The Impact of Ethical Leadership on Organizational Commitment and Job Neglect (Case Study: University of Isfahan)

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International Research Journal of Management Sciences. Vol., 3 (10), 524-528, 2015 Available online at http://www.irjmsjournal.

1 International Research Journal of Management Sciences. Vol., 3 (10), , 2015 Available online at ISSN X 2015 The Impact of on Organizational Commitment and Job Neglect (Case Study: University of Isfahan) Seyed Akbar Nilipour Tabatabaei 1, Maliheh Soleimanian 2 1 Assistant professor-head of Management Department- Shakhes Pajouh Research Institute Isfahan University, Iran 2 Ph.D Candidate, Shakhes Pajouh Research Institute, Isfahan University, Iran * Corresponding Author: Seyed Akbar Nilipour Tabatabaei ABSTRACT: Recently, ethical leadership and its implications have attracted considerable attention in different countries. This paper aims to study the relationship between organizational commitment and job neglect tendencies in employees of Isfahan University. Thus, a random sample of 205 individuals was drawn. In order to develop a questionnaire matching the Iranian culture, prior literature was reviewed. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS The results indicate that ethical leadership has a significant positive impact on organizational commitment and job satisfaction. Furthermore, job satisfaction significantly impacts organizational commitment. Thus, ethical leadership may impacts organizational commitment both directly and indirectly. Keywords:, Organizational Commitment, Job Neglect. 524 INTRODUCTION Modern organizations each have their own leadership style, to which senior managers attribute their success. Thus, they seek to determine the impacts of various leadership styles. Furthermore, they want to know whether leadership style can influence job satisfaction and organizational commitment. Measures by the leader of an organization may result in success. However, survey results in organizations prove that the impact of leadership on job satisfaction is still unknown. Leaders need to know how satisfied and committed their employees are. Research has shown that employee satisfaction and commitment are influenced by a variety of factors including organizational culture, regulations, rewards, leadership style, and working conditions (Lee & Ahmad, 2010; Lo et al., 2010; Dale & Fox, 2010; Dirani, 2010; Kantabutra & Avery, 2010; Anton, 2010; Tan & Waheed, 2011). Moreover, some authors believe that demographics also play a role in job satisfaction (Khalid et al., 2011). This paper focuses on leadership style. According to Fang (Fang, 2010), leadership style is an important field in the study of management. It has a major impact on job satisfaction and performance, which ultimately determine the success or failure of an organization. Chan (2011) shows those managers and the leadership styles they choose, can predict success of an organization and the achievement of goals (Chan, 2011). The current study aims to determine the impact of ethical leadership on organizational commitment and job neglect tendencies in the University of Isfahan. By emphasizing performance and ethical behavior, this type of leadership positively impacts employee beliefs and communications (Rubin et al., 2011). Thus, the concept of ethical leadership is analyzed and the relationship of interest is studied. Literature Review In this section, a brief overview of extant literature on ethical leadership, organizational commitment, and job neglect is provided.

