Abstract
The purpose of this research is to discover ways for effective leadership and the impact it has on employee satisfaction. Leadership, management and supervision are terms which mean the same but are used similarly. A leader/manager/supervisor is a person who sees something that needs to be done, and knows that they can help make it happen. A leader, manager, or supervisor sees opportunity and captures it. He/she sees future that can be different and better and help others see that picture too. He/she is a coach, an encourager and is willing to take risks today for something better for tomorrow. A leader/manager/supervisor is a communicator, coordinator and listener. There ...view middle of the document...
The focus of this research is to assess different supervisors' views of how leadership abilities might best be developed and to identify the barriers preventing such efforts. Several studies were done to examine the relationship between employee job satisfaction and leadership behavior such as healthcare, education, police agencies, and business organizations. If the leaders adopt the appropriate leadership style, they can have an impact on job satisfaction.
Effective leadership can produce tangible consequences in the workplace if it not presence. This will indeed impact negative outcomes which can include poor productivity, stress, attrition, dissatisfaction, and absenteeism, to name a few of the problems. Although leadership produces real consequences, agencies often fail to make leadership development a priority. Consequently, Haberfeld (2006) stated agencies and personnel often cry that, when supervisory positions become available, there is an absence of suitable candidates qualified for promotion (Haberfeld, 2006).
Leadership Styles
Good leadership depends on the style of leadership. In today’s organizations, there are several types of leadership styles which include but are not limited to, autocratic, bureaucratic, laissez-faire, charismatic, democratic, participative, situational, transactional and transformational leadership (Nayab & Richter 2011).
Managers who express concern for their employees have a high job satisfaction rate. Whereas employees who do not have a manager that shows concern or support, have a low satisfaction rate. These employees experience stress on the job which may cause a high turnover or an increase in absenteeism.
Leadership styles do not remain constant. They have their advantages and disadvantages. For example, a manager may have knowledge and skills how to handle a situation effectively in one instance but handle another situation differently. Leaders strive to improve employee job satisfaction by using different leadership styles according to the situation.
In a study done by Madlock (2008), he suggested that leaders who communicate effectively with their employees increase job satisfaction. He further stated that effective communication promotes the environment of mutual trust in the organization and helps employees gain confidence in the leader (Madlock 2008).
In another study done by Shore and Strauss (2006), it was noted that a leader’s responsiveness relates significantly with job satisfaction (Shore & Strauss 2006). The responsive leader who reacts to situations promptly nips confusion and contributes to job satisfaction. “Good managers understand the importance of job satisfaction and make every effort to improve job satisfaction” (Shore, Sy, and Strauss 2006).
Autocratic Leadership
An autocratic leadership style is also known as authoritarian leadership. This leadership style is characterized by the person in charge has totaled authority or control over all decision...
