4.4.2 Ethical Leadership Scale or Survey (ELS)

This section briefly reviews the purpose of the instrument, discussing:

What the instrument is designed to accomplish

Who (or what sectors) have used the instrument and to what ends

The target population who is supposed to take the test or survey

Who might use the results of the test and how they might be use

Purpose 

The Ethical Leadership Scale or Survey (ELS) aims to study ethical leadership behaviors in business. The target population in this instrument covers a variety of populations mainly in the business sector. Researchers who are interested in the effectiveness of ethical leadership behaviors on followers’ performance will benefit from this instrument.

Description 

Based on social learning theory, the ELS was developed by Brown and colleagues in 2005. Each item on the ELS is rated on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree). The total score on the ELS ranges from 10 to 50, with higher scores indicating higher perceptions of ethical leadership.

Brown et al. (2005) conducted seven studies with 1,465 participants (employees and students) to validate the ethical leadership scale. Bedi et al. (2016) conducted a meta-analysis, reviewing a broad range of resources (147 in total), including published conceptual and empirical studies, unpublished works (like theses and dissertations), and chapters and whole books on the topic. Overall, robust validity of the scale was observed. Ethical leadership, as an independent variable, was tied to positive outcomes, such as follower behavior and job satisfaction.

Access 

The ELS may be accessible via academic journals and research databases, including in the relevant articles listed in the references section. Prior to usage, permission from the authors or copyright holders may be necessary. Contact the authors directly or consult the articles for more information on the availability and permissions.

References

Bedi, A., Alpaslan, C. M., & Green, S. (2016). A meta-analytic review of ethical leadership outcomes and moderators. Journal of Business Ethics, 139(3), 517–536. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2625-1

Brown, M. E., Treviño, L. K., & Harrison, D. A. (2005). Ethical leadership: A social learning perspective for construct development and testing. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 97(2), 117–134. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.obhdp.2005.03.002