2 Ethical leadership has been studied by scholars in the fields of social sciences and humanities. It can be defined as a type of leadership based on respect for norms in behaviors, actions, interpersonal relations that empower employees and decision-making (Brown et al., 2011). Ethical leadership emphasizes ethical features and specifications centered around honesty, righteousness, love of others, justice, mutual trust, and the impact of ethical leaders on their followers through social learning processes (based on rewards, penalties, and attraction). Current views on how leaders and managers influence their employees are based on two schools of thought. In one view, the mere fact that managers are in a position of power, enables them to influence their subordinates. On the contrary, in the second view, closeness and intimacy in relationships cause managers and supervisors to be chosen and role models. Leaders and managers in working environments have various mechanisms to influence behaviors and perceptions in their employees. These effects are partly dependent on managers personalities and partly dependent on leadership styles (Heidari et al., 2010). Ethical leadership has been studied from different perspectives. Brown et al (2011) studied this type of leadership from a social learning point of view based on rules and normative values, which present through actions, measure, decisions, and methods of rewarding and punishment in the organizational atmosphere. Using overlapping approaches, Rowold (2008) and Zhu (2008) identify several attributes for ethical leadership that clarify how this style of leadership impacts employee perceptions. Reviewing the opinions on the impact of ethical leadership, Golparvar et al (2009) introduce several features such as honesty, trust in the workplace, fairness, adequate attention to employees, and reward mechanisms as the most important attributes of ethical leadership (Golparvar et al., 2009). Organizational Commitment Several definitions for commitment exist. It can be considered a type of requirement that limits freedom of action. According to Rhoades and Eisenberger (2002), commitment refers to a mutual relationship comprising employees commitments to the organization and vice versa. The latter, which entails organizational support, refers to the strength of employee perceptions regarding the care, cooperation, and well-fare the organizations provide for them (Rhoades & Eisenberger, 2002). Organizational commitment is a state of mind which reflects the need, tendency, and commitment of an employee to remain in an organization. Thus, it goes beyond routine tasks, organizational goals, and relationships. As shown by Myer and Allen, organizational commitment is one of the factors that influence efficiency and effectiveness in organizations. Therefore, its role is as important as satisfaction. At the same time, Eweriosn and Butigig state that satisfied employees are more likely to accept organizational change and engage in behaviors that improve organizational performance. Based on the survey of literature, this study aims to find out if a relationship exists between ethical leadership and organizational commitment and job neglect tendencies. Job Neglect Tendency to neglect one s job has been studied extensively (Gnanakkan, 2010). It has been defined as a process of contemplation, planning, and intention (Lambert et al., 2010). It refers to an employee s decision to leave an organization and seek employment elsewhere (Lutchman, 2008). According to the classic model, it is a function of the perceived desirability and ease of leaving one s organization. Overall, factors that predict job neglect tendencies can be classified as individual (e.g. age and tenure), intra-organizational (e.g. working conditions), and extra-organizational (e.g. economy) (Gnanakkan, 2010). A multitude of factors may lead to job neglect including lack of planning, lack of achievement, etc. However, as mentioned earlier, dissatisfaction is the most important among them. The thoughts, in turn, lead to evaluation of the costs associated with neglect. In the next step, the employee searches for opportunities of employment. The available alternatives are evaluated and, compared to the current job. If desirable results are obtained, an intention to leave the organization is formed and is followed by the actual act. Disengagement and lack of participation is considered an aspect of passive job neglect. On the contrary, in active job neglect, the employee actively denies his ability to achieve organizational goals. Conceptual Model The conceptual model is based on a number of relationships that were identified as important. This model allows for logical understanding of the problem. The study aims to analyze the relationship between ethical leadership, organizational commitment, and job neglect tendencies in the University of Isfahan. Accordingly, the following model is proposed. 525

3 Figure 1. Conceptual model of the study. Hypotheses H1: Ethical leadership has a significant positive impact on organizational commitment. H2: Ethical leadership has a significant negative impact on job neglect tendencies. H3: Organizational commitment has a significant negative impact on job neglect tendencies. Participants METHODOLOGY This paper presents an applicative survey. The population includes all the employees in the University of Isfahan. A random sample of 250 employees was drawn to take part in a survey. Upon completion, 45 questionnaires were eliminated due to incomplete or imprecise responses. The questionnaire was composed of two sections. Answers were given on a five-point Likert scale. Variables Content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by university professors and other experts. In order to determine reliability, Cronbach s alpha was calculated yielding 0.87, which is above the acceptable threshold. Table 1 presents the values of the coefficient for each variable in the study. Variable Organizational Commitment Job Neglect Tendencies Table 1. Cronbach s alpha. No. of questions Coefficient All coefficient values are greater than RESULTS One-sample t-test Table 2. One-sample t-test results. Variable Size Mean t Sig Organizational Commitment Job Neglect Tendencies One-sample t-test results indicate that the means for all the variables are greater than 3 and thus statistically significant. 526

