Committed to Ethics: How Ethical Leadership and Ethical Climate Foster Knowledge Sharing in Private Higher Education Institutions

Abstract

Private higher education in Lebanon is facing mounting challenges brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic and the unprecedented economic crisis that has left the once-distinguished sector struggling for survival. These crises, whose effects will last long after they are over, require private universities to bolster their education and reputation in order to remain afloat amid the drain of competent labour as well as widespread corruption that permeates all levels of society. By attracting and retaining ethical leaders, and fostering an ethical climate characterized by open communication, accountability, and trust, universities in Lebanon can stand out as resilient knowledge- intensive organizations and beacons of hope in a surrounding marked by despair. Drawing on social learning and social exchange theories, this quantitative study empirically examines the direct and indirect relationships among ethical leadership, ethical climate, and the bidirectional process of knowledge sharing (knowledge collecting and knowledge donating). In total, 585 responses from academic and non-academic staff employed in nine private higher education institutions in Lebanon were collected via a web-based self-administered questionnaire using the Qualtrics platform. Hierarchical regression analysis and Hayes’ PROCESS macro for SPSS were used to test the hypotheses. Findings reveal that ethical leadership positively influences employee knowledge sharing behaviour. Specifically, the study presents evidence that perceptions of the ethical climate serve as a mechanism through which ethical leadership affects knowledge collecting and knowledge donating in varying strengths. The findings encourage deeper consideration of ethics in higher education leadership and demonstrate the role universities must play in creating the conditions that facilitate knowledge sharing.