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Journals / Uluslararası İşletme ve Ekonomi Çalışmaları Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 7 Sayı: 2

The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement

Psikolojik İklimin İşe Adanmışlığa Etkisinde Etik Liderliğin Aracı Rolü

Ayşe Meriç Yazıcı(İSTANBUL GELİŞİM ÜNİVERSİTESİ)0000-0001-6769-2599
Ayşegül Özkan
Yüksel Yalçın(İSTANBUL AYDIN ÜNİVERSİTESİ)
Pages
93–112
Publication Date
2025-06-30
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

The findings provide practical recommendations for organizations seeking to increase employee engagement through strategies for leadership development and improving psychological climate.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:The purpose of this study is to explore the mediating role of ethical leadership in the relationship between psychological climate and work engagement.
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Key Findings & Data:The study consists of survey data (n=442) collected from employees in iron and steel companies in Istanbul.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings provide practical recommendations for organizations seeking to increase employee engagement through strategies for leadership development and improving psychological climate.
🔬Design:Survey & Empirical Study
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Psikolojik İklim · Etik Liderlik · İşe Adanmışlık

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the mediating role of ethical leadership in the relationship between psychological climate and work engagement. The study consists of survey data (n=442) collected from employees in iron and steel companies in Istanbul. Confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to examine the convergent validity of the construct measures. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate the fit of the hypothesized model to the data. The findings show that all psychological climate variables affect ethical leadership and ethical leadership also has a significant effect on work engagement dimensions. In addition, the study revealed that ethical leadership has a full mediating role in the effect of psychological climate on work engagement. Limitations of this study include its focus on a single sector and location, which limits the generalizability of the findings to other sectors and cultural contexts. This study contributes to the work engagement literature by highlighting the role of ethical leadership in shaping the psychological climate of an organization. It provides new perspectives on how leadership behavior affects employee engagement, particularly in the context of ethical decision-making and leadership practices. The findings provide practical recommendations for organizations seeking to increase employee engagement through strategies for leadership development and improving psychological climate.

Özet

Bu çalışmanın amacı, psikolojik iklim ile işe adanmışlık arasındaki ilişkide etik liderliğin aracılık rolünü araştırmaktır. Çalışma, İstanbul'daki demir-çelik şirketlerindeki çalışanlardan toplanan anket verilerinden (n=442) oluşmaktadır. Yapısal ölçümlerin yakınsak geçerliliğini incelemek için doğrulayıcı faktör analizi yapılmıştır. Hipotezlenen modelin verilere uygunluğunu tahmin etmek için yapısal eşitlik modellemesi kullanılmıştır. Bulgular, tüm psikolojik iklim değişkenlerinin etik liderliği etkilediğini ve etik liderliğin de işe adanmışlık boyutları üzerinde anlamlı bir etkisi olduğunu göstermektedir. Ayrıca çalışma, etik liderliğin psikolojik iklimin işe adanmışlık üzerindeki etkisinde tam aracılık rolü üstlendiğini ortaya koymuştur. Bu çalışmanın sınırlılıkları arasında tek bir sektöre ve konuma odaklanması yer almaktadır; bu da bulguların diğer sektörlere ve kültürel bağlamlara genellenebilirliğini kısıtlamaktadır. Bu çalışma, etik liderliğin bir örgütün psikolojik iklimini şekillendirmedeki rolünü vurgulayarak işe adanmışlık literatürüne katkı sağlamaktadır. Özellikle etik karar alma ve liderlik uygulamaları bağlamında, liderlik davranışının çalışan katılımını nasıl etkilediğine dair yeni bakış açıları sunmaktadır. Bulgular, liderlik gelişimi ve psikolojik iklimin iyileştirilmesine yönelik stratejilerle çalışan katılımını artırmak isteyen kuruluşlar için pratik öneriler sunmaktadır.

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Cite This Article

Yazıcı, A. M., Özkan, A., Yalçın, Y. (2025). The Mediating Role of Ethical Leadership in the Effect of Psychological Climate on Work Engagement. Uluslararası İşletme ve Ekonomi Çalışmaları Dergisi, Cilt: 7 Sayı: 2, 93–112. https://doi.org/10.54821/uiecd.1649313

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