Ethical Leadership, Moral Efficacy, and Workplace Deviance: An Integrated Social Learning Perspective

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between perceived ethical leadership and workplace deviance by investigating the mediating role of moral efficacy and the moderating role of perceived procedural justice. The study employed a quantitative cross-sectional design using primary survey data collected from 164 full-time employees in service and organizational settings. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, and data were obtained using a self-administered questionnaire incorporating established measures of ethical leadership, moral efficacy, procedural justice, and workplace deviance. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was conducted using SmartPLS, including reliability and validity assessment, structural analysis, bootstrapping, mediation, and moderation procedures. The measurement results demonstrate satisfactory internal consistency and convergent validity across all constructs. The structural findings indicate that perceived ethical leadership is positively associated with moral efficacy, while moral efficacy is negatively associated with workplace deviance. Mediation analysis further demonstrates that moral efficacy provides a significant pathway through which ethical leadership is associated with lower workplace deviance. The moderation analysis indicates that perceived procedural justice significantly conditions the relationship between moral efficacy and workplace deviance, with procedural fairness strengthening the negative association between moral efficacy and deviant behavior. The model also demonstrates meaningful explanatory and predictive relevance for the endogenous constructs. The findings demonstrate that ethical workplace conduct is shaped through the interaction of observable leadership behavior, employees’ confidence in acting ethically, and perceptions of fairness in organizational procedures.