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Project-based organizations (PBOs) face challenges to enhance employee work engagement because of dynamic and constant role configuration. Accordingly, this study aims to explore how ethical leadership enhances employee work engagement from a sensemaking perspective.

This study used a questionnaire-based quantitative research design to collect data from 194 full-time employees in PBOs. The data were analyzed via partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique to test hypotheses.

The findings show a positive relationship between ethical leadership and work engagement. Additionally, the relationship between ethical leadership and work engagement is mediated by two sensemaking mechanisms, i.e. goal commitment and prosocial.

This study deepens the understanding of how ethical leadership enhances work engagement in PBOs by providing two sensemaking mechanisms. By exploring the sensemaking process through which ethical leaders help employees construct identity, the findings contribute to the current literature on how ethical leadership enhances work engagement in PBOs.

This study examines the role of ethical leadership in building employee trust, knowledge sharing (KS), job satisfaction and then influencing employee engagement in the workplace.

The sample included 610 employees of Indonesia Islamic Bank, obtained through an online survey. Structural equation modelling was used to test the research hypotheses.

Ethical leadership actively contributes to the growth of employee trust, exchange knowledge frequent and job satisfaction and then become key points to enhance employees’ engagement.

Future research is required to validate across regions and organisations to in light of the findings of the topic study.

Organisational leaders and employees obtain a better understanding of ethics and organisation management field, hence employees and leaders must encourage ethical values as code of conduct in the workplace.

This study demonstrated the extent of the Khan concept for a combination of employee engagement, ethical leadership and KS. It also incorporates employee job satisfaction and the organisational engagement among employees.

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-03-2023-0218

Employee work engagement has become a major concern for managers as hardly 21% of employees are engaged in their work. Therefore, this study aims to unveil the association between ethical leadership and employee engagement. Specifically, the study explores the mediating role of trust in leader between ethical leadership and employee work engagement and moderating role of harmonious work passion in the association between trust in leader and employee work engagement.

This study collected data from 491 employees and their immediate supervisors working in various organizations (in Pakistan) through “Google Forms”. The data were analyzed through analysis of moment structure (AMOS) and structural equation modeling (SEM) was applied to examine measurement model (for unidimensionality) and structural model (for hypotheses testing).

The study noted that ethical leaders positively influence their subordinates to engage in their work. In addition, employees' trust in leader was noted to mediate the association between ethical leadership and employee work engagement. Finally, employees high in harmonious work passion are more likely to engage in their work when perceived their leaders ethical style.

The study suggests to management that fair dealing and involvement in decision-making (ethical leadership) improve employee work engagement as such practices build employees' level of trust in their leaders. In addition, management is suggested to give freedom to employees while selecting their tasks as it positively contributes to their harmonious work passion which ultimately benefits the organization.

Drawing upon social exchange and self-determination theory, this study is the first of its kind that explored the moderating role of harmonious work passion and mediating role of trust in leader between ethical leadership and employee work engagement.

This paper aims to investigate how chief executive officer (CEO) responsible leadership impacts corporate social responsibility (CSR) and organization performance by considering diverse organizational climates (including ethical, service and initiative climates) as mediators and CEO founder status as a moderator.

This study analyzed survey data from 212 service organizations in China with structural equation modeling.

The results clearly established that CEO responsible leadership played a crucial role in augmenting both CSR and organization performance by shaping positive organizational climates. Notably, CEO responsible leadership significantly fostered ethical, service and initiative climates. Furthermore, an ethical climate promoted CSR and organization performance, whereas service and initiative climates specifically enhanced organization performance. Additionally, responsible CEOs with founder status exhibited a higher propensity for enhancing ethical, service and initiative climates within service organizations.

Service organizations should take measures to build CEO responsible leadership, especially for CEOs with founder status. Furthermore, service organizations should motivate employees to reach consensus on ethical conducts, superior service and proactive approach to work.

First, the findings on CEO responsible leadership’s effects on CSR and organization performance extend the research on responsible leadership outcomes. Second, this paper adds to responsible leadership literature through exploring the mediating effects of ethical, service and initiative climates. Finally, the finding on the moderating role of founder CEOs offers a novel perspective regarding the boundary condition of the effects of CEO responsible leadership.

This study aims to explore the associations between leadership styles (i.e. transformational and ethical) and innovative work behavior within higher education institutions (HEIs), additionally investigating the mediating role of work engagement and the moderating role of psychological empowerment.

