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The Mediating Effect of Organizational Justice Perception on the Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Workplace Deviant Behaviors

Author

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  • Cenk Tufan

    (Faculty of Applied Sciences, Akdeniz University, Antalya 07058, Turkey)

  • Mete Kaan Namal

    (Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Akdeniz University, Antalya 07058, Turkey)

  • Bulent Arpat

    (Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Bandirma 17 Eylül University, Bandirma 10200, Turkey)

  • Yeliz Yesil

    (Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Trakya University, Edirne 22030, Turkey)

  • Ibrahim Sani Mert

    (Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Antalya Bilim University, Antalya 07500, Turkey)

Abstract

The present study examines whether there is a relationship between the ethical leadership (EL), organizational justice perception (OJP), and deviant behaviors (WDB) of customs officers working at international airports in Turkey, and aims to determine whether OJP has a mediating effect on the relationship between EL and WDB. For this purpose, the study was conducted on the 487 customs officers working at 28 airports open to international flights in Turkey. In this study, which was carried out with the quantitative method, the obtained data were analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that EL had a direct and significant effect on OJP. On the other hand, OJP had a negative direct, and significant effect on deviant workplace behaviors. Moreover, there was no direct and consequential effect of EL on WDB. In addition, EL indirectly affected WDB through OJP, and the OJP had a full mediation effect between these two variables. The findings were interpreted by using social exchange theory. This study develops our understanding of the organization-level antecedents of WDB and mediating role of OJP as the social mechanism of EL. In the Conclusion section of the study, some theoretical conclusions are discussed, and recommendations are offered for customs managers.

Suggested Citation

  • Cenk Tufan & Mete Kaan Namal & Bulent Arpat & Yeliz Yesil & Ibrahim Sani Mert, 2023. "The Mediating Effect of Organizational Justice Perception on the Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Workplace Deviant Behaviors," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-15, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:2:p:1342-:d:1031517
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Angela J. Xu & Raymond Loi & Hang-yue Ngo, 2016. "Ethical Leadership Behavior and Employee Justice Perceptions: The Mediating Role of Trust in Organization," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 134(3), pages 493-504, March.
    2. Ozgur Demirtas, 2015. "Ethical Leadership Influence at Organizations: Evidence from the Field," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 126(2), pages 273-284, January.
    3. Danica Bakotić & Ivana Bulog, 2021. "Organizational Justice and Leadership Behavior Orientation as Predictors of Employees Job Satisfaction: Evidence from Croatia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-16, September.
    4. Vatankhah, Sanaz & Javid, Elyeh & Raoofi, Ali, 2017. "Perceived organizational support as the mediator of the relationships between high-performance work practices and counter-productive work behavior: Evidence from airline industry," Journal of Air Transport Management, Elsevier, vol. 59(C), pages 107-115.
    5. Brown, Michael E. & Trevino, Linda K. & Harrison, David A., 2005. "Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 117-134, July.
    6. Akanksha Bedi & Can M. Alpaslan & Sandy Green, 2016. "A Meta-analytic Review of Ethical Leadership Outcomes and Moderators," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(3), pages 517-536, December.
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    Cited by:

    1. ZhengYang Kuang & Saeed Siyal & Riaz Ahmad & Yu Yitian & Nazish Naz Ahmad & Muhammad Hamza Farooqui & Qi Liang & Liu Jin, 2025. "The Effect of Knowledge Hiding on the Relationship Among Territoriality, Organization Embeddedness, Ethical Leadership, and Workplace Deviance," Journal of the Knowledge Economy, Springer;Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), vol. 16(3), pages 13252-13283, September.
    2. Mushtaq Ahmed & Muhammad Ishfaq Khan, 2024. "Unpacking the paradoxical impact of ethical leadership on employees’ pro-social rule-breaking behavior: The interplay of employees’ psychological capital and moral identity," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 19(8), pages 1-25, August.

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