THE ROLE OF ETHICAL LEADERSHIP IN INCREASING EMPLOYEES' ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AND PERFORMANCE: THE CASE OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS

Today's organizations are looking for ways to improve the organizational commitment and performance of employees in order to have a qualified workforce and maintain sustainability. Organizational leaders' approach to increasing employee motivation positively affects their organizational commitment and job performance. This research, basically focusing on the health sector, tried to specify the effect of the managers’ ethical approach on employees’ organizational commitments, performances, and the role of organizational commitments in this effect. The sampling was composed of 362 healthcare professionals. In this cross-sectional field study, an independent variable model for the ethical leadership approaches and a dependent variable model for the employees’ performance and commitment to their organizations were practiced. Data was collected through Ethical leadership, Organizational Commitment, and Individual Performance Scales. The data collected were analyzed through SPSS and AMOS package programs. A correlation analysis to specify the relationships between the variables and a regression analysis was done to specify the interaction. In specifying the intermediary role of organizational commitment, Structural Equation Model (SEM) was used. The results of the analyses showed positive significant relationships between ethical leadership approaches and organizational commitment and employees’ performance. It was also observed that ethical leadership approaches had a positive and meaningful effect on affective, continuous and normative commitment, the sub-dimensions of organizational commitment, as well as the employees’ performance. On other important finding is employees’ attendance and normative commitment are highly affected by ethical leadership approaches. As a result, it was specified that ethical leadership approaches by the managers are highly effective on employees’ performance and their commitment. It was also noted that organizational commitment played a mediator role on ethical leadership approaches. These findings were seen to be amicable with findings in previous studies. It is expected that this research will contribute to the literature because it is a holistic model including the relationships between variables.