Ethical Leadership and Organizational Climate in Chinese Higher Education: A Conceptual Framework and Propositions

China’s higher education system is undergoing a significant transformation, shifting from a phase of quantitative expansion to one focused on quality assur-ance and internal governance. Within this reforming context, the behavior of academic leaders has become a critical determinant of how faculty members perceive and navigate the changing professional landscape. While existing liter-ature acknowledges the positive influence of ethical leadership on organization-al outcomes, few studies have examined the boundary conditions of this rela-tionship within the specific hierarchical and cultural dynamics of Chinese uni-versities. Drawing on Social Learning Theory, this paper proposes a conceptual framework to explicate the mechanism linking perceived ethical leadership practices—communication of standards, fair decision-making, role modeling, and reinforcement—to organizational climate. Crucially, this study introduces a theoretical innovation by positioning academic leaders’ demographic charac-teristics as pivotal moderators. We advance propositions arguing that the posi-tive association between ethical leadership and organizational climate is not uniform but is strengthened by the leader’s institutional legitimacy: specifically, the relationship is theorized to be stronger when academic leaders hold higher administrative ranks, possess longer tenure in their positions, and hold higher academic degrees. This framework offers a nuanced perspective on university governance, suggesting that the effectiveness of ethical signaling is contingent upon "who" the leader is in terms of authority and history. The paper concludes with implications for leadership selection and development in the pursuit of sustainable higher education development.