Effect of paternalistic leadership on job commitment and job satisfaction

Leaders, who are defined as people who influence their followers and are directed followers towards a specific purpose, can have very different characteristics from each other. The concept of paternalistic leadership has been accepted in the academic world and has been the subject of many studies. Paternalistic leaders, who are more accepted in collectivist societies, are leaders who approach their employees like a parent, take care of their private lives besides their business life, and expect full obedience and loyalty in return. In terms of the organization, it is of great importance for the employees to dedicate themselves to the work they do, that is, to do their work with love and pleasure and to be satisfied with the work they do. Employees' liking and satisfaction with their job will undoubtedly increase productivity and profitability along with performance. Therefore, today, modern organizations pay attention to issues such as employees' feelings, thoughts, perspectives on work, and expectations from work, and they create special units within their bodies for this purpose. In this study, it was investigated to what extent and in which direction paternal leadership affects the concepts of work engagement and job satisfaction. In this study conducted for the private sector employees in Elazig; 356 people were asked questions using scales related to the subject. In this direction, the answers received were analyzed and it was tried to determine to what extent and in which direction paternal leadership affected the employees' work dedication and job satisfaction levels. In the light of the analyzes and the findings obtained, it was concluded that paternalist leadership positively affects work engagement and job satisfaction. In addition, it has been concluded that work dedication plays a mediating role in the effect of paternalistic leadership on job satisfaction. Keywords: Leadership, paternal leadership, job satisfaction, work dedication, work engagement.