Relationships of Transformational and Paternalistic Leadership Styles With Follower Needs, Multidimensional Work Motivations and Organizational Commitment: A Mediated Model

Abstract

Paternalistic Leadership (PL) style is suggested to be an emic manifestation of Transformational Leadership (TL) in cultural contexts characterized by high power distance and collectivism. The present study investigated the effects of TL and PL behaviors on employees’ multidimensional work motivation and organizational commitment and the mediating effects of satisfaction of psychological needs (needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness) in these relationships. Data were collected from 423 white-collar employees and analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling. The findings revealed that TL was significantly related to employees’ autonomous and controlled work motivations as well as amotivation via its association with the satisfaction of employees’ needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness. PL was associated with employees’ autonomous work motivations and amotivation via satisfaction of employees’ need for relatedness. Autonomous motivations were positively associated with affective commitment; whereas controlled motivations were positively related to normative commitment. Amotivation was negatively associated with all types of commitment. The findings are discussed in terms of theoretical and practical implications as well as suggestions for future research.