Exploring the Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Job Satisfaction with the Mediating Role of the Level of Loyalty to Supervisor

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of ethical leadership behaviour on employees' both intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction and also to find out a possible mediator effect of loyalty to supervisor in this relationship. A total of 223 academic and administrative staff who worked in Gümüşhane University in Turkey constituted the sample of the study. Mediation analysis was used to test the research model. Findings of our analysis have confirmed that ethical leadership is effective on loyalty to supervisor and also loyalty to supervisor increases employees' job satisfaction. It was understood that from the intrinsic dimension side of job satisfaction, indirect effect had been defined over "Extra Effort for Supervisor, Identification with Supervisor and Internalization of Supervisor's Values" dimensions of loyalty to supervisor. On the extrinsic dimension side of job satisfaction, "Dedication and Attachment to Supervisor (Ded*Attach), Identification with Supervisor and Internalization Supervisor's Values" dimensions of loyalty to supervisor variable had mediated the relationship between ethical leadership and job satisfaction. Briefly, as a result of mediator analysis we confirmed that a certain part of the relationship between ethical leadership and job satisfaction came out over loyalty to supervisor