Navigating the Path: Islamic Leadership, Islamic Organization Citizenship Behaviour and Islamic Work Ethics Unveiled

Navigating the Path: Islamic Leadership, Islamic Organization Citizenship Behaviour and Islamic Work Ethics Unveiled

Hammam Zaki ^1,3, Nurul Hasnie Hassiza W Hassan¹ and Naresh Kumar Samy^2,3

¹Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Business, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan

²Malaysian Graduate School of Entrepreneurship and Business, Universiti Malaysia Kelantan

³Muhammadiyah University of Riau, Indonesia

*Corresponding Author: naresh@umk.edu.my

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.906000223

Received: 28 May 2025; Revised: 02 June 2025; Accepted: 07 June 2025; Published: 08 July 2025

ABSTRACT

Lecturers’ performance plays a pivotal role in shaping the quality of higher education programs, necessitating continuous revisions to identify dimensions that foster innovation. While prior research highlights numerous variables, leadership competencies grounded in Islamic principles emerge as a critical yet underexplored factor influencing employee performance within Islamic private university contexts. Although studies affirm the positive impact of Islamic leadership tenets on multifaceted employee outcomes across industries, their application in higher education remains sparse. Scholars emphasize the urgency of analyzing how purpose-driven Islamic leadership shapes lecturers’ performance in these institutions, particularly when linked to organizational citizenship behaviour viewed through an Islamic lens. This study seeks to bridge gaps in the existing literature by exploring connections between Islamic leadership, Islamic work ethics, and contemporary performance metrics such as teaching, research, and service within the Social Exchange Theory (SET) framework. Current scholarship lacks cross-cultural and Islamic perspectives despite growing global interest in how faith-aligned leadership and ethics influence workplace dynamics. By integrating these elements, the paper aims to clarify how Islamic values shape task performance, contextual performance, and citizenship behaviours among Islamic private university lecturers. It also proposes empirical research strategies to validate prior findings and address theoretical limitations, offering fresh insights into culturally responsive leadership models in Islamic private universities.

Keywords: Performance, Islamic leadership, Islamic organizational citizenship behaviour, Islamic work ethics, Lecturers, Islamic private universities

INTRODUCTION

Private universities operating on Islamic values emphasize moral integrity, faith, and righteousness, guided by a framework that integrates these principles into their vision and mission. These institutions pursue a dual mission: advancing human well-being and civilization through education, scientific innovation, and knowledge dissemination while preserving ethical principles and societal unity (Jason Chen, 2025; Moshtari & Ghorbani, 2025; Qazi & Al-Mhdawi, 2025; Subbarayalu, 2025) through balancing secular academic practices with spiritually grounded educational approaches. They ensure holistic development encompassing worldly and spiritual growth, distinguishing themselves from secular universities.

However, Islamic private universities often demonstrate moderate academic performance compared to public and internationally recognized institutions (Sahrodi & Karim, 2025; Zain et al., 2025). To achieve excellence and align with national aspirations, universities must prioritize strengthening research publications, improving teaching quality, and increasing community engagement (Jason Chen, 2025; Moshtari & Ghorbani, 2025; Qazi & Al-Mhdawi, 2025; Subbarayalu, 2025). Researchers highlight that lecturers at Islamic private universities face challenges optimizing their performance (Gull et al., 2025; Ul Hassan et al., 2025), underscoring the need for targeted improvements in these areas.

Lecturers play a crucial role in shaping the quality of educational programs in higher education institutions (Amadi et al., 2025; Zhang et al., 2025). To enhance their performance, researchers must explore key factors contributing to their effectiveness. Studies on Islamic-based organizations show that leadership rooted in Islamic principles positively influences performance indicators (Azizi et al., 2025; Zaim et al., 2024). However, most of these studies examine industries outside private Islamic universities and do not specifically address lecturers’ performance (Nuha & Atikoh, 2025; Siregar & Nasution, 2025). Therefore, researchers must investigate the characteristics of Islamic leadership within the context of lecturers’ performance in Islamic private universities.

Many institutions, including universities, increasingly incorporate spiritual and moral values into their organizational frameworks to promote ethical decision-making, employee well-being, and long-term sustainability. In academic settings, values-driven leadership enhances institutional integrity and fosters a more supportive and inspiring learning environment for educators and students. Previous research suggests that embedding spiritual principles, such as trust, compassion, and accountability, into leadership practices can improve job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and overall performance (Hamzaa et al., 2025; Kuhn et al., 2025; Raziq, Saleem, et al., 2025). Additionally, as globalization and technological advancements reshape the education landscape, the role of moral and spiritual values in maintaining academic excellence and ethical conduct has become even more critical (Chung, 2025; Razavi, 2025). Thus, ongoing studies continue to explore innovative models that integrate ethical leadership with institutional growth, ensuring a balance between academic achievements and the holistic development of individuals.

This study aims to reaffirm the role of Islamic OCB as a mediating factor between Islamic leadership and various performance measures of lecturers at Islamic private universities, which remain underexplored empirically (Ahmed, 2025; Ranihusna, 2024; Sonia et al., 2024). Researchers have found that leadership practices positively influence OCB. Yet, no existing studies have tested the impact of Islamic leadership practices on Islamic OCB or examined Islamic OCB as a mediator between Islamic leadership and lecturers’ performance in Islamic private universities (Ahmed, 2025; Shohib et al., 2024). Zafar and Abu-Hussin (2025) revealed that the relationship between leadership conscience and job performance strengthens when the Islamic work ethic (IWE) is high. Similarly, there are discoveries that IWE moderates the relationship between leadership aligned with Islamic teachings and contextual tasks and performance (Ashraf et al., 2025; Kareem et al., 2025). However, several studies have indicated that leadership style does not directly influence performance (Junaedi & Ali, 2025; Rokhman et al., 2025). Therefore, further research should examine IWE as a moderating variable.

