How Ethical Leadership Fosters the Development of Public University Employees’ Social Capital in Vietnam? A Sequential Mediation Model

Abstract

Drawing from Social Learning Theory, this study investigated how ethical leadership contributes to the social capital development of employees in public universities in Vietnam via the underlying mechanism of psychological safety and job embeddedness. Data captured from 273 faculty and administrators working in public universities in Vietnam was analyzed, using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results showed that ethical leadership is positively associated with social capital development. This effect is explained through the role of psychological safety and job embeddedness, providing evidence of sequential mediation. These findings have significant implications for research and practice.