The basis of this study rested upon adopting a cross-sectional research framework. The data were acquired from a sample comprising 825 academic staff and 275 leaders across 226 HEIs in China. Employing a quantitative methodology, the researchers used AMOS version 26.0 and SPSS version 22.0 for statistical analysis.

The results indicated that leadership styles (i.e. transformational and ethical) positively affected innovative work behavior, both directly and indirectly (via work engagement). Also, psychological empowerment moderated the linkage between leadership styles and innovative work behavior but not the association between work engagement and innovative work behavior.

Despite some existing literature having discussed the correlation between leadership styles and innovative work behavior, there appears to be a conspicuous dearth of research endeavoring to explore the mediator (i.e. work engagement) and the moderator (i.e. psychological empowerment) within the above nexus, especially in the context of HEIs. Thus, this study can be considered original, introducing novel perspectives and substantial contributions to the management literature on HEIs. In addition, it offers insights for organizational managers.

Since the idea of “Unethical Pro-organisational Behaviour” (UPB) was introduced in 2010, a substantial corpus of empirical research has contributed to its expanding, contemporary knowledge. This includes research studies on how leadership exerts an influence on UPB. This paper aims to consolidate the current understanding of organisational leadership’s impact on employee UPB and offer future research agendas.

A systematic literature review (SLR) using the “Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses” (PRISMA) guidelines was adopted for the study. Literature that satisfied the search conditions was examined. The factors determining leadership’s influence on UPB were studied, and the findings were thematically synthesised.

Leader behaviour plays a large part in influencing UPB in organisations. Leader-member exchange and organisational belonging create favourable circumstances for UPB in organisations. UPB is moderated by the employee’s personal moral orientation.

UPB is unethical behaviour that benefits the organisation and is likely to be rewarded. However, there is a cost that other stakeholders pay. UPB has been researched since 2010, as well as the role of leaders in perpetuating UPB. However, there has not been an SLR of this study. This paper seeks to capture the essence of the research so far and pave a path for future research on the subject. These insights would prove valuable to management practitioners and academic experts.

The research aims to understand the stories of women leaders who have demonstrated bravery in leadership. By analyzing their lived experiences through storytelling and narratives, it seeks to shed light on the challenges and motivations behind their brave actions, contributing to a deeper understanding of bravery in leadership within gender and organizational contexts.

This study adopts a qualitative multiple case study approach, focusing on the autobiographical accounts of three women leaders to explore their experiences of bravery in leadership. Utilizing narrative analysis (NA), it is grounded in ethical leadership theory and narrative identity theory. The research method involves cross-analyzing these narratives to unearth themes that depict a multifaceted view of bravery, including moral courage and ethical decision-making.

The study reveals various themes of bravery in leadership, such as moral courage, authenticity, resilience and ethical decision-making. These findings enhance the understanding of bravery's role in ethical conduct and transformative change, highlighting the complex manifestations of bravery in women's leadership practices.

This study contributes to the broader discourse on bravery in leadership, especially for women. It offers insights into how bravery is integral to ethical conduct and transformative leadership and sheds light on the influence of gender dynamics on leadership experiences. This study significantly enriches the discourse on bravery in leadership, with a particular focus on women's experiences. It delves into how bravery, encompassing moral courage and authenticity, is crucial for ethical conduct and transformative leadership. By highlighting the stories of women leaders, the research underscores the complex interplay between bravery and gender dynamics within organizational contexts. It challenges traditional perceptions of leadership and bravery, advocating for a more nuanced understanding that recognizes the unique challenges and strengths of women leaders. Furthermore, this study paves the way for future research to explore diverse dimensions of bravery in leadership, encouraging a more inclusive approach that values different perspectives and experiences.

The findings of this study advocate for empowering leadership practices and guide the development of a courageous leadership landscape. Current events show evidence that many organizations lack the integration of bravery as a core leadership trait. These narratives of bravery in women's leadership can serve as a powerful catalyst for inspiring all leaders These stories can guide leaders across various levels to embrace bravery in their decision-making and leadership styles. The integration of these insights into organizational policies and leadership development programs can lead to a more courageous, ethical and transformative leadership landscape.

The research emphasizes the need for inclusive approaches to leadership and bravery, challenging dominant gender norms. It underscores the importance of acknowledging and valuing women leaders' stories, thereby empowering their narratives.

The study adds value to the field by unveiling the often untold narratives around bravery in leadership. Findings can assist in fostering environments where diverse expressions of bravery are recognized and valued. Findings have the potential to inspire a new generation of leaders, across all genders, to embrace bravery in their roles, thereby enriching the leadership landscape with diverse, ethical and courageous practices. This research not only contributes to academic discourse but also has real-world implications, encouraging organizations to reevaluate and evolve their leadership models to be more inclusive and effective in today's dynamic and diverse global environment.

