The Correlation Between Ethical Leadership and Work Engagement in Private Companies

Abstract

Ethical leadership influences employee outcomes and productivity. This quantitative correlational study aimed to determine whether there is a relationship between ethical leadership and work engagement in private companies in a developed geographical area. The theoretical framework consisted of the Brown et al. theory of ethical leadership (EL) and Schaufeli and Bakker’s conceptual dimensions of work engagement. The sample included 136 conveniently sampled employees working for private companies in the southern United States. The researcher collected data using a survey questionnaire consisting of items from the Ethical Leadership Scale (ELS) and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) and analyzed the data using Pearson correlation analysis through SPSS V.26. The results of the study provided sufficient evidence to reject the null hypotheses. A relationship exists between ethical leadership and work engagement within private companies in the Midwestern United States (ρ = .593, p < .001, N = 136), and there is a significant relationship between ethical leadership and the vigor dimension of work engagement (ρ = .532, p < .001, N = 136), the dedication dimension of work engagement (ρ = .580, p < .001, N = 136), and the absorption dimension of work engagement within private companies in the Midwestern United States (ρ = .351, p < .001, N = 136). Accordingly, private companies targeting to enhance employees’ work engagement should consider investing in ethical leadership.