Ethical leadership and workplace bullying in higher education

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between ethical leadership and workplace bullying and the mediating roles of psychological safety and psychological contract fulfillment on that relationship in higher education. The sample of this study is composed of 591 faculty members along with their deans from 9 private universities chosen by random method in İstanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Kayseri, Konya and Gaziantep in 2011-2012 spring semester. Faculty members’ perceptions of psychological safety and psychological contract fulfillment were measured using the scale developed by Kahn (1990) and psychological contract fulfillment scale developed by Robinson and Morrison (1995). Brown, Treviño, and Harrison’s (2005) ethical leadership scale and Einarsen and Hoel’s (2001) the Negative Act Questionnaire-Revised scale were used to assess faculty member’s perception of the ethical leadership and workplace bullying respectively. The results revealed a significant negative relationship between ethical leadership and bullying and mediating roles of psychological safety and psychological contract fulfillment on that relationship.