Ethical leadership’s potential and boundaries in organizational change: A moderated mediation model of employee silence

Abstract

In this present study, we develop a model in which four forms of employee silence (acquiescent, quiescent, prosocial and opportunistic silence) mediate the relationship between ethical leadership and affective commitment to change. We argue that ethical leadership lowers all four forms which in turn influence employees’ commitment to change initiatives. We also examine the role of politics perceptions and personal change impact as moderators. The sample consisted of 263 employees from different organizations and occupations in Germany all facing organizational changes. Our results indicate that ethical leadership lowers only acquiescent silence, which in turn predicts affective commitment change. However, the effect diminished with high levels of politics perceptions and high levels of personal change impact. We discuss implications for theory, future research and organizational practice.