Ethical Leadership and Corporate Culture: A Study of Guaranty Trust Holding (GTCO) Plc in FCT-Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examines the impact of leaders' ethical behavior on corporate culture at Guaranty Trust Holding Company (GTCo) Plc, a major Nigerian banking institution. Using a survey research design, data were collected through structured questionnaires administered to employees across six GTCo branches in FCT-Abuja. A stratified random sampling technique was employed to ensure representation across different job roles. The study tested three hypotheses using multiple regression analysis on data from 129 valid responses, achieving a response rate of 77.2%. Reliability and validity were established through Cronbach’s alpha (α > 0.7) and factor analysis. The findings reveal that leaders' fairness, integrity, and transparency significantly enhance corporate culture, while leaders' role modeling did not exhibit a statistically significant influence. The model explained 61.7% of the variance in corporate culture (R² = 0.617, p < 0.001), confirming the strong predictive power of ethical leadership dimensions. These results highlight the need for GTCo Plc to reinforce fairness, integrity, and transparency in leadership practices, while exploring complementary strategies to enhance the role-modeling effect. The study provides practical recommendations for strengthening ethical leadership to foster a more robust corporate culture.