ETHICAL LEADERSHIP AND ITS INFLUENCE ON EMPLOYEE RETENTION IN MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62207/5xsp6502Keywords:
Ethical Leadership, Employee Retention, Multinational Companies, Organizational Commitment, Trust, Psychological Safety, Organizational Justice.Abstract
In the era of globalization, ethical leadership has become a crucial factor for multinational companies (MNCs) in maintaining organizational sustainability and employee welfare. This research aims to analyze the influence of ethical leadership on employee retention in MNCs using a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) approach. The results of the analysis show that ethical leadership acts as a significant predictor in increasing organizational commitment, trust, and job satisfaction, which in turn reduces employee turnover intentions. Additionally, mechanisms such as psychological safety, organizational justice, and job satisfaction were found to be a link between ethical leadership and employee retention. The research also identified contextual factors, including cultural differences and industry challenges, that influence these relationships. These findings provide practical implications for MNCs in formulating effective ethical leadership strategies to increase employee retention in complex and multicultural work environments.
References
Addai, P., Avor, J., Ofori, I., & Tweneboah, D. (2019). Ethical leadership and productive work attitudes among micro financial institutions in ghana. Management Research Review, 42(9), 1049-1061. https://doi.org/10.1108/mrr-06-2018-0235
Adnan, N., Bhatti, O., & Farooq, W. (2020). Relating ethical leadership with work engagement: how workplace spirituality mediates?. Cogent Business & Management, 7(1), 1739494. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2020.1739494
Aftab, J., Sarwar, H., Kiran, A., Qureshi, M., Ishaq, M., Ambreen, S., … & Kayani, A. (2022). Ethical leadership, workplace spirituality, and job satisfaction: moderating role of self-efficacy. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 18(12), 5880-5899. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijoem-07-2021-1121
Aftab, J., Sarwar, H., Kiran, A., Qureshi, M., Ishaq, M., Ambreen, S., … & Kayani, A. (2022). Ethical leadership, workplace spirituality, and job satisfaction: moderating role of self-efficacy. International Journal of Emerging Markets, 18(12), 5880-5899. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijoem-07-2021-1121
Ahmad, I. and Umrani, W. (2019). The impact of ethical leadership style on job satisfaction. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 40(5), 534-547. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj-12-2018-0461
Ali, M. (2024). The influence of transformational and transactional leadership on employee retention: mediating role of employee engagement. Management Matters, 21(2), 164-190. https://doi.org/10.1108/manm-03-2024-0022
Allen, G., Attoh, P., & Gong, T. (2017). Transformational leadership and affective organizational commitment: mediating roles of perceived social responsibility and organizational identification. Social Responsibility Journal, 13(3), 585-600. https://doi.org/10.1108/srj-11-2016-0193
Aryati, A., Sudiro, A., Hadiwidjaja, D., & Noermijati, N. (2018). The influence of ethical leadership to deviant workplace behavior mediated by ethical climate and organizational commitment. International Journal of Law and Management, 60(2), 233-249. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijlma-03-2017-0053
Bhatti, S., Kiyani, S., Dust, S., & Zakariya, R. (2021). The impact of ethical leadership on project success: the mediating role of trust and knowledge sharing. International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, 14(4), 982-998. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijmpb-05-2020-0159
Eisenbeiß, S. and Giessner, S. (2012). The emergence and maintenance of ethical leadership in organizations. Journal of Personnel Psychology, 11(1), 7-19. https://doi.org/10.1027/1866-5888/a000055
FİDAN, C. (2023). The relationship between organizational commitment and job satisfaction in healthcare professionals: a meta-analysis. Journal of International Health Sciences and Management, 9(18), 17-21. https://doi.org/10.48121/jihsam.1294446
Freire, C. and Bettencourt, C. (2020). Impact of ethical leadership on job satisfaction: the mediating effect of work–family conflict. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 41(2), 319-330. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj-07-2019-0338
Freire, C. and Bettencourt, C. (2020). Impact of ethical leadership on job satisfaction: the mediating effect of work–family conflict. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 41(2), 319-330. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj-07-2019-033
Fu, X. (2023). Exploring the interplay of organizational culture, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment: a conceptual examination of smes in beijing, china. Journal of Digitainability Realism & Mastery (Dream), 2(05), 66-71. https://doi.org/10.56982/dream.v2i05.125
Groves, K. and LaRocca, M. (2011). An empirical study of leader ethical values, transformational and transactional leadership, and follower attitudes toward corporate social responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics, 103(4), 511-528. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-011-0877-y
Hai, T. and Văn, Q. (2021). The impact of the fourth industrial revolution on ethical leadership. Journal of Human Earth and Future, 2(3), 234-247. https://doi.org/10.28991/hef-2021-02-03-05