Given the numerous studies examining performance, interactions between leaders and members, and personal relationships, all these investigations confidently utilize Social Exchange Theory (SET) as a foundation, with the results proving encouraging despite the mixed findings. SET requires further research to provide empirical significance to the existing knowledge framework. However, the mediating and moderating variables that have never been integrated as proposed in this study, namely Islamic OCB and IWE, are gaps in SET, and the application of SET within an Islamic perspective remains unexplored mainly (Chowdhury et al., 2025; Zia et al., 2024). Thus, the results of this study will contribute to SET, particularly the relationship between Islamic leadership, Islamic OCB, IWE, and lecturers’ performance. Therefore, it is essential to conduct this research to close the theoretical gaps and reconfirm the findings of previous studies.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Leadership and lecturers continuously influence and shape one another in a dynamic interaction. Rather than merely adhering to managerial decisions, lecturers actively participate in institutional governance and decision-making (Gratz & Looney, 2025; Rao et al., 2025; Yadav et al., 2025). Policymakers define academic leadership as encompassing change management, quality assurance, and resource allocation. However, many academics emphasize leadership in higher education to enhance faculty effectiveness, particularly in teaching, scholarly research, and community engagement (Nulty et al., 2025; Salendab, 2025).

Lecturers with maturity and emotional intelligence tend to adapt more easily and remain open to various leadership styles (Ejaz et al., 2025; Ravikumar & Muralidharan, 2025; Wilmot, 2025). However, when leadership in higher education fails to manage tasks effectively, lecturers struggle to perform at their best, resulting in suboptimal outcomes (Eversole, 2025; Rafique et al., 2025; Yu et al., 2025). Islamic leadership offers a compelling alternative to address this leadership crisis, which stems from ethical shortcomings and the erosion of human values (Ainunajip et al., 2025; Molina‐Sánchez et al., 2025). Grounded in the teachings of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet, Islamic leadership profoundly influences Muslim individuals, motivating them to pursue self-improvement and continuous performance enhancement (Abdelwahed et al., 2025; Basalamah, 2024; Rahman, 2025). This leadership approach encourages lecturers to refrain from activities prohibited by Allah SWT while shaping their attitudes and reinforcing their sense of fulfilment, enthusiasm, and commitment by fostering positive self-perceptions. Ultimately, Islamic leadership strengthens lecturers’ performance, boosts their positive energy, and upholds the fundamental values of higher education.

Research on the intersection of religion, leadership, and academia has deepened the understanding of Islamic leadership’s role in educational settings. Scholars have explored diverse interpretations and applications of Islamic leadership, providing valuable insights for crafting effective and culturally relevant policies in Muslim-majority contexts (Hoque, 2025; Septiani et al., 2024). Islamic leaders leverage their knowledge and experience to guide others in prayer, ethics, morality, and social justice, cultivating a sense of purpose and responsibility among their followers (Santoso, 2024; Udin, 2024). Through embodying Islamic principles in their own lives, these leaders inspire others to uphold truth, fulfil their societal duties, and strive for moral integrity.

Several studies have discussed Islamic OCB in the performance studies (Schwabsky & Somech, 2025; Shantoo et al., 2025; Zakiy & Ramadhani, 2024), which state that Islamic OCB positively affects performance by showing altruism as the dominant indicator in developing Islamic OCB. Furthermore, researchers formed a conceptualization model for Islamic OCB practices (Ghafoor & Rabie, 2025; Maharani et al., 2025). However, recent studies found that several leadership models influence Islamic OCB. Specifically, Islamic leadership plays a crucial role in shaping and enhancing Islamic OCB by fostering ethical conduct, trust, and a strong sense of collectivism among employees (Rokhman et al., 2025; Sonia et al., 2024; Zakiy & Ramadhani, 2024).

Leadership models grounded in Islamic values emphasize principles such as Ihsan (Excellence in conduct), Amanah (Trustworthiness), Adil (Justice), and Ukhuwah (Brotherhood), which directly encourage employees to engage in voluntary and altruistic behaviours beyond their formal job requirements. Islamic leadership also incorporates Taqwa (God-consciousness) and servant leadership principles, motivating employees to act with sincerity and a sense of moral responsibility. This ethical and value-driven leadership approach strengthens employees’ intrinsic motivation, commitment, and willingness to contribute to the organization beyond prescribed roles, thus reinforcing the positive relationship between Islamic leadership and Islamic OCB. Consequently, organizations that foster Islamic leadership principles are more likely to experience increased levels of Islamic OCB, ultimately contributing to improved performance and organizational harmony. However, some researchers have found contradictory results, suggesting that Islamic leadership does not impact Islamic OCB (Assadam & Eldaia, 2024; Hadi et al., 2025).

Many previous studies have examined the influence of leadership on Islamic OCB, stating that the results of their research indicate that leadership style can influence Islamic OCB (Junaedi & Ali, 2025; Kartiwi, 2024; Maksum & Khan, 2024; Shantoo et al., 2025). Maharani et al. (2025) concluded that through path analysis with the inner model, spiritual leadership significantly affects four aspects of Islamic OCB: altruism, awareness, sportsmanship, and courtesy. Also, Jio et al. (2025) show that the better the leader demonstrates ethical behaviour, the greater the Islamic OCB of its employees.

The effectiveness of an organization or institution is significantly influenced by employees’ OCB (Khan et al., 2025; Tran, 2025). In the context of Islamic values, Islamic OCB emphasizes ethical conduct, altruism, and a sense of responsibility derived from Islamic teachings. This perspective aligns with the conclusion that Islamic OCB positively affects performance, as found by Shantoo et al. (2025) and Saputra and Maksum (2024). Their research emphasizes that as Islamic OCB increases, both individual and organizational performance improves. The intrinsic motivation to engage in voluntary and ethical workplace behaviours, including cooperation, trustworthiness, and accountability, cultivates a work environment that promotes high performance. These behaviours ensure that employees, including lecturers, go beyond their duties and responsibilities to contribute meaningfully to the institution’s success.

