Ethical leadership: Influences of ethical climate, perceived organizational support, and perceived leader integrity

This study examines the influence of ethical work climate, perceived leader integrity, and perceived organizational support on the commitment of employees as measured by affective commitment. The survey instrument used in this study was a composite of the four survey instruments previously established and validated for each concept. A pilot study confirmed the validity and reliability of each scale incorporated in the survey instrument. The complete survey was a convenience sample consisting of 270 completed responses representing a variety of industries, levels of organizational responsibility, age and job tenure characteristics. Collinearity tests determined that the scales used were measuring different concepts. Hypotheses established for this study describe a positive influence of each of the three study concepts on employee commitment and provide a basis for measuring the interrelationship of the three concepts. Support was found for each of these hypotheses. Support also was found for the hypotheses that there were differences in the influence each concept had on affective commitment. Discussion and conclusions drawn suggest that the Perceived Leader Integrity Scale (PLIS) is an effective instrument for isolating unethical supervisory behaviors, but that other scales such as Perceived Organizational Support or Ethical Work Climate provided stronger readings of the overall ethical environment and effect of the organization's leadership. The study also concluded that use of four global scale items of the Perceived Leader Integrity Scale provides an equally strong measurement of supervisory behavior as the remaining 27 detail items of the scale.