Hassan, S., Wright, B., & Yukl, G. (2014). Does ethical leadership matter in government? effects on organizational commitment, absenteeism, and willingness to report ethical problems. Public Administration Review, 74(3), 333-343. https://doi.org/10.1111/puar.12216
Imran, M., Sarwar, A., Fatima, T., & Iqbal, S. (2023). I value ethics, do you? an employee-oriented perspective on ethical leadership and organizational change. Evidence-Based HRM a Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, 11(4), 577-593. https://doi.org/10.1108/ebhrm-01-2022-0008
Kaçay, Z., Soyer, F., & Eskiler, E. (2020). Analysis of the ethical leadership behaviors’ effect on life satisfaction and mediation effect of organizational commitment. Khazar Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 23(1), 114-123. https://doi.org/10.5782/2223-2621.2020.23.1.114
Kaffashpoor, A. and Sadeghian, S. (2020). The effect of ethical leadership on subjective wellbeing, given the moderator job satisfaction (a case study of private hospitals in mashhad). BMC Nursing, 19(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-020-00496-w
Karakus, M. (2018). The moderating effect of gender on the relationships between age, ethical leadership, and organizational commitment. Journal of Ethnic and Cultural Studies, 5(1), 74-84. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejecs/106
Liu, J., Kwan, H., Fu, P., & Mao, Y. (2013). Ethical leadership and job performance in china: the roles of workplace friendships and traditionality. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 86(4), 564-584. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12027
Mahmood, A. and Ejaz, T. (2019). Impact of ethical leadership on employee well-being with the mediating role of job satisfaction and employee voice. International Journal of Management Research and Emerging Sciences, 9(1). https://doi.org/10.56536/ijmres.v9i1.55
Mir, M., Khan, A., & Abbas, Q. (2020). Transformational leadership style and talent retention in pakistani banks: a serial multiple mediation model. Etikonomi, 19(1), 63-76. https://doi.org/10.15408/etk.v19i1.11264
Ng, A. (2024). Organisational determinants of employees’ affective commitment in pharmaceutical multinationals: mediation by perceived corporate social responsibility. Social Responsibility Journal, 21(2), 410-425. https://doi.org/10.1108/srj-10-2023-0572
Nguyen, K. (2024). Examining the relationship among ethical leadership, psychological capital, and work outcomes through the lens of social identity theory and socialization resources theory. Sage Open, 14(2). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241255759
Nguyễn, X., Doan, X., & Tran, H. (2019). Ceo ethical leadership, corporate social responsibility and financial performance in the industrial revolution 4.0: evidence from garment and textile industry. Management Science Letters, 2433-2442. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.7.012
Ribeiro, N., Yücel, İ., & Gomes, D. (2018). How transformational leadership predicts employees’ affective commitment and performance. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 67(9), 1901-1917. https://doi.org/10.1108/ijppm-09-2017-0229
Riono, S., Syaifulloh, M., & Utami, S. (2022). Analysis of employee empowerment, organizational commitment and organizational justice to employee job satisfaction at kardinah general hospital of tegal city., 482-491. https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-494069-09-1_56
Tang, G., Cai, Z., Liu, Z., Zhu, H., Yang, X., & Li, J. (2014). The importance of ethical leadership in employees’ value congruence and turnover. Cornell Hospitality Quarterly, 56(4), 397-410. https://doi.org/10.1177/1938965514563159
Tanuwijaya, J. and Jakaria, J. (2022). The transformational and toxic leadership effect on employee retention. Journal of Services Management and Marketing, 15(1), 123-134. https://doi.org/10.25105/jmpj.v15i1.13348
Tian, H., Iqbal, S., Akhtar, S., Qalati, S., Anwar, F., & Khan, M. (2020). The impact of transformational leadership on employee retention: mediation and moderation through organizational citizenship behavior and communication. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00314
Wang, X., Li, C., Chen, Y., Zhang, C., Zhang, F., Huang, Y., … & Birch, S. (2022). Relationships between job satisfaction, organizational commitment, burnout and job performance of healthcare professionals in a district-level health care system of shenzhen, china. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.992258
Wang, Y. and Hsieh, H. (2012). Organizational ethical climate, perceived organizational support, and employee silence: a cross-level investigation. Human Relations, 66(6), 783-802. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726712460706
Wei, X., Iqbal, Q., & Saina, B. (2022). Factors affecting employee’s retention: integration of situational leadership with social exchange theory. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.872105
Yamin, M. (2020). Examining the role of transformational leadership and entrepreneurial orientation on employee retention with moderating role of competitive. Management Science Letters, 313-326. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.8.039
Yasir, M. (2024). Ethical leadership, employees’ job satisfaction and job stress in the restaurant industry. Foresight, 26(5), 886-901. https://doi.org/10.1108/fs-03-2023-0038
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Heri Susanto (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

















