Moral courage and ethical reasoning as mitigating factors in countering the impact of despotic leadership on productive work behaviors in public service

Purpose Despotic leadership has a significant impact on employees’ productive work behaviors, with such influence potentially contingent upon the personal resources employees possess. However, limited research has explored how individual factors may mitigate the relationship between despotic leadership and productive work behaviors. Drawing on Social Exchange Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, this study aims to examine moral courage and ethical reasoning as personal resources that moderate the nexus between despotic leadership and productive work behaviors, specifically job crafting and organizational citizenship behavior. Design/methodology/approach A multi-stage sampling approach was used to gather data from 311 employees at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority in Ghana, using a cross-sectional survey design. The proposed hypotheses were examined using hierarchical regression. Findings This study reveals a significant negative association between despotic leadership and productive work behaviors (job crafting and organizational citizenship behavior). Results from hierarchical regression further show that moral courage and ethical reasoning moderate these relationships. Specifically, employees with higher levels of moral courage and ethical reasoning exhibit more productive behaviors, even in the presence of despotic leadership. Originality/value This research contributes to the ethics literature by highlighting the crucial role of moral courage and ethical reasoning in mitigating the negative effects of despotic leadership on employees’ productive work behaviors. This study offers both theoretical and practical implications for the management of public service organizations.