Ethical leadership and public service recovery performance: the roles of thriving at work and moral self-efficacy

Abstract

Purpose

The study aims to explore the mechanism to strengthen service recovery performance among public sector employees. Delving on the notion that ethical aspects of public leaders could serve as reliable models, the research investigated the role of ethical leadership, thriving at work and moral self-efficacy.

Design/methodology/approach

A quantitative approach with two waves of data collection from both supervisors' and subordinates’ perspectives in public organizations was conducted. The final sample size was 331.

Findings

Ethical leadership has a positive effect on public sector employees' thriving at work. In turn, the state of thriving at work mediates the association between ethical leadership and service recovery performance. Public servants’ moral self-efficacy moderates both the direct relationship between ethical leadership and thriving at work, as well as the indirect effect of ethical leadership on service recovery performance through thriving at work.

Originality/value

The research findings suggest an understanding of how ethical leadership could cultivate public service recovery performance through employees’ thriving. The common values between subordinates and leaders were found to facilitate a better translation of the leaders’ role model into employees’ psychology and behaviors.

Citation

Nguyen, L.L.H. (2025), "Ethical leadership and public service recovery performance: the roles of thriving at work and moral self-efficacy", International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-05-2024-0096