Transformational and paternalistic leadership in Vietnam: effects on employee ethical behaviors through employer brand perception

PurposeOrganizations in emerging economies (Vietnam) operate in collectivist and reputation-sensitive contexts where hierarchical traditions coexist with ethical expectations. Although transformational and paternalistic leadership (PL) are prevalent in such environments, prior studies have largely examined their ethical or unethical outcomes in isolation. This study aims to investigate how these leadership styles simultaneously shape ethically divergent employee behaviors by examining employer brand perception (EBP) as a mediating mechanism.Design/methodology/approachA sequential mixed-methods design was used. An exploratory qualitative phase involved semistructured interviews with 20 Vietnamese employees to refine measurement scales and ensure cultural relevance. The subsequent quantitative phase analyzed survey data from 464 employees across multiple organizations using partial least squares structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized relationships among transformational leadership (TL), PL, EBP, organizational citizenship behavior toward the organization (OCB-O) and unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB).FindingsBoth transformational and PL positively influence EBP, which, in turn, affects OCB-O and UPB. TL shows a stronger effect on OCB-O than on UPB, whereas PL exerts comparable effects on both outcomes, indicating ethical ambivalence. EBP emerges as an identity-based but ethically neutral mechanism that motivates both constructive citizenship behaviors and unethical protective actions.Originality/valueThis study extends leadership and ethics research by conceptualizing EBP as a higher-order mediating mechanism within social identity theory. It reveals how culturally conditioned identity processes in reputation-sensitive contexts can produce ethical and unethical behaviors, challenging assumptions about the inherently ethical nature of admired leadership styles.