4 Regression Table 3. Regression results. Hypothesis R R2 Sig. Organizational Commitment Job Neglect Tendencies Organizational Commitment Job Neglect Tendencies CONCLUSION Ethical leadership has a significant positive impact on organizational commitment. The regression results support this hypothesis with a coefficient of Thus, H1 is supported. Ethical leadership has a significant negative impact on job neglect tendencies. The regression results support this hypothesis with a coefficient of Thus, H2 is supported. Organizational commitment has a significant negative impact on job neglect tendencies. The regression results support this hypothesis with a coefficient of Thus, H3 is supported. Our findings indicate that ethical leadership has a significant impact on both organizational commitment and job neglect tendencies. This means that we can expect increased commitment by investing on ethical leadership. In other words, as an important element in the organization, ethical leadership can be expected to increase commitment in the University of Isfahan; thus, creating competitive advantage for the organization. Furthermore, the findings show that ethical leadership improves satisfaction with one s job, which in turn causes commitment. The following recommendations are given: Employing ethical leadership methods to improve commitment and satisfaction. Leaders need to realize that leadership involves ethics, and provide ways for ethical values to be instilled in their followers. Employees must be asked to conduct their duties ethically and with commitment. Managers need to monitor human resources more carefully and promote individuals who support organizational values. Inability to take action shows a manager s weakness (due to incompetence, negative attitudes, lack of trust, etc.), which proves that invisible forces, rather than the manager, run the organization. The limitations of the study indicate that no systematic studies on the subject of this paper have been conducted in Iran. Furthermore, this study only considered one organization and, thus, the results should be generalized carefully. REFERENCES Anton C, The impact of role stress on workers behaviour through job satisfaction and organizational commitment. International Journal of Psychology. 44(3): Brown ME, Treviño LK, Harrison DA, Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. 97: Chan SH, The influence of leadership expertise and experience on organizational performance: A study of Amanah Ikhtiar Malaysia. Asia Pacific Business Review. 16(1-2): Dale K, Fox ML, Leadership style and organizational commitment: Mediating effect of role stress. Journal of Managerial Issues. 20(1): Dirani KM, Measuring the learning organization culture, organizational commitment and job satisfaction in the Lebanese banking sector. Human Resource Development International. 12(2): Fang YW, The relationship between leadership styles and foreign English teachers job satisfaction in adult English cram schools: Evidences in Taiwan. The Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge. 14(2): Gnanakkan S, Mediating role of Organizational Commitment on HR Practices and Turnover Intention Among ICT Professionals. Journal of Management Research. 10(1): Gnanakkan S, Mediating role of Organizational Commitment on HR Practices and Turnover Intention Among ICT Professionals. Journal of Management Research. 10(1): Golparvar M, Niri S, Mahdad A, The Combinatory Role of Organizational Values and on Deviation in Organizations. Case Study: Isfahan Steel Company, 1st Conference on Modern Findings in Psychology, Azad University Ahvaz Branch, Iran. Heidari Z, Asgarian M, Davaei M, The Relationship between Organizational Atmosphere and Conflict Management as Viewed by Teachers. Advances in Organizational and Industrial Psychology Quarterly. 1(3):

5 Kantabutra S, Avery GC, Vision effects in customer and staff satisfaction: An empirical investigation. Leadership and Organization Development Journal. 28(3): Khalid K, Salim HM, Loke SP, Khalid K, Demographic profiling on job satisfaction in Malaysian utility sector. International Journal of Academic Research. 3(4): Lambert G, Eric Hogan N, JIANG SH, A preliminary examination of the relationship between organisational structure and emotional burnout among correctional staff. THE howard JOURNAL. 49(2): Lee HY, Ahmad KZB, The moderating effects of organizational culture on the relationships between leadership behaviour and organizational commitment and between organizational commitment and job satisfaction and performance. Leadership & Organization Development Journal. 30(1): Lo MC, Ramayah T, Hii WM, Songan P, The relationship between leadership styles and organizational commitment in Malaysia: Role of leader member exchange. Asia Pacific Business Review. 16( 1-2): Lutchman C, Leadership Impact on Turnover Among Power Engineers in the Oil Sands of Alberta. Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration. University of Phoenix. Rhoades L, Eisenberger R, Perceived organizational support: A review of the literature. Journal of Applied Psychology. 87(4): Rowold J, Relationships among transformational, transactional, and moral based leadership: Results from two empirical studies. Leadership Review. Kravis Leadership Institute, Claremont Mckenna College. 8: Rubin RS, Dierdoff EC, Brown ME, Do ethical leaders get ahead? exploring ethical leadership and portability. Business Ethics Quarterly. 20(2): Tan TH, Waheed A, Herzberg s motivation-hygiene theory and job satisfaction in the Malaysian retail sector: The mediating effect of love of money. Asian Academy of Management Journal. 16(1): Zhu W, The effect of ethical leadership on follower moral identity: The mediating role of psychological empowerment. Leadership Review. 8:

ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AMONG PHYSICAL EDUCATION ABSTRACT

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INTRINSIC MOTIVATION AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AMONG PHYSICAL EDUCATION TEACHERS OF SANANDAJ CITY AKRAM ABBAS ZADEH 1, JALIL MORADI* 2 AND KOROSH VEISI 2 1 Department of Physical