The Role of Ethical Leadership in Driving Organizational Performance: Insights from Uganda's Public and Private Sectors

ABSTRACT : Ethical leadership is essential for fostering transparency, accountability, and active employee participation, all of which contribute to improved organizational performance. This research explores the influence of ethical leadership in Uganda by analyzing four key leadership styles: democratic, autocratic, transformational, and transactional. While democratic and transformational leadership are widely recognized for enhancing employee motivation, innovation, and productivity, ethical autocratic leadership remains a relatively unexplored area. Utilizing a quantitative methodology, this study gathered data from employees in both public and private sectors to assess how ethical leadership practices impact workplace effectiveness. The results indicate that transformational and democratic leadership approaches significantly boost employee engagement and creativity, while ethical transactional leadership supports structured accountability and motivation. Although autocratic leadership can enhance decision-making efficiency, it is often linked to lower employee satisfaction. This study underscores the importance of adopting a well-balanced ethical leadership strategy to promote sustainable organizational success. The findings offer practical insights for policymakers, business executives, and researchers seeking to improve ethical leadership practices, ultimately contributing to stronger governance and economic growth in Uganda.