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How does ethical leadership lead to work active employees? The perspective of self-determination theory

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Abstract

This study explores whether basic psychological needs mediate the relationships between ethical leadership on proactive behavior and deviant behavior. Therefore, this study seeks to clarify the mediating process of perceived autonomy, competence, and relatedness based on data collected from 385 full-time employees at three different times. The results showed that ethical leadership can promote employees’ proactive behavior and prevent deviant behavior, with basic psychological needs mediating the relationships of ethical leadership with proactive behavior and deviant behavior.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of International Business, Providence University, Taichung, Taiwan

    Hung-Yu Tsai

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  1. Hung-Yu Tsai
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Correspondence to Hung-Yu Tsai.

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All research procedures involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the research committee at the third author’s institution and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.

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Tsai, HY. How does ethical leadership lead to work active employees? The perspective of self-determination theory. Curr Psychol 43, 14668–14675 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05462-8

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