ABSTRACT
This research was aimed at studying the relationship between the leadership styles and the job
satisfaction of the employees in Coal India Limited , a Public Sector Undertaking company in
India. The objectives of the research was to examine the effect of leadership styles on
employee’s job satisfaction under different situation according to the House’s Path Goal Theory
and to investigate why certain behaviours are more effective than the others.
The company has its headquarter in Kolkata which has 400 employees. The instrument used
for gathering the data was a self administered questionnaire which was distributed among all the
400 employees of Coal India Limited. The survey asked the employees about their superior’s
leadership style, the environmental factors(task structure , authority system and work group),
their demographic data, and their own perception on job satisfaction.
The findings showed that the employees had the most high level of job satisfaction with the
directive style of leadership. The study also found that there was no significant relationship
between job satisfaction and the other three styles name supportive, achievement- oriented and
participative style of leadership. The study also concluded that task structure and the formal
authority system affects the employee job satisfaction. Further the findings of this research says
that the subordinate characteristics such as of education, income, experience in position also
has a positive relation with the employee job satisfaction which implies that the subordinate
characteristics also affects the employee job satisfaction.
In each test of the hypotheses, the coefficient correlation was used at a significant level of 95
percent . Consequently it can concluded that there was a significant relationship between
perceived leadership styles and
employee job satisfaction
taking
into
account
certain
subordinate characteristics and certain environmental factors . The study concluded with the
recommendations for the further research.
i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The researcher wish to express his deepest gratitude and warmest appreciation
to
every
individuals and groups , who, in any way have contributed and inspired the researcher to the
overall success of the research report .
Firstly, appreciation is sincerely expressed to Dr. Patricia Arttachariya
for guiding the
researcher being his major advisor for his MUA research paper .The researcher is really
thankful and grateful to her
for her expertise ,time , guidance ,inspiration, problem solving
abilities and patience during my entire research process .
Secondly the researcher would like to thank a few people from Coal India Limited for
their immense support , relating to the data collection procedure from the company . The
researcher is really grateful to the following people:
a)Mr B . Trivedi , Chief Personal Manager , COAL INDIA LIMITED
b)Mr Asok Kr. Banerjee , General Manager , HRD , COAL INDIA LIMITED
Finally the researcher specially thanks his parents , they have been a great support and the
major source of inspiration
& motivation
to undertake this endeavour. Without their
constant support this research would not have been possible .
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
PAGE
Abstract ..........……………………………………………………………………..
i
Acknowledgements...............……………………………………………………....
ii
Table Of Contents............. ………………………………………………………....
iii
List Of Tables...........……………………………………………………………….
vi
List Of Figures...........………………………………………………………………
Viii
Chapter 1
1.1 Introduction ……………………………………………………………………..
1
1.2 Statement of the problem ………………………………………………………
2
1.3 Rationale for using Path- Goal Theory …………………………………………
2
1.4 Research Question ……………………………………………………………..
3
1.5 Objective Of The Study ………………………………………………………
3
1.6 Scope Of The Research ………………………………………………………...
3
1.7 Significance Of The Research ………………………………………………….
4
1.8 Definition of Key Terms ……………………………………………………….
4
Chapter 2
2.1 Leadership Theories ……………………………………………………………
6
2.2 Great Man & Trait Theories …………………………………………………..
7
2.2.1 The Great Man Theory ……………………………………………………….
7
2.2.2 The Traits Theory …………………………………………………………….
7
2.3 Behavioural Theories……………………………………………………............
8
iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS( contd.)
Page
2.3.1 The Ohio State Studies ……………………………………………………….
9
2.3.2 The Michigan Studies…………………………………………………………
10
2.3.3The Managerial Grid …………………………………………………………..
11
2.4 Fiedler’s Contingency Theory ………………………………………………….
12
2.5 Situational Theories …………………………………………………………….
13
2.5.1 Vroom & Yetton’s Leadership –Participation Model …………………………
13
2.5.2 Hersey & Blanchard’s Situational leadership Model …………………………..
14
2.5.3 House’s Path Goal Theory …………………………………………………….
15
2.6 Job Performance………………………………………………………………….
22
2.6.1 Relationship of Leadership Style and Job Performance………………………...
23
2.6.2 Factors Affecting Job Performance ……………………………………………
23
2.7 Job Satisfaction …………………………………………………………………..
24
2.8 Previous Studies …………………………………………………………………..
25
2.9 Summary Of Literature Review ………………………………………………….
27
2.10 Research Framework …………………………………………………………......
27
2.11 Statement of Hypothesis…………………………………………………………
29
2.11.1 Assumption of Hypothesis…………………………………………………….
29
2.12
Concepts & variables Operationalization ……………………………………
30
Chapter 3
3.1 Research Methodology ……………………………………………………….....
34
3.2 Sample …………………………………………………………………………....
34
3.3 Research Method …………………………………………………………………
34
3.4 Data Collection Method …………………………………………………………..
34
3.5 Sample Size ……………………………………………………………………….
35
iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS( contd.)
