Mechanisms Linking Ethical Leadership and Work Engagement in Nonprofits: A Moderated Serial Mediation Model

Existing literature has offered evidence that ethical leadership could increase employees’ work engagement, but the mechanisms that link their relationship are underexamined. Based on the motivational pathway of the Job Demands-Resources Model (JD-R), this study aims to explore how ethical leadership influences nonprofit employees’ work engagement. Using survey data from a sample of 345 nonprofit employees in China, the study reveals a motivational mechanism through which ethical leadership fosters followers’ mission valence and work meaningfulness, which in turn leads to a higher level of work engagement. The study further finds that stakeholder participation moderates the relationship between ethical leadership and mission valence, as well as the serial mediation effect. These findings contribute to the ethical leadership literature and expand the application of the JD-R model in nonprofit contexts. Research findings also validate the importance of ethical leadership development and stakeholder participation in nonprofit management.