Modeling the Mediating Role of Organizational Vitality in the Relationship Between Ethical Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Master of Educational Management, , University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran.

2 Associate Professor of Educational Administration University of Kurdistan, Sanandaj, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between ethical leadership and organizational effectiveness with the mediating role of organizational vitality.
research methodology: The present study is applied and, based on the paradigm, is classified as quantitative research. The method used in the study is descriptive-correlational, considering the type of data collection. In correlation research, the relationship between variables is analyzed based on the purpose of the research. The statistical population of this study is all teachers working in the primary school of Sanandaj District 2, 700 people, from which the sample size was selected as stratified sampling based on the Morgan table, 208 people. Three ethical leadership questionnaires were used. The collected data were analyzed based on the structural equation model in SPSS27 and Smart PLS 3 software.
Findings: The results showed that the direct effect of ethical leadership on organizational effectiveness and organizational vitality is positive and significant. Organizational vitality also has a positive and significant effect on organizational effectiveness. The results of the study also showed an indirect and significant effect of ethical leadership on organizational effectiveness through organizational vitality.
Conclusion: This research showed that managers can play a decisive role in increasing organizational vitality and effectiveness of teachers by utilizing ethical leadership style, and the more vibrant and ethically rich the work environment, the higher the effectiveness.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

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Siros, V., & Mo’jooni, H. (2021). Tasir rahbari akhlaqi dar asarbakhshi sazmani madāres ba naghsh mianji tavanmndsazi ravanshenakhti va khalaghiat. Pazhoohesh dar Nizamhaye Amoozeshi, 15(53), 163–178. (In Persian)
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Walumbwa, F. O., Mayer, D. M., Wang, P., Wang, H., Workman, K., & Christensen, A. L. (2011). Linking ethical leadership to employee performance: The roles of leader–member exchange, self-efficacy, and organizational identification. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 115(2), 204–213. [doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2010.11.002]
Zhu, W., Treviño, L. K., & Zheng, X. (2016). Ethical leaders and their followers: The transmission of moral identity and moral attentiveness. Business Ethics Quarterly, 26(1), 95–115.[ doi:10.1017/beq.2016.11]
Ziebicki, B. (2013). Relations between organizational effectiveness and efficiency in public sector units. Problems of Management in the 21st Century, 8, 102-110.)
Ahanchiān, M. R., Yazdāni, P., & Sādeghiyān, S. (2017). Tasir rahbari akhlaqi bar rezayat az zendegi va shadkami ba naghsh mianji rezayat shoghli (mored: bimarestanhaye khosusi shahr Mashhad). Modiriyat-e Omumi, 10(38), 171–196. https://doi.org/10.22111/jmr.2018.3721 (In Persian)
Ahmad, Muktamar, B. (2023). The role of ethical leadership in organizational culture. Jurnal Mantik, 7(1):77-85.[ doi: 10.35335/mantik.v7i1.3635]
Ahmadi, E., Barzegar, M., & Izadi, M. A. (2013). Rabete sakhtar sazmani ba asarbakhshi sazmani va tavanmndsazi dar beyn karmandan amoozesh va parvaresh nahiehaye Shiraz. Noavariha-ye Modiriyat-e Amoozeshi, 8(3), 7–18. JR_JMTE-8-3_001 (In Persian)
Akmal, A., & Elfitra, A. (2024). Does organizational commitment, ethical leadership and ethical climate affect deviant behavior in the workplace? Jurnal Ekonomika Dan Bisnis (JEBS), 4(2), 379–386.[doi: 10.47233/jebs.v4i2.1779]
Amini Nejad, Zeinab, and Askari, Ahmad (2023)., A study on ethical leadership on the effectiveness of human resources in education in Assaluyeh. Quarterly Journal of New Research in Management and Accounting, 6(4), 18-29(In Persian)
Ardalan, M. R., Tajrobi, M., & Mo’jooni, H. (2019). Naghsh rahbari akhlaqi dar raftar shahrvandi sazmani ba mianjigari edalat va ta’ahhod sazmani. Modiriyat bar Amoozesh Sazmanha, 8(2), 11–46. (In Persian)
Arabshehi, A., & Zangeneh Ebrahimi, Z. (2022). Naghsh rahbari ma’navi dar neshat sazmani ba tavajoh be mianjigari tavanmndsazi ravanshenakhti. Motale’at Modiriyat Rahbordi Defa Melli, 6(24), 227–254. https://dor.isc.ac/dor/20.1001.1.23831324.1400.15.53.12.6 (In Persian)
Ayshe, Hyusein., Serife, Zihni, Eyupoglu. (2023). Ethical Leadership and Perceived Organisational Politics: The Mediating Role of Social Loafing. International journal of organizational leadership, 12(2):125-143. [doi: 10.33844/ijol.2023.60354]
Brown, M. E., Treviño, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117–134. [doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.03.002]
