The role of leadership styles in organizational citizenship behavior through the mediation of perceived organizational support and job satisfaction

Abstract

This paper seeks to examine transformational and transactional leadership, employees’ organizational citizenship behavior, employees’ job satisfaction and perceived organizational support; which are employees' organizational citizenship behavior associations. In addition, this study explores the mediating role of employees’ job satisfaction and perceived organizational support in the relationship between transformational and transactional leadership styles and employees’ organizational citizenship behavior. The study was conducted at the University of Birjand, Iran, on a sample of 250 employees. This research follows a descriptive and correlational approach. Our findings show that transformational leadership and employees’ job satisfaction and perceived organizational support positively and significantly influence employees’ organizational citizenship behavior. Additionally, results revealed that employees’ job satisfaction mediates the association between transformational and transactional leadership and employees’ organizational citizenship behavior. Moreover, employees perceived organizational support mediates the association between transformational and transactional leadership and employees’ organizational citizenship behavior. Iranian organizations, especially universities, should invest in transformational leadership and job satisfaction, as well as in the selection of managers with transformational leadership styles and employees who are eager to work at the university, in order to enrich the organizational citizenship behavior of employees.