Islamic OCB is also closely linked to service quality, particularly in educational institutions where lecturers shape students’ knowledge, skills, and character (Gong, 2025). A strong implementation of Islamic OCB leads to improved service delivery, better student engagement, and higher performance. When lecturers exhibit high levels of Islamic OCB, demonstrating care, fairness, and dedication in their teaching and mentoring, it enhances the institution’s overall reputation and effectiveness (Sugiono & Nurhasan, 2025; Vargas-Hernandez & González-Ávila, 2025). Conversely, poor Islamic OCB implementation results in poorer service quality, as disengaged lecturers may lack the motivation to provide additional academic support or contribute beyond their formal job scope (Bakeshlo et al., 2025; Schwabsky & Somech, 2025). This aligns with the broader understanding that ethical and value-driven behaviour within academia contributes significantly to the overall success of an educational institution.

A study further reinforces the positive relationship between Islamic OCB and employee performance, as shown by Shohib et al. (2024). Their findings indicate that lecturers who embody Islamic OCB principles exhibit higher commitment, better teamwork, and greater dedication to institutional goals. Islamic OCB encourages selflessness, respect, and sincerity in professional interactions, leading to a more harmonious and productive academic environment (Makwana & Pandita, 2025). As lecturers practice these values, they enhance their professional growth and contribute to student success and institutional development. Thus, universities that promote Islamic OCB within their faculty members are more likely to achieve sustained excellence in both academic and administrative performance.

Islamic OCB is crucial in enhancing employee performance by fostering voluntary actions beyond formal job requirements. The mediating role of Islamic OCB in the relationship between Islamic leadership and performance has been highlighted in research by Maharani et al. (2025). Their study found that Islamic OCB not only directly affects employee performance but also acts as an intermediary between leadership styles and workplace outcomes. Leadership grounded in Islamic values, such as fairness, integrity, and servant leadership, fosters an environment where employees feel valued and appreciated (Mosbah & Rahmoune, 2025). This sense of worth enhances their willingness to engage in Islamic OCB, subsequently improving job performance. Employees who perceive their leaders as ethical, just, and committed to collective well-being are more likely to reciprocate through greater dedication and voluntary contributions. Thus, the leadership style adopted by an organization plays a fundamental role in shaping Islamic OCB, strengthening overall institutional performance.

Employees who willingly engage in extra-role behaviours often do so with the expectation of intrinsic and extrinsic rewards, such as job satisfaction, recognition, and a sense of fulfilment. In the context of Islamic organizations, these voluntary behaviours align closely with Islamic values such as Ikhlas (Sincerity), Amanah (Trustworthiness), and Ukhuwah (Brotherhood) (Chowdhury et al., 2025; Rokhman et al., 2025). Islamic OCB, which is rooted in Islamic principles, reinforces ethical conduct, cooperation, and selflessness among employees. Furthermore, Islamic OCB contributes to job satisfaction and performance by creating a work environment where individuals feel motivated to contribute beyond their prescribed roles, leading to higher morale and productivity (Sumiati et al., 2025).

Despite the growing body of literature on Islamic OCB and Islamic leadership, there remains a gap in understanding how Islamic OCB functions specifically in the academic sector, particularly within Islamic tertiary institutions (Jan et al., 2025). While various studies have explored the impact of Islamic OCB on employee performance in corporate and public sectors, limited research has examined its influence on lecturers’ performance (Syahri, 2025). Similarly, no prior studies have comprehensively analyzed Islamic OCB as a mediating variable between Islamic leadership and lecturers’ performance (Ahmed, 2025). Since lecturers play a crucial role in shaping future generations, their engagement in Islamic OCB can significantly enhance teaching quality, student outcomes, and institutional success. Further research is needed to explore how Islamic leadership fosters Islamic OCB among lecturers and how this, in turn, contributes to improving performance within Islamic private higher education institutions.

IWE plays a significant role in shaping employee behaviour and performance, particularly in the context of Islamic leadership. Ethical leadership has been widely recognized as a key factor in improving task performance, and this relationship is further strengthened when employees exhibit a high level of IWE (Kareem et al., 2025; Zafar & Abu-Hussin, 2025b). IWE emphasizes diligence, sincerity, fairness, and accountability in professional and personal life, which aligns with the fundamental teachings of Islam (Abdelwahed et al., 2025). The belief that God is watching over one’s actions serves as a moral compass for Muslim employees, motivating them to act with integrity and strive for excellence (Luthfiyah & Dhewi, 2025). This intrinsic motivation, rooted in religious principles, drives lecturers to be more committed, responsible, and engaged in their work, ultimately leading to higher performance. As a result, when Islamic leadership fosters an environment that aligns with IWE principles, lecturers are more likely to exhibit increased productivity, ethical behaviour, and dedication to their professional responsibilities.

However, IWE can also moderate the impact of different leadership styles on performance, particularly in cases where leadership approaches are misaligned with Islamic ethical values (Kareem et al., 2025). For instance, employees with weak IWE practices are more likely to tolerate autocratic leadership, even if they do not entirely approve it (Arani, 2025). In contrast, employees with strong IWE may find authoritarian leadership styles incompatible with their ethical values, potentially leading to dissatisfaction and reduced performance (Atiya et al., 2024). Furthermore, individuals with low IWE may adopt ethical values for personal gain rather than as a moral obligation, making them more receptive to self-serving leadership (Yuan et al., 2025). In academic settings, lecturers with high IWE are more likely to expect fairness, trust, and integrity from their leaders, and when these expectations are met, their commitment and performance improve. However, if leaders fail to uphold Islamic ethical principles, lecturers with strong IWE may experience disillusionment, negatively affecting their engagement and productivity (Rokhman et al., 2025).

