Abstract:

Background:
Educational organisations operate in increasingly diverse cultural environments where leadership practices are influenced not only by formal management structures but also by broader social and value systems. A growing body of research highlights ethical leadership as an important factor affecting organisational climate, collaboration, and employee well-being within educational institutions. At the same time, religious and cultural values continue to shape social attitudes and leadership perceptions in many European societies. Although ethical leadership has received considerable attention in organisational research, relatively few studies have examined how religious values influence leadership dynamics within European educational organisations. Comparative empirical research exploring these relationships across different European cultural contexts also remains limited. In response to this gap, the present study investigates the relationships between religious values, ethical leadership, psychological safety, and organisational commitment in educational organisations, focusing on a comparison between Greece and Germany.

Methods:
The study follows a quantitative research design based on a structured questionnaire administered to employees working in educational organisations in Greece and Germany. Participants were recruited from schools, universities, and training organisations. Data were collected between December 2025 and February 2026, resulting in a final sample of 281 respondents, including 153 participants from Greece and 128 from Germany. The questionnaire included demographic questions and Likert-scale items measuring four constructs: religious values, ethical leadership, psychological safety, and organisational commitment. The analysis was conducted using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), while Multi-Group Analysis (MGA) was applied to examine potential differences between the two national contexts.

Results:
The results suggest that religious values play an important role in shaping perceptions of ethical leadership within educational organisations. Ethical leadership appears to positively influence psychological safety by encouraging fairness, trust, and open communication among staff members. Psychological safety, in turn, is associated with stronger organisational commitment. The comparison between Greece and Germany indicates that the strength of these relationships differs between the two contexts, suggesting that cultural and religious traditions may influence how ethical leadership is perceived within educational institutions.

Conclusions and Implications:
The study contributes to the literature by offering a comparative European perspective on ethical leadership in educational organisations and by highlighting the role of religious values as a contextual factor influencing leadership practices. The findings emphasise the importance of value-oriented leadership approaches that promote trust, psychological safety, and employee commitment. For educational leaders and policymakers, understanding how cultural and religious values shape leadership perceptions may support the development of leadership training initiatives that are sensitive to the diverse value systems present within European educational institutions.

Keywords:

Cultural diversity, educational leadership, workplace climate, organisational behaviour, comparative European study.