Abstract
Previous studies in Middle East countries missed to find out the influence of ethical leadership on counterproductive workplace behaviors in higher education. Therefore, this study was carried out to close the gap in this regard, as it is meant to be used in the education sector, one of Saudi Arabia's most significant service sectors. The human relations theory of management concept was utilized to build a theoretical model of ethical leadership and a management paradigm based on human relationships. Personal attributes, administrative qualities, human relationships, teamwork, and relationships with managers and colleagues were revealed as key elements in the hypotheses of the research model. The data gathering method was a questionnaire survey based on the human relations theory of management. SPSS and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM-PLS) were used to examine the data. The findings revealed a positive effect between personal attributes and teamwork factors, which all have positive effects on administrative qualities and human relationships. Administrative qualities and human relationships had a positive impact on relationships with managers and colleagues too. Therefore, this finding contributes to the validation of the extended human relations theory of management by demonstrating that the model predicts university employees improving relationships with managers and colleagues through personal attributes, administrative qualities, human relationships, and teamwork.