The Impact of Leadership and Organisational Career Management Practices on Individual Work Related Attitudes
The overall aim of this study is twofold; first to investigate the extent to which, in an Arab context, leadership and organisational career management practices predict individual career-related perceptions, attitudes and behaviours, and second to examine the extent to which the employees’ perceptions about organisational justice and politics mediate the relationship between the quality of the leader-member exchange (LMX) and work outcomes, and the relationship between the corporate succession planning and career development (SPCD) and work outcomes. Drawing on several theoretical perspectives, such as the social exchange, organisational justice and organisational politics, this dissertation has developed an integrated perception-based approach to examine the possibility that employees' perceptions are associated with certain attitudes and behaviours. Within this framework, LMX and SPCD were treated as independent variables; they were assessed as predictors of employees’ perceptions about justice and politics, and work outcomes. LMX represents the organisational leadership model, and the corporate SPCD represents the organisational career management practices. The study also tested four work outcomes that included career success (CS), job satisfaction (JS), organisational commitment (OC) and turnover intentions (TOI), in addition to two variables related to the employees’ perceptions about organisational justice and organisational politics. iv A prediction was made that in a relationship-oriented Arab society like Bahrain, the quality of the dyadic relationship between the leader and followers strongly impacts the employees’ perceptions, attitudes and behaviours. The results supported this prediction; both LMX and SPCD had positive correlations with OC, JS and CS, while they had negative relationships with TOI. Apart from that, both LMX and SPCD had positive relationships with organisational justice and negative relationships with organisational politics. Another prediction was made regarding the mediation effects of organisational justice and politics on the relationship between LMX and SPCD, and work outcomes. The results revealed that both procedural justice (PJ) and distributive justice (DJ) had full mediation effects on the relationships between LMX and CS, and LMX and TOI. PJ had full mediation effects on the relationships between LMX and OC, and LMX and JS. DJ had partial mediation effects on the relationships between LMX and OC, and LMX and JS. Furthermore, the results revealed that both forms of organisational politics i.e. general political behaviour (GPB) and get along to get ahead (GATGA) had full mediation effects on the relationship between LMX and TOI. GPB had no mediation effects on the relationships between LMX and OC, LMX and JS, and LMX and CS. However, it had partial mediation effects on the relationships between LMX and OC, and LMX and JS. GATGA had a full mediation effect on the relationship between LMX and CS. v Regarding the mediation effects of organisational justice on the relationship between SPCD and work outcomes, the results revealed that both PJ and DJ had partial mediation effects on the relationships between SPCD and OC, SPCD and JS, and SPCD and CS. PJ had a partial mediation effect on the relationship between SPCD and TOI. However DJ had no mediation effect on the relationship between SPCD and TOI. Another set of mediation tests was conducted to assess the effect of the two forms of organisational politics on the relationship between SPCD and work outcomes. GPB had no mediation effect on the relationship between SPCD and the four work outcomes. GATGA had partial mediation effects on the relationships between SPCD and OC, SPCD and JS, and SPCD and CS. GATGA had a full mediation effect between SPCD and TOI. A total number of three hundred and thirty three (333) complete questionnaires were received and analysed using SPSS v. 18 in order to assess the study’s hypothesized model. The results have been discussed with specific relevance to the Arab Middle Eastern context. The theoretical and managerial implications are suggested, alongside the directions for future research.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations