A research on the leadership styles and leader-member exchange in the context of psychodynamic leadership approach: The moderator effect of organization culture

It is known that many studies have been done on the idea of leadership in the management discipline. When the theories, approaches and models put forward for a better understanding and explanation of the concept of leadership are examined in general, it has been determined that these studies mostly deal with tangible and rational leadership behaviors. Unlike previous leadership approaches the psychodynamic leadership approach tries to understand the intangible and irrational leader behaviors by going beyond concrete and rational events. From this point of view, the main purpose of the study is to scrutinize the relationship between leadership styles and leader-member exchange within the context of psychodynamic leadership approach and to reveal whether organizational culture has a moderator role in this relationship. In order to carry out the research, a sample of 156 people consisting of the mayor of Muğla Metropolitan Municipality and middle level managers and top executives working in this municipality was determined. In this study, the mixed method was chose from research methods. It was collected 128 data via face-to-face survey method and interview. Data collected were analyzed with quantitative and qualitative methods. As a result of the analysis, it was determined that there is a significant and positive relationship between the transformational leadership style and all sub-dimensions of the leader-member exchange. In other words, a transformational leader profile emerged in the perception of the followers. Similarly it was seen that there is a leader who has transformational leader characteristics as a result of the interview conducted in the context of the psychodynamic leadership approach. It has been found that organizational culture does not have a moderator role in the relationship between leadership styles and leader-member exchange.