Paternalistic leadership and employee organizational attitudes: the role of positive/negative affectivity

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to examine the relationship between paternalistic leadership (PL) and organizational attitudes, namely, job satisfaction and organizational commitment. The effect of positive/negative affectivity (PA/NA) as a mediator was analyzed in this relationship. The questionnaires were distributed to a total of 550 MBA students who are employed in companies located in Istanbul with a 61.45% return rate. Multiple regression analyses were performed to test the hypotheses. The results of regression analysis indicated that PL was positively associated with both affective commitment and job satisfaction. PA/NA functioned as a mediator between PL and organizational attitudes. This study advances the understanding of PL with affective states and organizational attitudes. The current literature focuses on PL for different cultures and its relationship with different variables. Research in PL and affectivity is relatively limited. This study contributes to the literature by enhancing the understanding of PL with affective traits.