The relationship between credible leadership, organizational justice perception and work engagement: An empirical study

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between credible leadership and work engagement, as well as the mediating role of organizational justice perception in this relationship. Accordingly, a theoretical model was developed to explore the relationships among credible leadership, organizational justice perception, and work engagement, and these relationships were tested empirically. The sample of the study consists of teachers working in the central district of Balıkesir and in the districts of Edremit, Burhaniye, Ayvalık, Bandırma, Havran, and Kepsut. The data were collected voluntarily through online and printed questionnaires, and a total of 623 valid responses were analyzed. The analysis results revealed that credible leadership has a significant and positive effect on the perception of organizational justice (β = 0.814; p < 0.001). Similarly, credible leadership also has a direct, significant, and positive effect on work engagement (β = 0.661; p < 0.001). The perception of organizational justice was also found to have a significant effect on work engagement (β = 0.671; p < 0.001). When the subdimensions of organizational justice were examined, it was found that distributive justice (β = 0.641; p < 0.001), procedural justice (β = 0.664; p < 0.001), and interactional justice (β = 0.625; p < 0.001) significantly predicted work engagement. These findings indicate that both credible leadership and organizational justice, along with its sub-dimensions, play a crucial role in enhancing employees' level of work engagement.