This study investigates the relationship between responsible leadership (RL) and employee sustainable performance (ESP), utilizing the CSR theory as a theoretical framework. Furthermore, this study aims to examine the role of ethical climate as a potential mediator in the relationship between RL and ESP.

A sample of 415 employees from the healthcare sector of India was collected through a questionnaire-based survey by using the convenience sampling technique. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) with the help of SmartPLS 4.

The study's findings demonstrated a significant, positive association between RL and ESP [employee well-being (EWB) and employee performance (EP)]. Additionally, the findings show that ethical climate partially mediates the link between RL and ESP (EWB and EP).

The generalizability of the study's data collection is limited because it is based on the responses of Indian healthcare sector employees to an online and offline survey. The authors propose that the healthcare industry implement an intensive leadership training program in light of the findings of this study, which will aid human resource (HR) managers in comprehending the significance of RL and fostering related behaviors, such as encouraging employees to maintain ethical behavior and positive attitudes.

To the authors' understanding, this study is among the earliest attempts to present an integrative model that examines the relationship between RL, ethical climate and ESP in the context of Indian healthcare employees, incorporating the theory of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Moreover, the novelty of this research study examines the relationship between RL and ESP, with an ethical climate serving as a mediator. The focus is specifically on employees working in the Indian healthcare sector.

The purpose of this paper is to examine US public relations professionals' perceptions of the benefits and challenges associated with the concept of moral entrepreneurship, defined as the purposeful process of changing or creating new institutionalized ethical norms. This study argues that the concept of moral entrepreneurship provides organizations with a potentially valuable framework to actively recognize societal pressures and problems and act accordingly to better the environment in which the organization resides and operates.

This exploratory study uses purposive in-depth interviews with 25 diverse public relations professionals, who represented communication firms, in-house public relations departments, higher education, nonprofits and government.

Respondents assigned a high value to the concept of moral entrepreneurship: In addition to its being viewed as the right thing to do, they recognized its practice as a way to help organizations recruit and retain employee talent and improve stakeholder trust. However, based on the interviews, organizational leadership is the primary initiator of ethical changes; therefore, without a seat at the management table, practitioners lack the influence to initiate such new organizational directions and take on the role of moral entrepreneurs only when directed to do so by their superiors. Barriers to adopting a moral entrepreneurship approach included a limited budget and shortage of staff, employees' resistance to change, fear of failure, poor leadership and a politically polarized workplace.

Practice implications include considerations for furthering moral entrepreneurship in organizations.

This study is the first to explore the applicability of the concept of moral entrepreneurship in public relations. The paper underscores the need for further discussion around novel approaches to ethics in public relations that go beyond simple compliance with professional codes and industry standards and that help organizations lead societal change.

This study aims to examine how auditors perceive the influence of crucial fraud prevention factors in deterring financial statement fraud within the corporate sector. Additionally, this research explores the mediating effect of fraud awareness in elucidating the impact of ethical leadership and internal control systems on preventing financial statement fraud.

The study used an online survey, targeting a sample of 141 professionally qualified auditors with at least one year of practical experience in the field. The researchers used “Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)” to examine relationships between latent variables using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The study investigated the impact of whistleblowing systems, fraud awareness, ethical leadership, internal control systems and corporate governance on fraud prevention.

This research finding provides evidence to the corporate sector by establishing the significance of fraud awareness as the most influencing factor in preventing financial statement fraud. Furthermore, the combined explanatory variables account for 77.4% of the overall variance in financial statement fraud prevention. The study reveals a partial mediation effect of fraud awareness on the relationship between the internal control system and financial statement fraud prevention.

This research finding may assist in developing an effective fraud prevention programme to mitigate fraud instances and improve financial reporting quality. In the corporate sector, each organisation should clearly specify the policies on whistleblowing systems, fraud awareness training, internal control systems and corporate governance. To foster a comprehensive fraud prevention programme, the leaders should enforce these policies with employee support.

This research integrated crucial elements to develop a new theoretical framework for investigating financial statement fraud prevention within the corporate context. Accordingly, this research framework provides a more in-depth explanation of preventing financial statement fraud from an auditor’s perspective. Additionally, this research is the first to explore the mediating role of fraud awareness in influencing the effectiveness of the internal control system in preventing financial statement fraud.