Several studies have explored the role of IWE as a moderating factor in the relationship between Islamic leadership and employee performance (Ashraf et al., 2025; Kareem et al., 2025; Luthfiyah & Dhewi, 2025). Their findings suggest that when IWE is high, the positive impact of Islamic leadership on performance is amplified. This is because lecturers with strong IWE internalize the values promoted by Islamic leadership, leading to greater self-discipline, motivation, and professional commitment. Conversely, when IWE is low, the influence of Islamic leadership on performance may weaken, as employees may not fully embrace the ethical and moral responsibilities expected in an Islamic work environment. Therefore, universities and academic institutions should promote IWE principles to ensure that Islamic leadership practices translate into higher performance, ethical conduct, and overall institutional success.

Social Exchange Theory (SET), as proposed by Blau (1964), explains workplace relationships as reciprocal exchanges where employees respond to leadership based on perceived fairness and treatment. If leaders exhibit positive behaviours, employees feel obligated to reciprocate through increased effort and engagement, including Islamic OCB. In Islamic leadership, which emphasizes humility, fairness, and ethical conduct, SET suggests that when leaders foster trust and justice, employees exhibit more substantial commitment, job satisfaction, and performance (Raziq et al., 2025). Conversely, poor leadership can lead to negative exchanges, reducing motivation and productivity (Modliba & Treffers, 2025). IWE further moderates this relationship, reinforcing the link between leadership and performance by fostering a culture of sincerity, diligence, and fairness (Luthfiyah & Dhewi, 2025; Nauman et al., 2025). Employees with high IWE positively respond to Islamic leadership, enhancing performance, while those perceiving unfair treatment may disengage (Kareem et al., 2025; Zafar & Abu-Hussin, 2025b). Thus, SET supports the assumption that Islamic leadership, when aligned with IWE, fosters stronger reciprocal relationships, enhancing lecturers’ performance and institutional success.

Hypothesis Development

Islamic private universities often achieve only average academic performance compared to institutions in other regions. They need to significantly improve key areas such as the quality and quantity of publications, teaching and learning processes, and community engagement. Strengthening these aspects is crucial for enhancing lecturer excellence and elevating the overall quality of higher education, as many national governments aim to achieve. However, research indicates that lecturers at private universities frequently underperform their professional obligations. Since lecturer performance forms the foundation of educational quality in higher education, researchers must identify key dimensions that can improve their performance.

While numerous studies have explored various variables, those relevant to Islamic universities highlight the significant influence of Islamic leadership competencies on employee performance. Research focusing on Shariah-based organizations further supports the positive impact of Islamic leadership principles on diverse performance metrics (Abdelwahed et al., 2025; Junaedi & Ali, 2025). Although these studies demonstrate encouraging results for Islamic leadership across various industries, they largely exclude Islamic private higher education institutions. Therefore, it is crucial to examine the impact of Islamic leadership on performance specifically within Islamic private universities, as scholars have recommended. Leaders and human resources in Islamic private universities must align their behaviour with Islamic values and principles (Rokhman et al., 2025; Yacine, 2025). Leaders who embody authentic Islamic principles can positively influence the attitudes and behaviours of their members, driving the achievement of strategic organizational goals (Ainunajip et al., 2025).

In Islam, both leaders and followers must submit to Allah (SWT), adhere to Sharia principles, and cultivate qualities such as mindfulness, respect, trustworthiness, confidence, and a growth mindset (Arshad et al., 2025). Academic staff at Islamic private universities exhibit a strong feeling and enthusiasm to practice Islamic OCB in their workplaces (Abdulrab et al., 2025; Ennida et al., 2025). This study aims to validate further Islamic OCB’s role as a mediator between Islamic leadership and various contemporary performance measures among academics at private Islamic higher education institutions, an area that remains underexplored empirically (Muslih et al., 2025; Shantoo et al., 2025). Islamic OCB has been shown to enhance organizational quality and performance across various sectors, including universities (Muslih et al., 2025; Syahri, 2025). Additionally, the positive influence of leadership practices on Islamic OCB in industries outside Islamic private universities underscores the need for further research to expand the empirical understanding of the SET (Chowdhury et al., 2025; Rokhman et al., 2025). This study seeks to contribute to SET by examining the relationship between Islamic leadership and Islamic OCB.

Several research studies demonstrate that the connection between leadership conscience and task performance strengthens when IWE is high (Kareem et al., 2025; Zafar & Abu-Hussin, 2025a). Similarly, IWE moderates the relationship between Islamic leadership and task and contextual performance fields (Kareem et al., 2025; Raza et al., 2024). Moreover, IWE is a moderating factor in the relationships between leadership, Islamic OCB, and job performance (Kareem et al., 2025; Udin, 2024; Zafar & Abu-Hussin, 2025a). However, Faliza et al. (2024) discovered that IWE has a limited moderating influence on the connection between spiritual leadership norms, inclusive practices, and Islamic OCB. Despite mixed findings, most of these studies apply SET as their foundation, yielding encouraging results. This study aims to address theoretical gaps and validate previous findings.

Based on the literature review, the following hypotheses are proposed:

H1: Islamic leadership positively influences lecturers’ performance.

H2: Islamic leadership positively influences Islamic organizational citizenship behaviour among lecturers.

H3: Islamic organizational citizenship behaviour positively influences lecturers’ performance.

H4: Islamic organizational citizenship behaviour mediates the relationship between Islamic leadership and lecturers’ performance.

H5: Islamic work ethics moderates the relationship between Islamic leadership and lecturers’ performance.

