Ethical Leadership, Ethical Climate, and Affective Commitment: A Model of Mediation Moderated by Psychological Empowerment

Our study aims to analyze the relationship between ethical leadership and affective commitment, introducing a model mediated by ethical climate and moderated by psychological empowerment to enhance understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in these relationships. The sample consisted of 175 women and 273 men from the Colombian electrical sector. The model was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results show that ethical leadership is positively related to affective commitment, and ethical climate is a mediating factor that justifies this relationship. Furthermore, psychological empowerment acts as a moderating variable between ethical leadership, ethical climate, and affective commitment. Specifically, the positive effect of ethical leadership on ethical climate increases as the perception of psychological empowerment strengthens. The positive relationship between ethical climate and affective commitment increases when psychological empowerment is medium or high. Additionally, as psychological empowerment progresses, the positive relationship between ethical leadership and affective commitment increases. Consequently, organizations in the Colombian electrical sector should implement measures that support the management of ethical leadership as it influences the perception of ethical climate, psychological empowerment, and affective commitment. Lastly, it is crucial to contrast the proposed model through cross-cultural research lines.