Impact of Ethical Leadership on Job Satisfaction and Work-Related Burnout among Turkish Street-Level Bureaucrats: The Roles of Public Service Motivation, Perceived Organizational Support, and Red Tape

Ulutürk B., Yilmaz Altuntaş E., Işik T.

PUBLIC PERFORMANCE & MANAGEMENT REVIEW, vol.1, no.1, pp.1-33, 2023 (SSCI)

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Volume: 1 Issue: 1
  • Publication Date: 2023
  • Doi Number: 10.1080/15309576.2023.2256705
  • Journal Name: PUBLIC PERFORMANCE & MANAGEMENT REVIEW
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, ABI/INFORM, Business Source Elite, Business Source Premier, PAIS International, Political Science Complete, Public Administration Abstracts, Public Affairs Index, Worldwide Political Science Abstracts
  • Page Numbers: pp.1-33
  • Galatasaray University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

The present study examines the impact of ethical leadership on job satisfaction and work-related burnout (WRB) among street-level bureaucrats through the mediating roles of public service motivation (PSM), perceived organizational support (POS), and red tape by employing social exchange, conservation of resources, social learning, self-determination, and job demands-resources theories. Data from 712 street-level bureaucrats were collected in three waves in Turkey. The findings of structural equation modeling revealed that ethical leadership not only directly but also indirectly affects job satisfaction and WRB. Moreover, ethical leadership was effective in influencing employees’ perceptions of job demands and resources in public sector organizations. The results are consistent with theoretical predictions that PSM is a motivational construct influenced by leadership and job resources, which in turn affects employee outcomes. The results also indicated that job resources (i.e., perceived organizational support) played a more significant role than job demands (i.e., red tape) in determining the effects of ethical leadership on employee outcomes.