Leadership Styles and Job Satisfaction

What: 

So often people find themselves daydreaming about retirement or figuring out how to survive on little to no income in order to quit work and enjoy life everyday - not just during retirement. When talking with professionals about job satisfaction, this seems to be a common thought. But why? Why are some so eager to quit working? One reason I have come to find is the workforce has lost their sense of job satisfaction. People seem to no longer feel challenged, appreciated, or passionate about what they do. Often times this stems from ineffective and unresponsive management. Some attribute this dissatisfaction to the "millennial" outlook on working, but this doesn't seem to only affect young professionals. Every sector of the workforce wants to be recognized and rewarded for a job well done. Perhaps more effective leadership could turn this eagerness to retire early into job satisfaction where people look forward to getting up and going to work everyday. Managers will need to change their practices if they want to fully engage and retain the new members entering the workforce, while not forgetting about the needs of their seasoned, loyal employees. 

So What:

When thinking of previous lessons and class material, I couldn't help but look to the idea of transformational leadership that is discussed in detail in the text Leadership Theory and Practice by Peter Northouse. He discusses four types of transformational leadership: idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration. Below is a breakdown of the four types of transformational leaders presented in a SlideShare about transformational leadership.

                               

In this breakdown, we can easily see the types of leaders and their characteristics. So, how can we relate this type of leadership to job satisfaction? The World Applied Sciences Journal released a study that researched the relationship between transformational leadership style and job satisfaction. That study can be found here. The results of the study found a positive relationship between leadership style and job satisfaction, with the strongest being from intellectual stimulation.

In addition to providing intellectual stimulation, managers will be challenged with identifying what motivates and inspires their staff to perform at their personal best. Transformational leaders prioritize these factors, which is why increased job satisfaction is proven under their leadership.

Now What:

Having learned the potential impact of transformational leadership on job satisfaction, I want to implement this leadership style in my current and future workplaces. To combat a workforce that experiences low job satisfaction, transformational leadership can be implemented in hopes to boost morale and overall job satisfaction. Employees want a leader who inspires them, has concern for their well-being, and allows individuals to be creative and innovative.  Having a strong leader who possesses transformational leadership characteristics is a good place to start when wanting to improve job satisfaction of employees. People, regardless of age, will give their best if they feel appreciated for their contributions to their company. As Generation X (baby boomer) reaches the age of retirement and phase out of the workplace, managers will need to reassess their practices for engaging the predominantly Generation Y (millennial) workforce.The difference between an effective manager and ineffective manager in the areas of moral and inspiration can make or break a company's retention when it comes to employee satisfaction and company loyalty.