TITLE:
The Impact of Leadership Styles on Organizational Commitment: A Study in the Trading and Logistics Company in Azerbaijan
AUTHORS:
Samir Novruzov
KEYWORDS:
Leadership Styles, Employee Commitment, Transformational Leadership, Transactional Leadership, Laissez-Faire Leadership, Organizational Commitment, Affective Commitment, Normative Commitment, Continuance Commitment, Post-Soviet Cultural Context, Mixed-Methods Approach
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Business and Management,
Vol.12 No.5,
September
24,
2024
ABSTRACT: This study investigates the influence of leadership styles on employee commitment within the logistics and trading sector in Azerbaijan. Recognizing the critical role of leadership in organizational success and the development of personal competencies that benefit the broader market, this research examines transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire leadership styles and their respective impacts on affective, normative, and continuance commitment. The study is contextualized within Azerbaijan’s unique post-Soviet cultural landscape and its recent economic transitions, highlighting the importance of understanding these dynamics. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, the research incorporates a survey of 43 employees and interviews with three C-level executives to provide a comprehensive analysis. The findings reveal that transactional leadership, primarily driven by financial incentives, is the dominant style, which correlates strongly with high levels of continuance commitment due to prevailing economic conditions. Although contingent rewards are highly valued, the presence of transformational leadership traits is comparatively limited. The study underscores the significant cultural and economic factors that shape leadership and organizational commitment in Azerbaijan, offering insights for future research. The results have practical implications for designing leadership programs tailored to similar economic and cultural contexts, with the potential to enhance organizational commitment and performance.