The relationship between employee-/production-centered leadership and work satisfaction

Abstract

This study presents an approach to investigate the relationship between the leadership style of a supervisor and work satisfaction of the subordinate. The Participants were 142 pairs of supervisors and their subordinates from different industries and at different levels all over Germany. Results were examined using the Pearson Correlation Coefficient. The outcome shows that there is a positive relationship between an employee-centered leadership style rate by the subordinate and the work satisfaction of the subordinate. A weaker, but still positive relationship was also found between a production-centered leadership style rated by the subordinate and the work satisfaction of the subordinate. However, no relationship was found between the two leadership behaviors self-rated by the supervisor and the work satisfaction of the subordinate. Also, the difference of self- and other-rated behavior was investigated for both leadership behaviors and showed significant differences. Results show that overall supervisors rated themselves better than they got rated by their subordinates. Overall results indicate that the two leadership behaviors should not be separated and an effective leader should consider aspects from both concepts. Moreover, results point out the importance of feedback within an organization and especially for employees in leading positions.