Social Exchange Theory

Figure 1 Conceptual Framework

METHODOLOGY

Previous scholarly works have been reviewed, analyzed, and synthesized to explore Islamic leadership, IWE, and Islamic OCB, along with their impact on lecturers’ performance, including teaching, research, and service. Although the body of knowledge in this field is extensive, the concepts remain fragmented and continue to evolve within the framework of SET. This paper proposes several empirical research directions to address theoretical gaps and validate earlier findings. Ultimately, it aims to guide future research by incorporating quantitative and qualitative analyses, employing measurable and non-measurable methods, and examining business and non-business contexts within Islamic private universities.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

This paper examines the performance of lecturers at Islamic private universities, focusing on core performance areas such as teaching, research, and community service. Literature highlights various factors influencing lecturers’ performance, including organizational support, discipline, work climate, job satisfaction, organizational culture, and others. However, this study specifically emphasizes Islamic leadership as a key factor affecting performance in Islamic private universities by concentrating on this aspect, the research remains focused on critical issues within Islamic private universities without deviating from its central theme. The study is limited to exploring the direct impact of Islamic leadership on lecturers’ performance. Additionally, it aims to investigate the mediating role of Islamic OCB and the moderating role of IWE in this relationship.

The proposed research holds practical implications for Islamic private universities. These institutions are inspired to play a pivotal role in delivering education rooted in Islamic principles and values, enhancing lecturers’ performance. This study highlights the comprehensive importance of Islamic leadership, Islamic OCB, IWE, and the multilevel performance of lecturers. Leaders will benefit from the findings of this research, gaining insights to take informed actions, develop effective strategies, and implement policies that foster lecturers’ awareness, understanding, and adoption of positive behaviours aligned with Islamic principles. Ultimately, this will contribute to improving lecturers’ performance. Furthermore, this paper seeks to create an intellectual urgency to explore how Islamic leadership, Islamic OCB, and IWE can positively influence lecturers’ performance.

Although previous studies have primarily focused on lecturers’ performance, limited research has explored Islamic behaviour, including leadership and follower behaviour within Islamic private universities, to enhance performance outcomes. This paper introduces fresh insights into the relationship between Islamic leadership and Islamic private universities guided by Islamic ideals in their vision and mission. It also provides innovative perspectives on the mediating roles of Islamic OCB and IWE as moderating variables, particularly in determining whether performance necessitates Islamic leadership. This study addresses and narrows theoretical gaps in SET by integrating Islamic leadership, Islamic OCB, IWE, and lecturer performance. The connection between these variables has not been thoroughly examined using SET, making it crucial to demonstrate the theory’s relevance in explaining these relationships. This paper anticipates expanding the foundational theory by linking Islamic leadership, Islamic OCB, and Islamic work ethics with performance, ultimately supporting optimal performance.

