Social exchange influences on ethical leadership and employee commitment in a developing country setting

Abstract

This study examined the extent to which social exchange moderates the relationship between ethical leadership and perceptions of organisational commitment. Participants were 355 employees (women = 39%) from a Public Works Department in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The employees completed the Social Exchange Theory Scale, the Ethical Leadership Scale, and the Organisational Commitment Scale. Hierarchical regression analysis indicated social exchange aspects of mutual trust to moderate the relationship between ethical leadership and employee affective, continuance, and normative commitment. Increasing employees’ perceptions of leaders’ fairness, integrity, and altruism, would enhance employee commitment. The findings indicate that social exchange perceptions are important for employees’ sense of organisational belonging, and likely with ethical leadership.