Span of Control and Ethical Leadership in Highly Professionalized Public Organizations

• Published date: 01 June 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/00910260221140398
• Author: Didde Cramer Jensen,Ane-Kathrine Lundberg Hansen,Lars Dahl Pedersen,Lotte Bøgh Andersen
• Date: 01 June 2023
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/00910260221140398

Public Personnel Management

2023, Vol. 52(2) 191 –217

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/00910260221140398

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Article

Span of Control and Ethical

Leadership in Highly

Professionalized Public

Organizations

Didde Cramer Jensen1, Ane-Kathrine Lundberg Hansen2,

Lars Dahl Pedersen3, and Lotte Bøgh Andersen2

Abstract

Span of control may be a critical structural condition for ethical leadership. According

to social learning theory, emulation and vicarious learning processes are mechanisms

through which ethical leaders enhance ethical commitment among employees.

However, if the span of control (number of employees per manager) is too wide,

ethical leadership can be difficult to practice due to a more distant relationship

between manager and employees. Using a mixed method design with survey data

and interviews, we analyze the relationship between span of control and ethical

leadership among doctors in Danish hospitals. Survey results from the study show

no statistical association between span of control and clinical directors’ self-reported

ethical leadership. Interviews with employees and managers support this finding by

showing how ethical guidance unfolds through social exchange relationships where

employees can act as moral professionals. This suggests that span of control is not

a critical structural condition for intending and perceiving a high level of ethical

leadership. Span of control is indirectly relevant through the perceived distance

between manager and employees. The findings thus enhance our understanding of

how ethical leadership takes place in complex, professionalized public organizations.

This might inspire managers to lower the organizational power distance and promote

professionalism.

1VIVE—The Danish Center for Social Science Research, Copenhagen, Denmark

2Aarhus University, Denmark

3Private Hospital Molholm, Vejle, Denmark

Corresponding Author:

Didde Cramer Jensen, VIVE — The Danish Center for Social Science Research, Herluf Trolles Gade 11,

Copenhagen K, 1052, Denmark.

Email: dcj@vive.dk

1140398PPMXXX10.1177/00910260221140398Public Personnel ManagementJensen et al.

research-article2022

192 Public Personnel Management 52(2)

Keywords

ethical leadership, span of control, mixed methods design, social learning theory

Introduction

Decisions in public organizations affect the lives of many citizens, and the complexity

of modern society means that many of these decisions involve ethical dilemmas.

Leaders can demonstrate how they personally behave in a normatively appropriate

way, and they can promote such conduct in their employees through two-way com-

munication, reinforcement, and decision-making. A key question is whether this is

possible when the leader has many employees, and when the employees are profes-

sionals with specialized, theoretical knowledge and strong norms. This article thus

analyzes the relationship between span of control and ethical leadership in highly pro-

fessionalized organizations.

Ethical leadership is typically defined as “the demonstration of normatively appro-

priate conduct through personal actions and interpersonal relationships, and the pro-

motion of such conduct to followers through two-way communication, reinforcement,

and decision-making” (Brown et al., 2005, p. 120). Both through their leadership

behavior and as personal role models, leaders of professionals can potentially have

great influence on decisions involving ethical aspects (Brown & Treviño, 2006).

Observing the behavior of an ethical role model and the outcomes of their behavior

tends to lead employees to behave in a manner that is similar to that of the ethical role

model (Liu et al., 2014; Mayer et al., 2012; Resick et al., 2013; Treviño et al., 2000).

Recent years have seen a growing interest in ethical leadership from both scholars and

practitioners because of the positive outcomes caused by perceived ethical leadership

(Saha et al., 2020; Wang et al., 2018). A growing body of empirical evidence suggests

that ethical leadership positively affects behavioral, ethical, and performance out-

comes among employees (Farouk & Jabeen, 2018; Kacmar et al., 2011; Lu & Guy,

2014; Mayer et al., 2009, 2012; Moon & Jung, 2018; Ng & Feldman, 2015; Potipiroon

& Ford, 2017; Roeck & Farooq, 2018; Walumbwa et al., 2011; Walumbwa &

Schaubroeck, 2009). Therefore, it is highly relevant to study whether structural condi-

tions restrict managers’ ability to practice ethical leadership (Meier & Bohte, 2000;

Piccolo & Colquitt, 2006). Nonetheless, previous empirical public administration

research has paid too little attention to the role of span of control (Moon & Park,

2019). In this article, we focus on the relationship between span of control and public

managers’ ethical leadership. Span of control is relevant, because the number of

employees per manager captures a key element in the distance between leader and

employees (Moon & Park, 2019).

Scholars have mainly used social learning theory (Bandura, 1977, 1986, 1991) to

explain the influence of ethical leadership on employee behavior, emphasizing the

interpersonal relationship between manager and employee. Unless employees and

managers are relatively close, ethical leaders might not be able to participate in pro-

cesses that lead the employees to emulate their behavior (Den Hartog & Belschak,