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Ethical Leadership as the Reliever of Frontline Service Employees’ Emotional Exhaustion: A Moderated Mediation Model

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  • Hao Zhou

    (Business School, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China)

  • Xinyi Sheng

    (Business School, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China)

  • Yulin He

    (Business School, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China)

  • Xiaoye Qian

    (Business School, Sichuan University, 29 Wangjiang Road, Chengdu 610064, China)

Abstract

Based on the conservation of resources theory, this study aims to create new knowledge on the antecedents of emotional exhaustion. We explore the internal mechanism and boundary conditions of the impact of ethical leadership on emotional exhaustion, using data gathered from 460 frontline service employees at an airport in China. Employees completed questionnaires regarding ethical leadership, emotional exhaustion, organizational embeddedness, job satisfaction, and demographic variables. After controlling for the effects of demographic variables and company tenure, ethical leadership was found to have a negative impact on emotional exhaustion (β = −0.128, p < 0.01), and to be positively related to organizational embeddedness (β = 0.518, p < 0.01). After adding in the mediating variable (organizational embeddedness), the effect of ethical leadership on emotional exhaustion was no longer significant (β = 0.012, ns), while organizational embeddedness emerged as significantly related to emotional exhaustion (β = −0.269, p < 0.01), implying that the effect of ethical leadership on emotional exhaustion was completely mediated by organizational embeddedness. Simultaneously, the results suggested that job satisfaction could strengthen the mediating effect of organizational embeddedness on emotional exhaustion (the difference in the mediating effect between the groups with respective high and low job satisfaction was −0.096, p < 0.05). This study proposed and validated a moderated mediation model, the implications of which are that ethical leadership is an effective way to alleviate frontline service employees’ emotional exhaustion.

Suggested Citation

  • Hao Zhou & Xinyi Sheng & Yulin He & Xiaoye Qian, 2020. "Ethical Leadership as the Reliever of Frontline Service Employees’ Emotional Exhaustion: A Moderated Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-13, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:3:p:976-:d:316500
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    1. Sang-Hoon Lee & Won-Moo Hur & Yuhyung Shin, 2023. "Struggling to Stay Engaged During Adversity: A Daily Investigation of Frontline Service Employees’ Job Insecurity and the Moderating Role of Ethical Leader Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 184(1), pages 281-295, April.
    2. Hyewon Lee & Saemi An & Ga Young Lim & Young Woo Sohn, 2021. "Ethical Leadership and Followers’ Emotional Exhaustion: Exploring the Roles of Three Types of Emotional Labor toward Leaders in South Korea," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(20), pages 1-13, October.
    3. Xiao Han & Mengxiao Xue & Qi Zhang & Xiaotian Dong, 2022. "Impact of COVID-19 Risk Perception on Emotional Exhaustion among Chinese Hospitality Employees: The Mediating Effect of Job Insecurity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(22), pages 1-14, November.
    4. Sajjad Ahmad Afridi & Asad Javed & Sania Zaheer Ali & Sheeba Zafar & Maqsood Haider, 2023. "Cultivating Sustainability: The Role of Generative Leadership, Green Passion, and Green Work Behavior in Pakistan’s Tourism Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-18, September.
    5. Xiaoye Qian & Meijuan Zhang & Qiang Jiang, 2020. "Leader Humility, and Subordinates’ Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Withdrawal Behavior: Exploring the Mediating Mechanisms of Subordinates’ Psychological Capital," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-14, April.
    6. Song Liu & Hao Zhou, 2020. "The Role of Sense of Power in Alleviating Emotional Exhaustion in Frontline Managers: A Dual Mediation Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(7), pages 1-16, March.
    7. Tajneen Affnaan Saleh & Abdullah Sarwar & Md. Amirul Islam & Muhammad Mohiuddin & Zhan Su, 2022. "Effects of Leader Conscientiousness and Ethical Leadership on Employee Turnover Intention: The Mediating Role of Individual Ethical Climate and Emotional Exhaustion," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-17, July.

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