DIE VERBAND TUSSEN LEIERSKAPSTYL, WERKSTEVREDENHEID EN ORGANISASIEVERBONDENHEID IN 'N HOёTEGNOLOGIE ORGANISASIE

Abstract

Theories on leadership are often held up as guidelines for effective management. At this stage it would seem that a connection between the various styles of leadership and the levels of effectiveness and competitiveness of organizations have been conceptualized and even become the subject of empirical research. However, major changes in micro and macro organizational environments and the availability of more recent leadership theories and models, in particular the transactional and transformational models, call for a renewed evaluation of the connection between leadership and organizational effectiveness. The question that arises is which leadership style, viz, transformational or transactional, contributes most to organizational effectiveness and competitiveness? Job satisfaction and commitment to the organization are for the purposes of this research specifically taken to be valid criteria for effectiveness. Thus the primary objective of this research project is to determine which of these two styles, namely transformational or transactional, is more significantly related to the followers' levels of job satisfaction and commitment to the organization. In the literature, transactional leadership is equated with traditional management. Transformational leadership, on the other hand, is described as a more dynamic process between leader and follower, which could have a multiplying effect in terms of employee satisfaction, motivation and effort. The results of this study indicate that transformational leadership dimensions are indeed more significantly related to employees' level of job satisfaction than is the case with transactional leadership dimensions. It may be deduced that transformational leadership activates an intrapsychic process, which results in intrinsic motivation and intrinsic satisfaction. This process is described as a multiplying effect as it unlocks more human energy than the traditional management process. Extrinsic satisfaction is however also significantly related to transformational leadership dimensions - possibly due to the fact that transformational leaders can influence employees' perceptions of certain situations and outcomes. The results of the study do not, however, point to any significant connection between transformational or transactional leadership dimensions and the level of employees' commitment to the organization. The research findings do not sufficiently support the theoretical supposition that transformational leaders will contribute to employees developing a relationship with the organization and putting the interests of the organization above their own