Abstract

Myriad of discourses pouring from university podiums and social platforms have been
inundated with administrative and governance matters majorly. Not much has been echoed
about morality concerns in Nigerian tertiary institutions. Besides, history is replete with quite
a handful of literature in this area. However, none of the prior studies has developed such a
robust construct on the subject so as to capture the multiple simultaneous essences of shared
values and employee engagement in moral leadership-staff Job performance link. The study
involved a population of 3257 academic and non-academic staff from which a sample size of
327 was determined through simple random sampling. Drawing on stakeholder and social
exchange theories and using regression model and structural equation modelling as analytical
bases, results have vilified strong evidence of positive mediating effect of shared values and
job engagement in moral leadership-staff job performance relationship except a unit construct
(authentic leadership) that exhibited negative association. Finding has further foreclosed that
staff’s overall job performance will improve with panoptic constructs of moral leadership
whereas fragmented approach will only lead to sub-optimal performance. Study proposes an
inclusive framework connecting the modified constructs of moral leadership, shared values,
employee engagement, and job performance of universities’ staff. It is stressed that university
leadership obsessed with integrity found on strong ethical fibber will earn staff’s trust and
confidence and sustain university’s reputation for enduring leadership that is value laden.