Table 2.

RTA process (Braun and Clarke, 2006, 2019) adapted for this study

PhaseDescription (including the specific procedures for this study)
FamiliarisationEach interview was listened to, transcribed verbatim and checked for accuracy. Transcripts were read repeatedly February–May 2025. A reflexive diary captured initial impressions, positional reflections and early analytic insights
Initial codingInductive, interpretative coding was conducted in NVivo 14. The first four interviews were double-coded for consistency. Codes captured both semantic and latent meanings, expanding from 67 to 174, covering 4,117 excerpts
Theme developmentCodes were grouped into progressively broader meaning patterns (174 → 47 clusters → 24 groups → 9 subthemes). Analytical interpretation guided the move from description toward conceptual patterning
Reviewing and refiningPotential subthemes were critically reviewed against the full dataset for coherence and distinction. Through iterative comparison, six preliminary themes were refined and restructured to capture the data’s central meanings
Naming and final analysisThe six themes were further refined into five final themes. Each was named according to its central organising concept, with subthemes representing internal variation
ReportingThe final analytic narrative integrated all five themes, supported by pseudonymised quotations and presented as a coherent and theoretically grounded account of the prerequisites for ethical leadership
Source(s): Authors’ own work

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