Chang, E. H., Chugh, D., & Akinola, M. (2019). Diversity thresholds: How society norms, visibility, and scrutiny relate to group composition. Academy of Management Journal, 62(1), 144–171 [doi:10.5465/amj.2017.0440]
DeConinck, J. B. (2015). Outcomes of ethical leadership among salespeople. Journal of Business Research, 68(5), 1086–1093.[doi:10.1016/j.jbusres.2014.10.011]
Dehqān, A., Koohi, A., Hāshami, A., & Minaei, A. (2019). Rabete beyn sakhtar tavanmndsaz madāres ba khoshnoodi shoghli moalleman va asarbakhshi madāres ebtedāyi shahr Qarchak. Majale Moshavere Shoghli va Sazmani, 11(40), 99–114. (In Persian)
Douglas, S., Merritt, D., Roberts, R., & Watkins, D. (2022). Systemic leadership development: Impact on organizational effectiveness. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 30(2), 568–588. [doi:10.1108/IJOA-05-2020-2184]
Hadipour, Ebadallah; Mohammadkhani, Kamran; and Mohammad Davoudi, Amirhossein (2021). Identifying and analyzing obstacles affecting organizational vitality in government organizations. Journal of Sociology of Education, 8(1), 97-108(In Persian)
Jin, X., Qing, C., & Jin, S. (2022). Ethical leadership and innovative behavior: Mediating role of voice behavior and moderated mediation role of psychological safety. Sustainability, 14(9), 5125
Khodāparast, M., & Bāqerzādeh, M. R. (2021). Shenāsaei ab’ad va mo’allefehaye adam neshat sazmani dar sazmanha-ye dolati ba teknike Delphi Fāzi. Motale’at Raftari dar Modiriyat, 28(12), 48–65. (In Persian)
Lindsay, J., & Pryce-Jones, J. (2014). What happiness at work is and how to use it. Industrial and Commercial Training, 46(3), 130–134[doi:10.1108/ICT-10-2013-0072]
Lloyd, K. J., Boer, D., Voelpel, S. C. (2017). From listening to leading: Toward an understanding of supervisor listening within the framework ofleader-member exchange theory. International Journal of Business Communication, 54(4), 431-451[doi:10.1177/2329488415572778]
Meghna, Goswami., Rakesh, Kumar, Agrawal., Anil, Kumar, Goswami. (2020). Ethical leadership in organizations: evidence from the field.  37(1):122-144. [doi: 10.1108/IJOES-04-2020-0048]
MIHCI, H., & Uzun, T. (2020). Analyzing the relationship between ethical leadership and organizational justice and organizational identification in schools. International Online Journal of Educational Sciences, 12(3), 753–773.
Mirzakhani, A., Ahi Senzighi, P., & Dorvishi, S. (2023). Tasir rahbari akhlaqi bar pishgiri az farsudegi shoghli karmandan ba naghsh vaset neshat sazmani. Modiriyat Danesh Sazmani, 3(11), 26–38. (In Persian)
Niazi, M., & Zolfaghari, A. (2023). Tarahi alghoye avamel mo’asser bar neshat sazmani karmandan: pazhooheshi be ravesh faratarakib. Modiriyat Farhang Sazmani, 21(2), 155–169. (In Persian)
Rahimi Nejad, S. P., & Golparvar, M. (2019). Karkardhaye rahbari akhlaqi va rahbari hemayati bar sarmaye ravanshenakhti va asarbakhshi sazmani. Akhlaq dar Olum va Fanavari, 14(1), 26–34. (In Persian)
Shahrbabaki, S., & Kazemi, H. (2016). Rabete beyn neshat sazmani va asarbakhshi sazmani. 5th International Conference on Accounting and Management, Tehran. Retrieved from https://civilica.com/doc/577185 (In Persian)
Shet, S. V., Patil, S. V., & Chandawarkar, M. R. (2019). Competency-based superior performance and organizational effectiveness. Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 68(4), 218–225. [doi:10.1108/IJPPM-03-2018-0128]
Siros, V., & Mo’jooni, H. (2021). Tasir rahbari akhlaqi dar asarbakhshi sazmani madāres ba naghsh mianji tavanmndsazi ravanshenakhti va khalaghiat. Pazhoohesh dar Nizamhaye Amoozeshi, 15(53), 163–178. (InPersian)
Tootian,Sedighe; Asadollah, Shahrara; and Mehri, Bigdali (2018). Investigating the relationship between personality traits, creativity and organizational performance of human resources education managers in Region 5 of Tehran Province. Quarterly Journal of Research in Educational Systems, 12(40), 749-766(In Persian)
Walumbwa, F. O., Mayer, D. M., Wang, P., Wang, H., Workman, K., & Christensen, A. L. (2011). Linking ethical leadership to employee performance: The roles of leader–member exchange, self-efficacy, and organizational identification. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 115(2), 204–213. [doi:10.1016/j.obhdp.2010.11.002]
Zhu, W., Treviño, L. K., & Zheng, X. (2016). Ethical leaders and their followers: The transmission of moral identity and moral attentiveness. Business Ethics Quarterly, 26(1), 95–115.[ doi:10.1017/beq.2016.11]
Ziebicki, B. (2013). Relations between organizational effectiveness and efficiency in public sector units. Problems of Management in the 21st Century, 8, 102-110.
Applied Educational Leadership
Volume 7, Issue 2
July 2026
Pages 38-59

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History

  • Receive Date: 07 November 2025
  • Revise Date: 27 April 2026
  • Accept Date: 29 April 2026

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