General commitment, ethical leadership and work teams in an emerging Latin American economy: Evidence from Peru

Although ethical leadership (EL) is theorised to enhance employees’ commitment, the empirical base supporting this relationship is largely derived from Western, educated, industrialised, rich and democratic (WEIRD) contexts. Drawing on social exchange theory and the Ability-Motivation-Opportunity framework, we examine the relationship between EL and general commitment (GC), work-team processes , and perceived organisational performance in Peru. GC combines emotional attachment to the organisation with willingness to work towards organisational goals. Survey responses from 404 employees were analysed using covariance-based structural equation modelling. EL was positively associated with GC, which in turn was positively related to work-team participation and consensus. Both GC and team participation were positively associated with perceived performance, whereas the direct EL–performance link was weak. Therefore, in this setting, EL appears to relate to performance mainly through GC and team processes. The study supports GC as a useful commitment dimension beyond classic affective commitment and offers guidance for managers seeking to build committed teams through ethical conduct.