Research Article

The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement

Volume: 7 Number: 2 June 30, 2025
TR EN

The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the mediating role of ethical leadership in the relationship between psychological climate and work engagement. The study consists of survey data (n=442) collected from employees in iron and steel companies in Istanbul. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the convergent validity of the construct measures. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the fit of the hypothesized model to the data. The findings show that all psychological climate variables affect ethical leadership and ethical leadership also has a significant effect on work engagement dimensions. In addition, the study revealed that ethical leadership has a full mediating role in the effect of psychological climate on work engagement. Limitations of this study include its focus on a single sector and location, which limits the generalizability of the findings to other sectors and cultural contexts. This study contributes to the work engagement literature by highlighting the role of ethical leadership in shaping the psychological climate of an organization. It provides new perspectives on how leadership behavior affects employee engagement, particularly in the context of ethical decision-making and leadership practices. The findings provide practical recommendations for organizations seeking to increase employee engagement through strategies for leadership development and improving psychological climate.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

For the scale used in the article, it is declared by the authors that permission was optained from the original owner of the scale. Regarding the conduct of this research, an “Ethics Permission Certificate” dated 22/09/2023 and numbered 131 was obtained from the Ethics Committee of the University of Istanbul Gelişim.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Business Administration

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

June 30, 2025

Submission Date

March 1, 2025

Acceptance Date

June 23, 2025

Published in Issue

Year 2025 Volume: 7 Number: 2

APA
Yazıcı, A. M., Özkan, A., & Yalçın, Y. (2025). The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement. International Journal of Business and Economic Studies, 7(2), 93-112. https://doi.org/10.54821/uiecd.1649313
AMA
1.Yazıcı AM, Özkan A, Yalçın Y. The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement. BES JOURNAL. 2025;7(2):93-112. doi:10.54821/uiecd.1649313
Chicago
Yazıcı, Ayşe Meriç, Ayşegül Özkan, and Yüksel Yalçın. 2025. “The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement”. International Journal of Business and Economic Studies 7 (2): 93-112. https://doi.org/10.54821/uiecd.1649313.
EndNote
Yazıcı AM, Özkan A, Yalçın Y (June 1, 2025) The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement. International Journal of Business and Economic Studies 7 2 93–112.
IEEE
[1]A. M. Yazıcı, A. Özkan, and Y. Yalçın, “The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement”, BES JOURNAL, vol. 7, no. 2, pp. 93–112, June 2025, doi: 10.54821/uiecd.1649313.
ISNAD
Yazıcı, Ayşe Meriç - Özkan, Ayşegül - Yalçın, Yüksel. “The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement”. International Journal of Business and Economic Studies 7/2 (June 1, 2025): 93-112. https://doi.org/10.54821/uiecd.1649313.
JAMA
1.Yazıcı AM, Özkan A, Yalçın Y. The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement. BES JOURNAL. 2025;7:93–112.
MLA
Yazıcı, Ayşe Meriç, et al. “The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement”. International Journal of Business and Economic Studies, vol. 7, no. 2, June 2025, pp. 93-112, doi:10.54821/uiecd.1649313.
Vancouver
1.Ayşe Meriç Yazıcı, Ayşegül Özkan, Yüksel Yalçın. The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement. BES JOURNAL. 2025 Jun. 1;7(2):93-112. doi:10.54821/uiecd.1649313

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