REFERENCES

1. Abdelwahed, N. A. A., Al Doghan, M. A., Saraih, U. N., & Soomro, B. A. (2025). Unleashing potential: Islamic leadership’s influence on employee performance via Islamic organizational values, organizational culture and work motivation. International Journal of Law and Management, 67(2), 165–190.
2. Abdulrab, M., Alwaleedi, K. A. T., Al-Mamary, Y. H., Zumrah, A. R., Al-Tahitah, A. N., & Al-Mekhlafi, A.-B. A. (2025). Beyond Leadership: How Transformational Leaders Foster Organizational Citizenship and Engagement through Psychological Empowerment. Journal of Chinese Human Resources Management, 16(1), 119–145.
3. Ahmed, E. I. (2025). Principals’ leadership styles and teachers’ organizational citizenship behaviour: a systematic review of research. International Journal of Educational Management, 39(1), 219–239.
4. Ainunajip, M. N., Astuti, A. Y., Abbas, N., & Gada, M. Y. (2025). Analysis of Leadership Values​​ in Educational Hadith. International Journal of Islamic Education Discourse, 1(1), 1–7.
5. Amadi, J., Sipur, S., Fajrillah, F., & Khair, R. (2025). Implementation of the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) Method in the Lecturer Performance Evaluation System at IBBI University Medan Based on the Balanced Scorecard. Journal of Science and Education (JSE), 5(2), 451–457.
6. Arani, M. M. (2025). Exploring Mediating Impact of Ethical Leadership and Political Behavior on the Interplay between Work Ethic Climate and Job Satisfaction at Middle Technical University. Technical Journal of Management Sciences, 2(1), 1–12.
7. Arshad, M. W., Bhutta, Z. M., Khan, S. A., & Khan, Y. (2025). Employee Motivation Through An Islamic Lens: Integrating Spiritual And Material Tools For Workplace Success. Journal of Social Signs Review, 3(2), 33–44.
8. Ashraf, N., Shabbir, B., & Haroon, S. (2025). Examining the Role of Workplace Safety in Mitigating Employees’ Presenteeism and Procrastination through the Lens of Islamic Work Ethics. Pakistan Social Sciences Review, 9(1), 144–156.
9. Assadam, E., & Eldaia, M. Y. (2024). Give More, Get More From Allah: The Effect Of Islamic Leadership, Islamic Organizational Culture, And Workplace Spirituality On Organizational Citizenship Behavior. Iqtishaduna International Conference Proceeding, 1, 189–193.
10. Atiya, N., Widiastuti, T., & Rusanti, E. (2024). Critical review of Islamic work ethic literature across diverse organization and its future direction. Journal of Management and Digital Business, 4(2), 250–275.
11. Azizi, M. N., Rahman, M. N. A., & Nadzri, F. H. (2025). The Impact Of Islamic Faith On Leadership Approaches And Organizational Dynamics In Malaysian Work Environments. O-Jie: Online Journal of Islamic Education, 12(1), 1–12.
12. Bakeshlo, Z. A., Omidvar, M., & Palazzo, M. (2025). Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior in Iranian Organizations: A Qualitative Exploration of Consequences. In Navigating Corporate Social Responsibility Through Leadership and Sustainable Entrepreneurship (pp. 83–106). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
13. Basalamah, M. S. A. (2024). Exploring the Intersection of Islamic Values and Human Resource Management. Advances in Human Resource Management Research, 2(2), 78–89.
14. Blau, P. M. (1964). Justice in social exchange. Sociological Inquiry, 34(2).
15. Chowdhury, N., Balaraman, P. K., Liu, J., & Guo, X. (2025). The influence of stakeholder theory and Islamic faith on employee perception of CSR. Journal of Islamic Marketing, 16(1), 306–325.
16. Chung, J.-K. (2025). The Spiritual and Socio-Educational Implications of Geojassi Christian School. Pharos Journal of Theology, 106(1).
17. Ejaz, A., Quratulain, S., Aulakh, A. H., Cando-Naranjo, J., & Sabharwal, M. (2025). The Conditional Effects of the Transformational Leadership Behaviors on Leaders’ Emotional Exhaustion: Roles of Deep Acting and Emotional Intelligence. The American Review of Public Administration, 55(1), 3–27.
18. Ennida, K., Allouani, S. A., & Roqai, M. C. (2025). Leveraging Organizational Citizenship Behavior for Sustainable Academic Excellence: A Moroccan University Case Study. In Cases on Sustainable Organizational Performance and Competitive Advantages (pp. 179–220). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
19. Eversole, B. W. (2025). Ineffective, Bullying Leaders. In The Leadership Spectrum: A Continuum of Empathetic Leader Behaviors (pp. 57–65). Springer.
20. Faliza, N., Setiawan, R., & Agustina, W. (2024). The Effect of Leadership Effectiveness and Islamic Work Motivation on Organization Performance with Islamic Work Ethics as a Moderating Variable. Reslaj: Religion Education Social Laa Roiba Journal, 6(1), 409–425.
21. Ghafoor, F., & Rabie, O. (2025). Religiousness Moderates Eldercare Burden’s Impact on OCB Through Mental Exhaustion. Social Science Review Archives, 3(1), 172–199.
22. Gong, T. (2025). The effect of service robots on employees’ customer service performance and service-oriented organizational citizenship behavior. Journal of Service Theory and Practice.
23. Gratz, E., & Looney, L. (2025). What’s Trust Got to Do With It? Interpersonal and Institutional Trust in University Faculty. New Directions for Higher Education.
24. Gull, M., Kaur, N., Abuhasan, W. M. F., Kandi, S., & Nair, S. M. (2025). A Comprehensive Review of Psychosocial, Academic, and Psychological Issues Faced by University Students in India. Annals of Neurosciences, 09727531241306571.
25. Hadi, S., Mangesti, C. A., Kirana, K. C., Octaviani, R., & Purnasari, E. (2025). Servant Leadership and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: How Affective Commitment Bridges the Gap. 1st International Conference on Social Environment Diversity (ICOSEND 2024), 62–75.
26. Hamzaa, H. G., Atta, M. H. R., Taha, H. M. A., Sayed, M. A., Ahmed, A. K., Othman, A. A., & Wahba, N. M. I. (2025). Exploring the role of spiritual leadership among nurse colleagues: an associative analysis of its impact on passion and altruism. BMC Nursing, 24(1), 142.
27. Hoque, K. E. (2025). Understanding Demographics, Economics, and Religious Influences. In The Changing Roles of Educational Managers: Essential Skills in an Era of Rapid Change (pp. 47–62). Springer.
28. Jan, N. A., Subramani, A. K., Ramkumar, C., & Chandrasekaran, S. (2025). Transformational leadership’s impact on organizational citizenship: mediating roles of organizational learning and affective commitment. International Journal of Management and Enterprise Development, 24(1), 23–41.
29. Jason Chen, H.-C. (2025). Aligning academic motivation with SoTL: Taiwan’s national Teaching Practice Research Programme policy. Studies in Higher Education, 1–19.
