Weichun Zhu

The Effect of Leadership on Follower Moral Identity: Does Transformational/Transactional Style Make a Difference?:

The goal of this article is to study the effects of transformational versus transactional leadership behavior on how followers report their level of moral identity. Using field survey data (n = 672) and experimental data (n = 225), the authors found that transformational leadership and transactional leadership (including contingent reward and active management-by-exception) have a positive effect on priming follower moral identity. In addition, results also revealed that transformational leadership behavior has a larger positive effect on follower moral identity than transactional leadership. Furthermore, this study established the preliminary construct validity of a scale of moral identity. The theoretical implications, practical implications, and future research recommendations of these results are discussed.

Mediating Role of Creative Identity in the Influence of Transformational Leadership on Creativity: Is There a Multilevel Effect?

In this study, the authors examined the relationships among transformational leadership, creative identity, and creativity from a multilevel perspective. They found that individual-level transformational leadership positively affected employees’ individual creativity indirectly through individual creative identity. Group creative identity instead mediated the relationship between group-level transformational leadership and group creativity. In addition, group creative identity mediated the relationship between group-level transformational leadership and individual creative identity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.In this study, the authors examined the relationships among transformational leadership, creative identity, and creativity from a multilevel perspective. They found that individual-level transformational leadership positively affected employees’ individual creativity indirectly through individual creative identity. Group creative identity instead mediated the relationship between group-level transformational leadership and group creativity. In addition, group creative identity mediated the relationship between group-level transformational leadership and individual creative identity. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Moral identity centrality and cause-related marketing: : The moderating effects of brand social responsibility image and emotional brand attachment

Purpose – This paper aims to examine how consumer moral identity (MI) affects the impact of cause-related marketing (CRM). CRM is a popular hybrid marketing tool that incorporates charitable initiatives and sales promotion. CRM has strength in simultaneously encouraging consumer purchases and doing something good for the society. Drawing on the moral identity (MI)-based motivation model, this research examines how consumer MI influences consumer behavioural response to CRM. Design/methodology/approach – Two field experiments were conducted to test a series of hypotheses relating to the conditional effect of MI on behavioural response to CRM. Findings – Brand social responsibility image and emotional brand attachment positively moderated the relationship between consumer MI centrality and intention to purchase CRM sponsor brand. Originality/value – Findings contribute to the literature on CRM, MI-based motivation of consumer behaviour and emotional brand attachment.

The impact of ethical political leadership on the public: The mediating role of confidence in political leaders

This study examined the dynamic relationships among ethical political leadership, the public’s confidence in political leaders, commitment to the nation, and the perception of being safe from a terrorist attack. Based on a U.S. national random sample (n = 1604), we found that the public’s confidence in political leaders mediates the effect of ethical political leadership on the public’s commitment to the nation and the perception of being safe from a terrorist attack. Both theoretical and practical implications are discussed.

Service workers' job performance : the roles of personality traits, organizational identification, and customer orientation

Purpose – This paper aims to advance the literature by testing the boundary of this relationship with reference to a key construct in employee performance in the service domain: employee customer orientation. Organizational identification refers to employees’ perceived oneness and belongingness to their work organization, and has been argued to be associated with higher employee performance. Design/methodology/approach – Data were collected based on a sample of call center service workers. Employees rated their organizational identification, customer orientation and personality traits. Supervisors independently rated their subordinates’ performance. Variables statistic tools were used to analyze the data and test a series of hypotheses. Findings – It was found that customer orientation strengthens the relationship between organizational identification and service workers’ job performance, and it enhances the mediating effect of organizational identification on the relationship between service workers’ per...

A Critical Review of Theories and Measures of Ethics-Related Leadership

This chapter reviews the different theoretical perspectives and measurements of ethics-related leadership models, including ethical leadership, transformational leadership, authentic leadership, servant leadership, spiritual leadership, and a virtues-based approach to leadership ethics. The similarities and differences among these theoretical models and measures to ethics-related leadership are discussed.