Examining the Effects of Race and Communication Style on Ethical Leadership Perceptions

Abstract

There is a paucity of ethical leadership research examining the effects that a leader’s demographic characteristics and communication style may have on their ethical leadership perceptions. This gap is surprising given empirical evidence suggesting the influence of ethical leadership perceptions to numerous positive organizational outcomes. This study is one of the first to examine the relationship between the race of a leader, a leader’s ethical communication style, and their subsequent ethical leadership perceptions. Using a sample of nearly 200 respondents, we empirically test under what conditions the race of a leader impacts ethical leadership perceptions. Findings indicate that leaders using high ethical communication can mitigate the effects of aversive racism in ethical leadership judgments. Results suggest that organizational leaders should be concerned about the way in which they communicate ethical messages to their employees.