research paper

The relationship between Leadership Styles and Employee
Commitment in Private Higher Education Institutions at Addis
Ababa City

A thesis submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of Addis Ababa
University in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of
Masters in Business Administration

By
Temesgen Teshome

Advisor: Tilahun Teklu (PhD)

Addis Ababa University
College of Management, Information, and Economic Sciences
School of Business and Public Administration
MBA Program

June, 2011
A.A.U, Ethiopia

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The relationship between Leadership Styles and Employee Commitment in
Private Higher Education Institutions at Addis Ababa City

By: Temesgen Teshome

Approved By:

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Advisor

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Examiner

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DECLARATION
I, the under signed, declare that this thesis is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any other University, and that all the sources of material used for the thesis have been duly acknowledged.

Name: Temesgen Teshome Gebremichael

Signature___________________________
Date________________________________

Confirmed by:
Tilahun Teklu (PhD)
Advisor

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Abstract
The effective leaders are enablers that directly points to competent and committed employees.
Studies in the organizational psychology and organizational behavior literatures have shown that leadership styles and employee commitment are of major factors to the organizational success or failure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between leadership styles (transactional, transformational, and laissez-faire) and employee commitments (affective, continuance, and normative commitment) in PHEIs at AAC. Total participants in the research were 115, included 95 academic staff and 20

References: need for improving the education, training and development of organizational workforce. As important as this is, Hersey & Blanchard (1984) argue that, at least equal emphasis must be Researchers recognize that employee commitment (Brockner et al., 1992; Meyer et al., 2004; Allen & Myer, 1990) and leadership styles (Bass, 1997; Bass et al., 2003; Trottier et al., 2008) are of major factors to the organizational success or failure. Allen & Myer (1990) also suggest that the continued interest is a result of the belief that if properly managed, employee empowered follower that leads to moral outcomes that are achieved through moral means (Hersey & Blanchard, 1984). 1 According to Bass & Avolio (1993), leadership styles are behaviors or processes that leaders