The Impact of Ethical Leadership on Ethical Climate: The Moderating Role of Leaders’ Dark Triad

This research aims to determine the influence of Ethical Leadership (EL) on Organizational Ethical Climate (EC) and examines the moderating effect of Dark Triad (DT) personality traits in leaders. EL promotes an optimal EC by instilling virtues such as fairness, integrity, and other concerns. However, Dark Triad leaders can undermine this effect by engaging in self-serving conduct and moral disengagement, thereby weakening the EC. The research examines how leaders who appear to be active in ethical actions build ethical capital (EC) but often have selfish and inconsistent motives. The research proposes to utilize quantitative studies, including cross-sectional surveys, to examine the moderating effect of Dark Triad traits on the relationship between emotional closeness (EC) and emotional labor (EL). This research would contribute to learning and social exchange theories by shedding light on how Dark Triad leaders hurt the relationship between EL and EC. It would affirm that leaders must have consistency and authenticity in their ethical behavior to produce a positive EC. Furthermore, it would also provide recommendations for lessening the moderating effects of Dark Triad traits to maximize the relationship between EL and organizational EC.