Ethical leadership, perceived leader–member ethical communication and organizational citizenship behavior: development and validation of a multilevel model

Purpose This study provides a systematic testing of ethical leadership and organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) by examining the underlying mechanisms of leader motivation language on ethics through which ethical leadership influences followers’ OCB at the team level. Design/methodology/approach A multilevel model was validated via with structural equation modeling (SEM) from hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) based on data collected in a Malaysian organization. Findings The perceived leader–member ethical communication at the team-level makes a unique contribution beyond the ethical leadership in explaining OCBs. Originality/value Perceived leader–member ethical communication mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and OCB.