The Mediating Effect of Organizational Justice Perception on the Relationship between Ethical Leadership and Workplace Deviant Behaviors

The present study examines whether there is a relationship between the ethical leadership (EL), organizational justice perception (OJP), and deviant behaviors (WDB) of customs officers working at international airports in Turkey, and aims to determine whether OJP has a mediating effect on the relationship between EL and WDB. For this purpose, the study was conducted on the 487 customs officers working at 28 airports open to international flights in Turkey. In this study, which was carried out with the quantitative method, the obtained data were analyzed with structural equation modeling (SEM). The results showed that EL had a direct and significant effect on OJP. On the other hand, OJP had a negative direct, and significant effect on deviant workplace behaviors. Moreover, there was no direct and consequential effect of EL on WDB. In addition, EL indirectly affected WDB through OJP, and the OJP had a full mediation effect between these two variables. The findings were interpreted by using social exchange theory. This study develops our understanding of the organization-level antecedents of WDB and mediating role of OJP as the social mechanism of EL. In the Conclusion section of the study, some theoretical conclusions are discussed, and recommendations are offered for customs managers.