Ethical Higher Education Management: The Role of Ethical Leadership in Shaping Employee Work Outcomes

Abstract

Private higher education in Lebanon is facing mounting challenges from recent economic shocks; the increasing demand for higher education; the numerous players in the market and the resulting fierce competition; an absence of government regulation; and lack of consistent quality and accreditation standards. It can be argued that these unprecedented challenges require Lebanese private universities to bolster their reputation through attracting and retaining transparent and responsible leaders who behave ethically, engage fairly with stakeholders, honour their duties, are zealous in enforcing their principles, and make morally-based decisions. However, the benefits extend beyond building a robust reputation. Previous research suggests that ethical leadership and ethical institutional climates breed trusting relationships among employees which promote desirable work outcomes - such as knowledge sharing in the workplace - leading to higher performance and greater innovation at the individual, team, and organizational levels. However, little research has examined how leaders’ ethicality and the organizational climate in higher education institutions (HEIs) affect the knowledge sharing behaviour of academic and professional staff. Drawing on social learning and social exchange theories, this quantitative study therefore empirically examines the direct and indirect relationships among ethical leadership, ethical climate, and the bidirectional process of knowledge sharing (knowledge collecting and knowledge donating), as well as the moderating role of employee organizational tenure. In total, 585 responses from academic and non-academic staff employed in nine private HEIs in Lebanon were collected between April and July 2021 via a web-based questionnaire. Hierarchical regression analysis and Hayes’ Process macro for SPSS were used to test a series of hypotheses concerning the above relationships. Findings reveal that ethical leadership positively influences employee knowledge-sharing behaviour in Lebanese private HEIs. Specifically, the study presents evidence that perceptions of the ethical climate serve as a mechanism through which ethical leadership affects knowledge collecting and knowledge donating. In addition, the study highlights the moderating role of employee organizational tenure in the relationship between ethical leadership and ethical climate and consequently with knowledge sharing. The findings encourage deeper consideration of ethics in higher education leadership and demonstrate the role that universities’ organisational climates can play in creating the conditions that facilitate knowledge sharing and hence more effective knowledge production and societal contribution.

Date of Award	29 Mar 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	University of Bath
Supervisor	Gina Wisker (Supervisor) & Dan Davies (Supervisor)