International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences

search-icon

The Role of Values-Based Leadership in Enhancing Organizational Image: A Field Study of the Directorate General of Labour in Dhofar Governorate, Oman

Open access
This study examines the role of values-based leadership in enhancing organizational image at the Directorate General of Labour in Dhofar Governorate, Oman. The study population comprised 678 employees. A convenience sample of 246 employees received an electronic questionnaire, and 234 usable responses were returned. Using a descriptive-analytical, cross-sectional design, the study assessed three values-based leadership dimensions—integrity, moral courage, and accountability and self-discipline—and a ten-item organizational-image construct. Data were analyzed with SPSS using descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson correlation, and multiple regression. Respondents reported high levels of integrity (M = 3.53, SD = 0.86), moral courage (M = 3.77, SD = 0.849), accountability and self-discipline (M = 3.60, SD = 0.803), and organizational image (M = 3.92, SD = 0.55). Each leadership dimension correlated positively and significantly with organizational image: integrity (r = .579, p < .001), moral courage (r = .360, p = .008), and accountability and self-discipline (r = .437, p < .001). The reported regression model was significant (F = 8.646, p < .001), while the individual coefficients for the three dimensions were not statistically significant at the .05 level. The findings indicate that values-oriented leadership is associated with a favorable organizational image, although the dimensions do not explain unique variance when entered together. The study recommends fair and competence-based task allocation, consistent accountability, wider employee participation in decisions, clearer communication of the Directorate’s vision, and deliberate management of service users’ impressions.
Abd Al-Hakim, M. (2018). Values-based leadership and quality of work life [Master’s thesis, Mohamed Boudiaf University of M’Sila]. [In Arabic].
Al-Attar, F. H. A., & Al-Rashidi, R. H. N. (2020). The role of values-based leadership in enhancing organizational image: An exploratory study of employees at Warith Al-Anbiyaa University. Journal of Administration and Economics, 9(34), 105–135. [In Arabic].
Al-Anzi, K. M. Z., & Abu-Doleh, J. (2022). The role of green human resource management practices in enhancing the organizational image of Jordanian industrial companies. Jadara Journal of Social Sciences, 6(1), 48–67. [In Arabic].
Al-Asadi, M. R. A., & Talib, A. F. (2017). The role of values-based leadership in enhancing strategic human resource capabilities: An analytical study in the Directorate of Training and Development, Ministry of Interior. Journal of the College of Administration and Economics for Economic, Administrative and Financial Studies, 9(4), 356–389. [In Arabic].
Al-Ghamdi, F. J. (2019). The degree of management by values among female school leaders in Al-Baha from teachers’ perspectives. Journal of Scientific Research in Education, 20(2), 1–41. [In Arabic].
Al-Otaibi, S. M. (2019). Values-based leadership and sustainable human development in civil and security organizations: A comparative study [Doctoral dissertation, Naif Arab University for Security Sciences]. [In Arabic].
Al-Saqqaf, S. A. S., & Abu-Sin, A. I. (2015). Values-based leadership and its effect on employee performance: Organizational loyalty as a mediating variable—The case of Yemeni business organizations [Doctoral dissertation, Sudan University of Science and Technology]. [In Arabic].
Al-Sakarneh, B. K. (2013). Effective administrative leadership. Dar Al-Masirah. [In Arabic].
Aliwi, A. H., Mahdi, H. T., & Ashour, H. K. (2019). Values-based leadership and its role in achieving creative performance: An exploratory study of employees in the administrative departments of the College of Administration and Economics, University of Karbala. [In Arabic; publication details not supplied in the source manuscript].
Covey, S. R. (2013). Principle-centered leadership (Arabic ed.). Jarir Bookstore. [Arabic translation].
Daft, R. L. (2010). Management (9th ed.). South-Western Cengage Learning.
Demo, G., Coura, K., Fogaça, N., Costa, A. C., Scussel, F., & Montezano, L. (2022). How are leadership, virtues, HRM practices, and citizenship related in organizations? Testing of mediation models in the light of positive organizational studies. Sustainability, 14(3), 1508. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14031508
Dey, M., Bhattacharjee, S., Mahmood, M., Uddin, M. A., & Biswas, S. R. (2022). Ethical leadership for better sustainable performance: Role of employee values, behavior and ethical climate. Journal of Cleaner Production, 337, 130527. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.130527
Grego-Planer, D. (2022). The relationship between benevolent leadership and affective commitment from an employee perspective. PLOS ONE, 17(3), e0264142. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0264142
Jad, M. A.-S. N. (2021). The effect of administrative leadership on human-resource development in support of sustainable development. Ain Shams University, 391–438. [In Arabic].
Kacmar, K. M., Andrews, M. C., Harris, K. J., & Tepper, B. J. (2013). Ethical leadership and subordinate outcomes: The mediating role of organizational politics and the moderating role of political skill. Journal of Business Ethics, 115(1), 33–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-012-1373-8
Kafi, M. Y. (2016). Public relations, crisis management, and protocol. Dar Osama. [In Arabic].
Khan, M. A. S., Ali, M., Usman, M., Saleem, S., & Jianguo, D. (2019). Interrelationships between ethical leadership, green psychological climate, and organizational environmental citizenship behavior: The moderating role of gender. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1977. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01977
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (5th ed.). Jossey-Bass.
Northouse, P. G. (2013). Leadership: Theory and practice (6th ed.). SAGE.
Peregrym, D., & Wolff, R. (2013). Values-based leadership: The foundation of transformational servant leadership. The Journal of Values-Based Leadership, 6(2), Article 7. https://scholar.valpo.edu/jvbl/vol6/iss2/7/
Sukkar, N. R. (2018). The degree to which Palestinian university youth embody social cohesion values from an Islamic educational perspective. Al-Aqsa Journal of Educational and Psychological Sciences, 1(1), 74–118. [In Arabic].
van Niekerk, M. (2017). Value-based leadership approach: A way for principals to revive the value of values in schools. Educational Research and Reviews, 12(3), 133–142.
Wallas, G. (1908). Human nature in politics. A. Constable.
Makhalef, A. F. M. B., Sarif, S. Bin, & Awae, F. (2026). The Role of Values-Based Leadership in Enhancing Organizational Image: A Field Study of the Directorate General of Labour in Dhofar Governorate, Oman. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 16(8), 799–816.