacturing industry in Istanbul. SEM was used to analyze the data. IBM SPSS 22 and AMOS 22 were used for analysis. According to the research results, managers' EL styles fully mediate the relationship between employees' perceptions of SC and their perception of TO.

Keywords

safety culture , ethical leadership , trust on organization , Social Learning Theory , Social Exchange Theory

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