Fair leadership and job satisfaction: insights from SMEs

Nadine Hojaili, Charbel Salloum (), Hajer Jarrar and Marc Valax
Additional contact information
Nadine Hojaili: GRM - Groupe de Recherche en Management - EA 4711 - UNS - Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) - UniCA - Université Côte d'Azur
Charbel Salloum: Métis Lab EM Normandie - EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie = EM Normandie Business School
Hajer Jarrar: USEK - Université Saint-Esprit de Kaslik
Marc Valax: GRM - Groupe de Recherche en Management - EA 4711 - UNS - Université Nice Sophia Antipolis (1965 - 2019) - UniCA - Université Côte d'Azur

Post-Print from HAL

Abstract: This study examines how fairness and leadership affect job satisfaction in Lebanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), drawing on social exchange theory. Analysing responses from 1,127 participants using structural equation modelling, the findings show that interactional justice or fair and respectful treatment by leaders positively influences leader-member exchange and job satisfaction, reinforcing the importance of quality leadership. Contrary to expectations, procedural justice or fairness in processes does not directly improve leader-member relationships, hinting that specific situational factors might play a more crucial role. Furthermore, the anticipated mediating role of leader-member exchange between procedural justice and job satisfaction was not supported, nor was gender found to significantly affect these relationships. These results suggest the need for SMEs to focus on personalised leadership and fair communication to enhance employee relations and satisfaction, regardless of gender. The study highlights the significance of adopting inclusive practices and effective crisis management strategies that prioritise both procedural and interactional justice to build organisational resilience.

Keywords: Procedural justice; PJ; Interactional justice; Leader-member exchange; Gender-inclusive (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Published in International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, In press, ⟨10.1504/IJESB.2025.10065197⟩

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04981548

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2025.10065197

Access Statistics for this paper

More papers in Post-Print from HAL
Bibliographic data for series maintained by CCSD ().