Linking ethical leadership to organisational citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment in public entities: the mediating role of perceived organisational support

Purpose This study examined the mediation effect of perceived organisational support on the relationship between ethical leadership and organisational citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment. Design/methodology/approach This study adhered to the positivist paradigm and collected data from 473 participants. Using SmartPLS4, structural equation modelling was employed to test the relationships among variables. Findings The results revealed that ethical leadership significantly impacted organisational citizenship behaviour and organisational commitment. Perceived organisational support partially mediated the relationship between ethical leadership and the two variables. Originality/value This study addresses frequent calls for African business ethics research. Furthermore, it is the first study to examine how ethical leadership influences organisational citizenship behaviour and commitment in Zimbabwean public entities.