Development of an ethical leadership behaviour scale

[摘要] ENGLISH SUMMARY : In recent years, ethical scandals have become almost commonplace, both in South Africa and internationally. Unethical behaviour is not a new phenomenon and no organisation is immune to its effects. Organisational leaders play a critical role in establishing an ethical culture through role modelling. Ethical leadership is based on the principle of right and wrong behaviour towards others. This style of leading can help to establish firm foundations for acceptable conduct, inspire employees and can lead to the creation of ethical structures and accountability systems.This study aims to satisfy the need for ethical organisational leaders by developing a valid and reliable ethical leadership assessment that is specific to the South African context. The Ethical Leadership Behaviour Scale (ELBS) was developed through a scientifically rigorous approach, which resulted in a multi-dimensional scale. These five dimensions were conceptually defined, and items were developed to measure each aspect of the definition.The data collection process involved the use of an electronic version of the questionnaire, with a total of 202 completed forms. Empirical testing of the theorised model and its hypotheses included an item analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) on each ELBS subscale, as well as a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the overall ELBS measurement model. The results of these analyses showed satisfactory reliability and unidimensionality for all five subscales. The CFA for the five-factor model did not show close fit and a further investigation into the results suggested the presence of a broad, general ethical leadership factor. Consequently, the five-factor model was extended into a bi-factor model, where all the items were specified to load on their designated dimension as well as the general factor. The bi-factor model showed close fit across various fit indices.Regarding its contribution to research, this study resulted in the development of a new measure for ethical leadership that is potentially reliable and valid for the South African context. The ELBS can be used to develop organisational leaders by identifying specific areas of their ethical leadership style that need improvement. The limitations and recommendations made by this study provide useful guidelines for future research.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University