30. Jio, W., Kant, S., & Lemi, K. (2025). The Influence of Ethical Leadership on Organizational Citizenship Behavior by the Mediating Role of Organizational Commitment in Ethiopia. In Humanizing the Hyperconnected Workplace (pp. 221–248). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
31. Junaedi, E., & Ali, J. (2025). The Influence of Situational Leadership Style and Work Orientations on Employee Performance in Jakarta Islamic Banking Industry. ITQAN: Journal of Islamic Economics, Management, and Finance, 4(1), 11–22.
32. Kareem, O., Aliyu, O. A., & Salimon, M. G. (2025). Does the Islamic work ethic moderate the relationship between organizational culture and enterprise performance? Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development.
33. Kartiwi, A. P. (2024). Leadership in Indonesian Islamic Schools: How Leader Spiritual and Motivational Styles Affect Organizational Citizenship Behavior and Employees’ Religiosity. Nidhomul Haq: Jurnal Manajemen Pendidikan Islam, 9(1), 67–78.
34. Khan, M., Dedahanov, A. T., Khadir, Y., Alidjonovich, R. D., Turobjonovna, K. M., Yuldashev, O. T., & Odilovich, I. J. (2025). Investigating the impact of Organizational Citizenship Behavior on Supply Chain Performance and Corporate Sustainability: an empirical study. Cogent Business & Management, 12(1), 2460621.
35. Kuhn, N., Lopes, L. F. D., Silva, W. V. da, da Silva, L. S. C. V., & Veiga, C. P. da. (2025). Spirituality and workplace performance: a theoretical insight. Social Responsibility Journal, 21(2), 351–377.
36. Luthfiyah, Q., & Dhewi, D. A. (2025). Strengthening Fraud Prevention: The Role of Islamic Work Ethics, Islamic Corporate Governance, and Compensation as a Moderating Factor. Azzukhruf: Journal of Islamic Accounting and Finance, 1(1), 14–29.
37. Maharani, E., Setiawan, H., Hasanudin, H., & Shalahuddin, A. (2025). The influence of spiritual transformational leadership and religious motivation on spiritual performance. Journal of Management Science (JMAS), 8(1), 102–110.
38. Maksum, I., & Khan, R. B. F. (2024). Integration of social exchange theory: spiritual leadership on millennial organizational performance. Journal of Management and Digital Business, 4(2), 396–413.
39. Makwana, R., & Pandita, D. (2025). Can Spirituality Affect Organizational Citizenship Behavior? The Role of Altruism and Compliance. Organization Development Journal, 43(1).
40. Modliba, R., & Treffers, T. (2025). The good, the bad and the evil: A unified conceptualization of negative leadership behaviour. International Journal of Management Reviews, 27(1), 104–125.
41. Molina‐Sánchez, H., Ortiz‐Gomez, M., & Fernández‐Navarro, F. (2025). Measuring the Human Values That Predominate in the Organization’s Culture: A Dynamic Multilevel Linear Mixed Model Based on Genetic Algorithms. Nonprofit Management and Leadership.
42. Mosbah, A., & Rahmoune, A. (2025). A Proposed Measurement Scale of Islamic Leadership in Business Settings. In Innovative Ventures and Strategies in Islamic Business (pp. 331–342). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
43. Moshtari, M., & Ghorbani, M. (2025). Challenges and Strategies for Academic Diaspora Engagement in the Internationalisation of Higher Education Institutions: Empirical Evidence From a Low‐and Medium‐Income Country. Higher Education Quarterly, 79(1), e70004.
44. Muslih, M., Puspita, R. E., Novita, Y., & Utari, D. (2025). The Mediating Role of Organizational Citizenship Behavior from Islamic Perspective: a Case Study. International Journal of Integrative Sciences, 4(2), 391–406.
45. Nauman, S., Basit, A. A., & Imam, H. (2025). Examining the influence of Islamic work ethics, organizational politics, and supervisor-initiated workplace incivility on employee deviant behaviors. Ethics & Behavior, 35(1), 55–72.
46. Nuha, M. U., & Atikoh, N. (2025). Internalization of Religious Moderation Values in Islamic Studies Lectures. Proceeding: Islamic Education Management International Conference, 1(1), 53–64.
47. Nulty, D. D., Owens, A., & Brooman-Jones, S. (2025). Guiding Values-Based Leadership in Higher Education: Four Values-Behavior Clusters and Reflexive Questions. In Worldviews and Values in Higher Education (pp. 11–27). Emerald Publishing Limited.
48. Qazi, A., & Al-Mhdawi, M. K. S. (2025). Benchmarking higher education excellence: insights from QS rankings. Benchmarking: An International Journal.
49. Rafique, N., Rehman, F., & Rahman, H. (2025). The Role of Poor Leadership, Ineffective Teaching Methods, and Low Staff Expectations in School Ineffectiveness: Case of Government Schools of Punjab, Pakistan. Research Journal for Social Affairs, 3(2), 71–80.
50. Rahman, H. (2025). The Role Of Islamic Value-Based Leadership In Building A Positive Organizational Culture. Sabiluna: Journal of Islamic Studies, 1(1), 1–16.
51. Ranihusna, D. (2024). Sustainability of Eco-Friendly OCBIP Research to Improve Performance in Organizational Environment: A Literature Review. Proceedings of Femfest International Conference on Economics, Management, and Business, 2, 124–133.
52. Rao, M. B., Rao, P. M., & Singh, A. (2025). The Role of Worldviews and Values in Shaping Effective Institutional Governance, Leadership, and Capacity-Building. In Worldviews and Values in Higher Education (pp. 1–10). Emerald Publishing Limited.
53. Ravikumar, M., & Muralidharan, S. (2025). Enhancing Leadership Through Mindfulness and Emotional Intelligence: A Path to Inclusive and Effective Organizational Culture. In Strategic Approaches to Mindful Leadership and Change Management (pp. 35–78). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
54. Raza, M. A., Imran, M., Pervaiz, U., & Khan, M. J. (2024). How leader’s psychological entitlement leads to despotic leadership causing employee-instigated workplace incivility: mediation of emotional exhaustion and moderation of Islamic work ethics. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research.
55. Razavi, T. B. (2025). Beyond the Material: The Human Spirit in. Transglobal Humanities: Meeting the Moment, 85.
56. Raziq, M. M., Saleem, S., Borini, F. M., & Naz, F. (2025). Leader spirituality and organizational innovativeness as determinants of transformational leadership and project success: behavioral and social learning perspectives. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 74(1), 56–80.
57. Raziq, M. M., Wazir, R., Memon, M. A., Rice, J. L., & Moazzam, M. (2025). Empowering leadership, employee organizational commitment and organizational citizenship behavior: the roles of leader authenticity and trust. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 74(1), 81–106.
58. Rokhman, W., Atieq, M. Q., Ahamed, F., Nasir, S. Z., & Sahid, S. (2025). Exploring Workplace Happiness: Islamic Leadership and Work Ethics Driving Engagement and Helping Behaviour. Islamic Guidance and Counseling Journal, 8(1).
