Secondee: María Pilar Gamarra, CUNEF University, Spain
Hosting Organisation: S/I ERHVERVSHUS SJAELLAND, Denmark
Secondment period: 25/05/2025 – 27/07/2025
This report summarizes the activities and outcomes of my secondment at S/I ERHVERVSHUS
SJAELLAND, Denmark.
During this period, I worked on a study focused on understanding how moral attentiveness—a personal moral characteristic—can influence newly emerging dimensions of self-perceived ethical leadership.
I had the opportunity to engage in constructive academic exchanges with colleagues at SDU Campus in Kolding, especially regarding research design and variable selection, and to attend the workshop “Tangible Research” held at SDU (Kolding campus) on June 12th. These interactions enriched the development of the study and helped refine key methodological decisions.
In addition, during the secondment, I also participated remotely in the final workshop of the EM4FIT project, held at the Universidad del Pacífico in Lima, Peru, which provided a broader view of emerging debates in leadership and ethics across international academic environments. This participation was instrumental in contextualizing my study within ongoing
interdisciplinary conversations.
Research Focus and Conceptual Framework
The study developed during this secondment aimed to examine how the reflective component of moral attentiveness may serve as an antecedent of the emerging dimensions of selfperceived ethical leadership proposed by Gamarra and Giroto (2025):
- Integrative Decision Making
- Rewarding Ethical Behavior
- Role-Model Behavior
According to Reynolds (2008), moral attentiveness has two components:
- The perceptual component: an automatic tendency to cognitively link day-to-day experiences to ethical concerns or dilemmas.
- The reflective component: the conscious, deliberate and active recognition of the ethical content in one’s daily professional life.
In this study, I further examined whether the perceptual (less deliberate) component of moral attentiveness acts as a mediator between the reflective component and the leader’s selfperceived ethical leadership dimensions.
Methodology
The study was carried out using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLSSEM) with SmartPLS 4. This methodology enabled the modeling of complex interrelationships among latent variables, suitable for evaluating both direct and indirect effects.
In addition to the main constructs, age was included as a control variable, based on prior findings suggesting that older leaders may engage in more complex cognitive processes. Other potential moderating factors, such as gender, leadership experience, and hierarchical level, were also considered in the model.
Thanks to this secondment, I was able to incorporate new methodological approaches for improving data treatment and model adjustment, especially in refining the measurement model and controlling for potential biases.
Preliminary Results
Initial analyses have shown a good model fit, both at the exploratory and confirmatory stages. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was conducted using SPSS, confirming the unidimensionality and structure of the proposed constructs. Subsequently, a Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) using AMOS further validated the measurement model, demonstrating
acceptable fit indices and strong factor loadings for the variables under study.
Preliminary findings obtained through PLS-SEM in SmartPLS4 reveal a positive and statistically significant relationship between the reflective component of Moral Attentiveness (MAR) and the three dimensions of self-perceived ethical leadership (Integrative Decision Making, Rewarding Ethical Behavior, and Role-Model Behavior). These results suggest that
leaders who habitually and automatically connect daily experiences to ethical considerations are more likely to perceive themselves as acting ethically in complex leadership contexts.
In contrast, the perceptual component of Moral Attentiveness (MAP)—which captures the more conscious and deliberate awareness of ethical content—shows a direct negative relationship with the dimensions of ethical leadership. This finding raises interesting questions regarding the possible cognitive overload or ethical ambivalence that may arise when leaders become excessively focused on the moral framing of their actions.
These results will be further explored and validated in subsequent stages of the research.
Conclusion
This secondment has played a crucial role in advancing my research on ethical leadership by:
- Allowing me to explore how the reflective dimension of moral attentiveness influences ethical leadership behaviors.
- Testing the mediating role of the perceptual component.
- Enhancing the model through methodological refinements and the integration of new control and moderating variables.
Overall, this two-month secondment at S/I ERHVERVSHUS SJAELLAND has been highly productive and intellectually enriching. It has contributed significantly to the progress of my research and fostered valuable collaboration within the project network.