Does Leadership Style Make a Difference? Linking HRM, Job Satisfaction, and Organizational Performance. (June 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Vermeeren, Brenda; Kuipers, Ben; Steijn, Bram
• Other Names: Vandenabeele Wouter guest-editor.; Leisink Peter guest-editor.; Andersen Lotte Bøgh guest-editor.
• Is Part Of: Review of public personnel administration. Volume 34:Number 2(2014:Jun.)
• Page Start: 174
• Page End: 195
• Publication Date: 2014-06
• Subjects: HRM -- leadership style -- job satisfaction -- organizational performance -- public sector -- Dutch municipalities; Civil service -- United States -- Personnel management -- Periodicals; Civil service -- United States -- States -- Personnel management -- Periodicals; 352.6
• DOI: 10.1177/0734371X13510853
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0734-371X

Abstract

With the rise of New Public Management, public organizations are confronted with a growing need to demonstrate efficiency and cost-effectiveness. In this study, we examine the relationship between public organizational performance and human resource management (HRM). Specifically, we focus on job satisfaction as a possible mediating variable between organizational performance and HRM, and on the influence of a supervisor's leadership style on the implementation of Human Resource (HR) practices. Drawing on a secondary analysis of data from a national survey incorporating the views of 6, 253 employees of Dutch municipalities, we tested our hypotheses using structural equation modeling. The findings indicate that (a) job satisfaction acts as a mediating variable in the relationship between HRM and organizational performance and (b) a stimulating leadership style has a positive effect on the amount of HR practices used, whereas (c) a correcting leadership style has no effect on the amount of HR practices used.