18-06-2012, 12:14 PM
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERSHIP STYLE AND EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERSHIP STYLE.pdf (Size: 1.52 MB / Downloads: 96)
ABSTRACT
This research investigates the relationship between leadership styles and different types of
organisational commitment in Eskom Eastern Region. The literature provided discusses the
leadership and organisational commitment. Information was gathered, using two instruments,
from a sample of 86 leaders and 334 raters. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, which
was formulated from Bass and Avolio’s (1997) Full Range Leadership Development Theory,
was used to determine leadership style within the organisation. Employee commitment was
captured using Bagraim’s (2004) Organisational Commitment, a South African adaptation of
Meyer and Allen’s (1997) Three-Component Model of employee commitment. Leadership
was identified as the independent variable and organisational commitment as the dependent
variable. Data obtained from each of the research instruments was then statistically analysed.
THE PROBLEM AND ITS SETTING
SETTING OF THE STUDY
Today’s world is more turbulent, chaotic and challenging than ever before (Kanter, 1995).
Organisational changes are increasingly becoming a major component of everyday
organisational functioning. The basic principles of doing business successfully are
fundamentally changing. Today’s customers shape organisations by demanding what they
want, when they want it, how they want it and what they will pay for it (Hammer &
Champy, 1993). The historical boundary between customer, supplier and competitors is
increasingly becoming blurred (Allio, 1993).
THE PROBLEM AND MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY
Eskom Eastern Region has long recognised human capital as a competitive advantage. Thus,
for Eskom’s vision to become a reality, its leadership relies on employees to execute
strategic objectives. The employees’ knowledge, experience, skills, expertise, the ability to
collectively innovate and their decision making processes is key to the survival of Eskom.
However, Eskom Eastern Region is currently losing competent employees to other regions
(such as the Western, Central, North West and Northern) for the same salaries and benefits.
Turnover among these competent employees results in interruptions in normal operations,
loss of efficiency, increased replacement and recruitment cost, project delays, increased
customer dissatisfaction, scheduling difficulties and the depletion of the Eskom Eastern
Region’s intellectual capital.
LEADERSHIP
INTRODUCTION
Leadership is one of the world’s oldest and most topical issues. Fisher (1999) identified a
paradox regarding leadership in the sense that most professionals cannot lead, and they do
not want to follow. Great leaders are even more in demand in modern times as society and
technology becomes increasingly advanced. The turbulent business environment has created
a need for leaders who can meet the demands and challenges of organisations.
THE CONCEPT OF LEADERSHIP
There are a number of definitions and views on the nature of leadership in the literature.
Yukl (1989:252) states that “researchers usually define leadership according to their
individual perspectives and the aspects of the phenomenon of most interest to them.”
Sorenson (2002) notes that Stogdill’s Handbook of Leadership, first published in 1974, listed
4,725 studies of leadership and 189 pages of references, yet Stogdill himself concluded that
the endless accumulation of empirical data has not produced an integrated understanding of
leadership.