LEADERSHIP STYLES OF RECTORS AND JOB SATISFACTION IN SELECTED GHANAIAN POLYTECHNICS

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to determine the leadership styles of polytechnic rectors as perceived by polytechnic tutors and find out what relationship exists between the perceived rectors’ leadership styles and polytechnic tutors’ job satisfaction. From a population of 484 polytechnic tutors, a random sample of 260 was surveyed. The Leader Behaviour Description Questionnaire (LBDQ) was used to measure the leadership style of the rector while the Mohrman-Cooke-Mohrman Job Satisfaction Scale (MCMJSS) was used to measure tutor job satisfaction. Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and Enter Method Regression Analysis were used to test for significance of the correlation and regression coefficients. The results showed that generally, tutors rated their rectors above the norm on initiating structure leadership style and below the norm on consideration leadership style. There was a significant relationship between polytechnic rectors’ consideration leadership style, as perceived by tutors, and tutor job satisfaction. There was also a significant relationship between polytechnic rectors’ initiating structure leadership style, as perceived by tutors, and tutor job satisfaction. Leadership style predicted 31% of the variation in intrinsic tutor job satisfaction and 23.8% of the variation in extrinsic tutor job satisfaction. The consideration leadership style better predicts tutor job satisfaction than the initiating structure leadership style. Thus, the leadership styles of polytechnic rectors influence the job satisfaction of their tutors. Based on the findings, it was recommended that rectors should periodically allow their staff to tell them what they think about their style of leadership.