The perceived impact of management styles on employee job satisfaction and organisational commitment: A case study of Hulamin, Pietermaritzburg

• Published in: Journal of Contemporary Management 2024-07, Vol.21 (2), p.517-554
• Main Authors: Nxumalo, Mbalenhle Mandisa, Gamede, Vangeli Wiseman
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Job satisfaction; management; Management styles; Management theories; organisational commitment
• ISSN: 1815-7440
• DOI: 10.35683/jcman1026.267

Purpose of the study: This study, which drew on the view that the management style that a manager uses to direct their employees plays a vital role in ensuring employee satisfaction with their jobs and decisions to commit or not to their organisations, investigated the impact of management styles on employee job satisfaction and organisational commitment.Design/methodology/approach: The study used a quantitative research approach in which three variables were tested using job satisfaction as a moderating factor. The study used a questionnaire that had eight Likertscaled sections numbered from B to I, with each section consisting of items that address a specific measurement or construct to collect data from 242 employees at Hulamin, Pietermaritzburg. The response rate was 97%. The reliability of these constructs was analysed using Cronbach's Alpha statistic. Findings: The study findings revealed that not all management styles impact job satisfaction and organisational commitment. The autocratic management style had a significant negative impact on organisational commitment without job satisfaction as a moderating factor and with job satisfaction as a moderating factor. The democratic management style had a significant positive impact on organisational commitment in the absence of job satisfaction as a moderating factor and with job satisfaction as a moderating factor. It was discovered that the laissez-faire management style can be subdivided into two categories, which comprise negative attitudes (-) and positive attitudes (+). The laissez-faire management style (-) had no significant impact on organisational commitment in the absence of job satisfaction as a moderating factor and still had no significant impact on organisational commitment with job satisfaction as a moderating factor. Job satisfaction had a significant positive impact on organisational commitment, but its presence in the regression model did not significantly affect the impact of both the laissez-faire (-) and laissez-faire (+) aspects of the laissez-faire management style on organisational commitment. The paternalistic style of management was found to have a significant positive impact on organisational commitment in the absence of job satisfaction as a moderating factor and still had no significant impact on organisational commitment with job satisfaction as a moderating factor. The persuasive management style had a significant negative impact on organisational commitment without the mod