Impact of ethical leadership on job satisfaction: the mediating effect of work–family conflict

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the mediating effect of the work–family conflict in the relation between ethical leadership and job satisfaction.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire was answered by 234 nursing professionals working in Portuguese public health institutions.

Findings

Regression analyses indicate that there is a positive relationship between ethical leadership and satisfaction and a negative relationship between ethical leadership and the nurse's work–family conflict. Furthermore, it was revealed that the work–family conflict mediated (partially) the relationship between ethical leadership and job satisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

Ethical leadership was measured by assessing the nurses' perceptions of their leaders' character. The cross-sectional data limited the possibility of establishing the causality of the study variables, where the generalization of results was not possible due to the fact that data were obtained in public health institutions alone.

Practical implications

Considering that ethics precede good relations between the manager and collaborator, it is recommended that organizations develop ethical training for their leaders, more specifically in the case of head nurses.

Originality/value

The added value of this empirical study lies in the mediated role of the work–family conflict in the analysis of the relationship between ethical leadership and job satisfaction.

Citation

Freire, C. and Bettencourt, C. (2020), "Impact of ethical leadership on job satisfaction: the mediating effect of work–family conflict", Leadership & Organization Development Journal, Vol. 41 No. 2, pp. 319-330. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-07-2019-0338