The relationship between ethical leadership and job alienation: The role of organizational climate - The case of public employees

The increasing size and complexity of today's organisations require the concept of leadership to be reconsidered with a management approach based on ethical principles. Ethical leadership stands out as an approach that increases employee participation, reinforces trust and encourages cooperation. This study aims to examine the effect of ethical leadership on reducing alienation from work and the mediating role of organisational climate in this relationship The data collected through a questionnaire from 400 participants working in public institutions in Bayburt province were analysed with quantitative methods. The results of structural equation modelling revealed that ethical leadership significantly reduces job alienation and organisational climate plays a partial mediating role in this relationship. The findings suggest that a positive organisational climate increases the effectiveness of ethical leadership, ethical leadership behaviours reduce the feeling of alienation from work, while a negative climate may weaken this process. In the theoretical part of the thesis, the concepts of ethical leadership, organisational climate and job alienation are discussed in detail; in the empirical analysis, the findings based on the literature review are evaluated. The study highlights the critical importance of ethical leadership and organisational climate on employee engagement and organisational performance. It also aims to contribute to the literature by providing strategic recommendations to support ethical leadership practices. In the study, reliability and validity analyses were performed in SPPS, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling were performed in AMOS, and bootsrap (data augmentation) method was preferred in JAMOVI because it expresses the mediation effect accurately and more clearly. In addition, the basic model was handled according to the Baron and Kenny path model and Hayes theoretical model proposal. The study makes a unique contribution to the literature in terms of statistical analysis since it deals with two statistical methods together and three different package programmes can be used in coordination.