Page
3.6 Research Instrument ………………………………………………………………
35
3.6 Statistical Treatment ………………………………………………………………
37
Chapter 4
4.1Data Analysis ………………………………………………………………………
38
4.2 Pretesting …………………………………………………………………………..
38
4.3 The Descriptive Analysis ………………………………………………………….
39
4.4 Hypothesis Testing ……………………………………………………………..
47
Chapter 5
5.1 Summary Of Findings ……………………………………………………………..
57
5.2 Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………
59
5.3 Recommendations ………………………………………………………………….
61
5.4 Future Research ……………………………………………………………………
61
5.5 Limitations …………………………………………………………………………
62
Bibliography ........……………………………………………………………………..... 63
Appendices ......…………………………………………………………………………
67
Questionnaires……….……………………………………………………………..
68
Letter from the University to Coal India Limited ………………………………...
73
Approval letter from Coal India Limited ………………………………………… 74
v
LIST OF TABLES
Page
Chapter 2
2.1 Leadership traits identified by Stodgill …………………………………………..
8
2.2 Effective Leadership Styles under certain conditions ……………………………...
20
2.3 Comparison of situational leadership model ………………………………………..
21
2.4 Concept and Variables Operationalization …………………………………………
32
Chapter 5
4.1 Pretesting …………………………………………………………………………….
39
4.2 Respondent’s Gender …………………………………………………………………
39
4.3 Respondent’s Age …………………………………………………………………...
39
4.4 Respondent’s Highest Education …………………………………………………….
40
4.5 Respondent’s Income ………………………………………………………………...
40
4.6 Respondent’s experience in position ………………………………………………..
41
4.7 Number of Years for which Respondent is working under the current boss……….. 41
4.8 Mean Score of Directive leadership ……………………………………………….
42
4.9 Mean Score of Supportive Leadership …………………………………………….
42
4.10 Mean Score of Achievement – Oriented Leadership ……………………………
43
4.11 Mean Score of Participative Leadership …………………………………………
43
4.12 Mean Score of Task Structure ……………………………………………………..
44
4.13 Mean Score of Formal Authority System …………………………………………
44
4.14 Mean Score of the Work Group ……………………………………………………
45
4.15 Mean Score of the Work Itself …………………………………………………….
45
4.16 Mean Score of the Pay ……………………………………………………………..
46
4.17 Mean Score of promotion …………………………………………………………
46
4.18 Mean Score of the Co –worker …………………………………………………….
46
4.19 The Overall Mean Score of the Leadership style …………………………………
46
4.20 The Overall Mean Score of the Environmental Factors …………………………..
47
vi
LIST OF TABLES (Contd.)
Page
4.21 The Overall Mean Score of the Employee Job Satisfaction ……………………….
47
4.22 Correlation Matrix between Employee Job Satisfaction & Leadership Behaviours...48
4.23 The Analysis of Relationship between Employee Job Satisfaction and Leadership Behaviors
by Using Multiple Regression………………………………………………….. 49
4.24 Correlation Matrix between Employee Job Satisfaction and Environmental Factors… 50
4.25 The Analysis of Relationship between Employee Job Satisfaction and Environmental
Factors by Using Multiple Regression……………………………………………………… 50
4.26 Correlation Matrix between Employee Job Satisfaction and Subordinate
Characteristics………………………………………………………………………………. 51
4.27 Correlation Matrix between Employee Job Satisfaction and Leadership Behaviours under
Dissimilar Environmental Factors – Task Structure…………….…………………
52
4.28 Correlation Matrix between Employee Job Satisfaction and Leadership Behaviours under
Dissimilar Environmental Factors – Authority System……………………………… 53
4.29 Correlation Matrix between Employee Job Satisfaction and Leadership Behaviours under
Dissimilar Environmental Factors – Work Group…………………………………. 55
vii
LIST OF FIGURES
Page
Chapter 2
2.1 Ohio Model ………………………………………………………………………
9
2.2 Michigan Studies ………………………………………………………………..
10
2.3 The Managerial Grid ……………………………………………………………
11
2.4 Fiedler’s Contingency Model Of Leadership …………………………………..
13
2.5 Vroom & Yetton Model Of Leadership ………………………………………...
14
2.6 HERSEY & BLANCHARD’S SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP MODEL ...
15
2.7 Robert Houses’s Path Goal Model ………………………………………………..
16
2.8 Research Framework …………………………………………………………...
viii
28