Enhancing Organizational Commitment through Effective Leadership in Higher Education: the mediating role of job satisfaction

Abstract

Enhancing organizational commitment in higher education can be achieved through effective leadership, with job satisfaction serving as a key mediating factor that influences the strength of this relationship, emphasizing the importance of leadership strategies that foster positive work environments.

The study highlights the significant relationship between leadership styles, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment among academic staff in Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia public universities. The findings reveal that leadership, especially transactional, laissez-faire, and transformational styles, is critical in influencing organizational commitment. Notably, job satisfaction was identified as a partial mediator in this relationship, indicating that while leadership styles directly impact commitment, they also do so through their effect on job satisfaction. To improve retention and create a supportive work environment, it is recommended that higher education leaders adopt flexible and participatory leadership styles tailored to specific institutional needs. Universities can achieve long-term success and institutional growth by enhancing job satisfaction and fostering a committed academic workforce.

This study aimed to examine the effect of leadership styles (transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire) on organizational commitment, and to explore the mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between leadership style and organizational commitment among academic staff at a public university in the Amhara region of Ethiopia. This study employed a quantitative research approach with an explanatory design. A proportional stratified sampling method was used to select a sample of 650 academic staff members from five public universities. Primary data were collected using three standardized Likert-scale questionnaires: the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ), and the Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (JSQ). Regression analysis was employed to analyze the data. The results of the regression analysis revealed that leadership styles (transformational, transactional, and laissez-fair) significantly predict and are positively associated with organizational commitment. Additionally, the mediation analysis showed that job satisfaction partially mediates the relationship between leadership style and organizational commitment among academic staff at the sampled universities. Therefore, it is recommended that higher education leaders adopt more flexible and participatory leadership styles which are inclusive and empowering and enhance organizational commitment by fostering a sense of belonging and ownership among academic staff.