59. Sahrodi, J., & Karim, A. (2025). Leader power of Islamic higher education institutions in improving the performance of human resources management. Cogent Arts & Humanities, 12(1), 2442818.
60. Salendab, F. A. (2025). Leadership in Higher Education. In Building Organizational Capacity and Strategic Management in Academia (pp. 321–352). IGI Global.
61. Santoso, S. (2024). Islamic leadership: Prophet Muhammad as a role model of charismatic, transformational and servant leader. Jurnal Syntax Transformation, 5(7), 970–977.
62. Saputra, Z., & Maksum, I. (2024). Fleksibilitas Kerja Dan OCB Islam Perspektif Terhadap Kinerja Karyawan: Kepuasan Kerja Sebagai Mediasi. Jurnal Ekonomi, 29(3), 506–527.
63. Schwabsky, N., & Somech, A. (2025). Teachers’ perception of principals’ OCB in association with teachers’ performance outcomes. International Journal of Educational Management.
64. Septiani, D., Isfianadewi, D., Prima, A., & Udji, A. (2024). Spirituality Sustainability Leadership on Human Resource Performance in Islamic Perspective: A Literature Review. Information and Communication Technology in Technical and Vocational Education and Training for Sustainable and Equal Opportunity: Business Governance and Digitalization of Business Education, 247–257.
65. Shantoo, A. H., Islam, S., Chowdhury, S. P., Eni, L. N., Rahman, M. M., & Hossain, M. A. (2025). Forgiveness Climate and Perceived Firm Performance: A Serial Mediation Model. Global Business Review, 09721509251318095.
66. Shohib, M. W., Azani, M. Z., Inayati, N. L., Dartim, D., & Nubail, A. (2024). Islamic Perspective on Organizational Citizenship Behavior Among Academic Staff in Indonesian State Islamic Higher Education: Is It Effective? Suhuf, 36(2).
67. Siregar, C., & Nasution, M. S. A. (2025). Integrating Maqashid Syariah in Employee Performance Development: a Case Study of Join Cosmetics Rantau Prapat. Jurnal Manajemen Bisnis, 12(1), 133–146.
68. Sonia, N. R., Sutiah, S., Wahidmurni, W., & Soeharto, S. (2024). Islamic leadership, workplace spirituality, and innovative work behavior on teachers’ Islamic performance: Mediating role of OCBIP. Cendekia: Jurnal Kependidikan Dan Kemasyarakatan, 22(1), 111–126.
69. Subbarayalu, A. V. (2025). Understanding World University Ranking: Methodologies, Addressing Challenges, and Successful Strategies for Universities. In Navigating Quality Assurance and Accreditation in Global Higher Education (pp. 581–604). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
70. Sugiono, E., & Nurhasan, A. (2025). The Influence of Organizational Culture on Organizational Citizenship Behavior (OCB) With Job Satisfaction as An Intervening Variable at The Indonesian Quarantine Agency. International Journal of Management Science and Information Technology, 5(1), 160–166.
71. Sumiati, W., Hariri, H., Rini, R., & Sucitra, D. A. (2025). Factors Influencing Teacher Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Literature Review. Lectura: Jurnal Pendidikan, 16(1), 201–213.
72. Syahri, S. (2025). Literature Review Educational Management: Factors Affecting Islamic Education in The Era of Society 5.0. Journal of Research in Islamic Education, 7(1), 10–19.
73. Tran, Q. H. N. (2025). The role of leadership skills in organizational citizenship behaviour at Vietnamese libraries: organizational culture as a mediator. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, 74(1/2), 463–479.
74. Udin, U. (2024). Ethical leadership and employee performance: The role of Islamic work ethics and knowledge sharing. Human Systems Management, 43(1).
75. Ul Hassan, M., Murtaza, A., & Rashid, K. (2025). Redefining higher education institutions (HEIs) in the era of globalization and global crises: A proposal for future sustainability. European Journal of Education, 60(1), e12822.
76. Vargas-Hernandez, J. G., & González-Ávila, F. J. (2025). Organizational Citizenship Behavior: Enhancing Workplace Dynamics. Evolving Strategies for Organizational Management and Performance Evaluation, 445–462.
77. Wilmot, A.-M. (2025). Senior lecturers’ feelings about their college leaders’ treatment of their well-being: Implications for leadership readiness. Power and Education, 17577438241312608.
78. Yacine, M. (2025). Leadership in Action: Exploring the Principles of Prophet Muhammad in Contemporary Management Practices. In Emotionally Intelligent Methods for Meaningful Leadership (pp. 1–30). IGI Global Scientific Publishing.
79. Yadav, U., Pitchai, R., Gopal, V., Kumar, K. R. S., Talukdar, M., & Boopathi, S. (2025). Powers of Higher Education Leadership: Navigating Policy and Management in Academic Institutions. In Navigating Leadership and Policy Management in Education (pp. 103–136). IGI Global.
80. Yu, H., Hamid, A. H. A., Abdul Wahab, J. L., & Mahmud, M. I. (2025). The impact of deans’ distributed leadership on university teachers’ job performance: the mediating role of job satisfaction. Cogent Education, 12(1), 2458713.
81. Yuan, X., Yang, Y., Wang, F., Ding, Q., Deng, M., Shi, W., & Zhao, X. (2025). The relationship between self-serving leadership and employees’ expediency: a moderated mediation model. Personnel Review, 54(1), 1–19.
82. Zafar, M. B., & Abu-Hussin, M. F. (2025a). Mapping the landscape of Islamic work ethic: topic modeling and key research drivers. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research.
83. Zafar, M. B., & Abu-Hussin, M. F. (2025b). Religiosity and Islamic work ethic: A cross-cultural comparison in majority and non-majority Muslim countries. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 105, 102115.
84. Zaim, H., Erzurum, E., Zaim, S., Uluyol, B., & Seçgin, G. (2024). The influence of Islamic leadership on work performance in service industry: an empirical analysis. International Journal of Ethics and Systems, 40(1), 127–152.
85. Zain, E. M., Jamil, A., Sari, R. F., & Andjar, F. J. (2025). Balanced Scorecard Analysis On Private University Performance (Study At Economic Faculty Of Muhammadiyah Sorong University). EKOMBIS REVIEW: Jurnal Ilmiah Ekonomi Dan Bisnis, 13(1), 221–234.
86. Zakiy, M., & Ramadhani, K. (2024). Linking perceived supervisor listening with OCBIP in Islamic financial institution: multiple mediation approach. Journal of Islamic Accounting and Business Research.
87. Zhang, J., Huang, Y., Wu, F., Kan, W., & Zhu, X. (2025). Scaling up online professional development through institution-initiated blended learning programs in higher education. The Internet and Higher Education, 65, 100988.
88. Zia, M. Q., Ramish, M. S., Mushtaq, I., Fasih, S. T., & Naveed, M. (2024). Abusive, arrogant and exploitative? Linking despotic leadership and adaptive performance: the role of Islamic work ethics. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 45(7), 1258–1280.