The effect of empowering leadership on job satisfaction & work effort

Empowering leadership is a practice in which leaders share power with their subordinates and facilitate the use of that power (Amundsen and Martinsen, 2014; Conger and Kanungo, 1988; and Vecchio et al. ,2010) and is associated with poositive job outcomes. As a theoretical framework, this thesis uses Self-Determination Theory (SDT), which is built on three main principles–autonomy, competence, and relatedness–that increase individuals' intrinsic motivation and the process of internalization (Deci & Ryan, 1985, 1987; Ryan & Deci, 2005; Ryan, 1995; Ryan & Deci, 2000; Ryan et al.,1997), which leads to positive job outcomes that are elaborated by contemporary research. This study explores whether the presence of empowering leaders in the workplace has a significant relationship with two specific job outcomes: work effort and job satisfaction. Simple linear regression analyses were conducted on a sample of white-collar employees of various age groups and sectors. The findings confirmed the positive impact of empowering leadership on job satisfaction only. The theoretical implications and practical significance of the study's findings are examined and discussed in relation to future research and practical applications. This study contributes to the growing body of literature on the importance of empowering leadership in the workplace and its impact on positive job outcomes.