THE IMPACTS OF ETHICAL LEADERSHIP ON THE ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR OF EMPLOYEES: THE MEDIATING ROLE OF ETHICAL CLIMATE

Abstract

Antisocial behaviors of employees lead to unfavorable outcomes for the organization. Creating an ethical environment through developing ethical leadership and building an ethical environment in the organizations, the antisocial behaviors of employees could be decreased. With this study, it was intended to investigate the effect of both ethical leadership and ethical climate on the occurrence of antisocial behaviors of employees. Using a sample of 468 employees in 30 firms operating in various industries in İstanbul, Kocaeli, Ankara and Antalya from Turkey, we find support for the hypothesized model. The findings of the research indicate a negative effect of presence of ethical leadership on the antisocial behaviors of employees. Besides, ethical climate both has a negative effect on antisocial behaviors of employees and also it mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and the antisocial behaviors of employees.