• The mediating role of internal...

*Result*: The mediating role of internal motivation on the relationship between ethical leadership and employee performance in hospitals in Northern Jordan.

Title:
The mediating role of internal motivation on the relationship between ethical leadership and employee performance in hospitals in Northern Jordan.
Authors:
Al-Bataineh R; Faculty of Medicine, Department of Health Management and Policy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan., Hayajneh A; Faculty of Medicine, Department of Health Management and Policy, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
Source:
PloS one [PLoS One] 2026 Jan 16; Vol. 21 (1), pp. e0341065. Date of Electronic Publication: 2026 Jan 16 (Print Publication: 2026).
Publication Type:
Journal Article
Language:
English
Journal Info:
Publisher: Public Library of Science Country of Publication: United States NLM ID: 101285081 Publication Model: eCollection Cited Medium: Internet ISSN: 1932-6203 (Electronic) Linking ISSN: 19326203 NLM ISO Abbreviation: PLoS One Subsets: MEDLINE
Imprint Name(s):
Original Publication: San Francisco, CA : Public Library of Science
MeSH Terms:
Leadership* , Motivation* , Work Performance* , Hospitals*, Humans ; Jordan ; Female ; Male ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Adult ; Middle Aged
References:
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Nurs Ethics. 2025 May;32(3):837-850. (PMID: 39134087)
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Acta Biomed. 2021 Jul 29;92(S2):e2021022. (PMID: 34328142)
Entry Date(s):
Date Created: 20260116 Date Completed: 20260116 Latest Revision: 20260119
Update Code:
20260130
PubMed Central ID:
PMC12810833
DOI:
10.1371/journal.pone.0341065
PMID:
41544023
Database:
MEDLINE

*Further Information*

*Objective: The study's main aim is to investigate the influence of ethical leadership (EL) on employee performance (EP) through internal motivation (IM) from the perspectives of clinical and administrative employees working in hospitals in northern Jordan.
Method: Design: The study used a descriptive, correlational cross-sectional quantitative design.
Participants and Setting: Data were collected from 330 clinical and administrative employees between February and March 2024 using convenience sampling from five hospitals-2 public, 2 private, and 1 teaching hospital-in different geographical areas in northern Jordan. The study hypotheses were tested using a hierarchical multiple linear regression.
Results: The study results revealed a statistically significant association between ethical leadership, internal motivation, and employee performance. Moreover, the results showed that internal motivation statistically mediates the relationship between ethical leadership and employee performance.
Conclusion: The current study's findings can serve as an empirical basis for hospital decision-makers to plan and implement programs and/or establish or revise policies for the target population, improving employees' performance, achieving desired outcomes, and ultimately providing better care for patients.
(Copyright: © 2026 Al-Bataineh, Hayajneh. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)*

*The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.*