A multi-tiered perspective of ethical behavior, psychological capital, and turnover intention : the mediating influence of reintegration

Abstract

Moral leadership and ethical climates have been essential predictors of ethical behavior. This study integrates moral leadership theories and ethical climate theory into a unique context of military and law enforcement domains while fusing the reintegration and repatriation literature. A multi-level approach using linear regression was used to conduct the model analysis. Using an ecological approach, I developed a new and comprehensive reintegration measure consisting of three dimensions: community support, general, and social. The multi-level independent variables consisted of cultural distance (national), ethical climates and authentic leadership (organizational), religiosity and personality (individual) and their impact on reintegration. Utilizing a cross-sectional study, I tested hypotheses linking moral voice, immoral silence, psychological capital, and turnover intentions to multi-level factors within a reintegration context. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, I utilized and evaluated ethical voice and silence measures using seminal works from the business and criminal justice domains, elaborating on their differences and providing suggestions for future use in both fields. The first regression analyses included three separate models, one for each dimension of reintegration. The findings revealed multi-level factors impacting all three reintegration dimensions, including cultural distance, ethical climates, authentic leadership, and personality. The second set of regression analyses included linear regression of each reintegration dimension on ethical behavior, mental health and wellness, and turnover intent. The findings showed that only community support and societal dimensions of reintegration were significant. Interestingly, community support was significant with all outcome variables. The control variables showed men fared better at reintegrating than women and that the number of deployments positively impacted the societal dimension of reintegration. Findings from this study have critical implications for military members, their families, their employers, the communities in which they live and work, and the academic community that conducts veteran-related research. Notably, the significance of reintegration for a veteran and the sense of living and working in a supportive community is paramount. The results also highlight a potential area of concern for future leaders and researchers looking at factors impacting the reintegration of women. Finally, the findings point to a positive and potentially adaptive relationship between the total number of deployments and reintegration, challenging future researchers to investigate this development further.