The impact of employees‟ personality traits in perceiving leadership styles and organizational attitude in Saudi Banking context

  • Seita Mandeel Almandeel

    Student thesis: Doctoral Thesis

    Abstract

    This thesis explores the influence of employees‟ personality types (Neuroticism (N), Openness to Experience (O), Conscientiousness (C), Agreeableness (A) and Extraversion (E)) on leadership styles (Transformational, Transactional and Avoidant) and on employees‟ attitudes to their organisation (Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention) in banks in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The objectives of this thesis are to identify the impact of personality traits on: perceptions of Leadership behaviour, Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention among employees of Saudi banks.
    The data for this thesis were collected using online questionnaires from 343 branch employees from two Saudi commercial banks operating in Riyadh City in Saudi Arabia.The data obtained was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) and structural equation modelling (AMOS) by means of correlation, multiple-regression analysis and a Sobel mediational test.
    The findings indicated that high Conscientiousness (C) has an influence on increasing Job Satisfaction while the personality traits of high Neuroticism (N) and high Conscientiousness (C) have positive and negative impact on Turnover Intention respectively. Secondly, the results of the study reinforce the hypothesis that Saudi Arabian employees who score high in Neuroticism (N) are less likely to perceive their banks‟ leader as either Transformational or Transactional. Third, it was found that high Conscientiousness (C) bank employees are more likely to perceive their leader to be Transformational or Transactional whereas Openness to Experience (O) Saudi bank employees are less likely to perceive their leader as having an Avoidant Leadership style. Finally, the results indicated that the relationship between Neuroticism (N) and Turnover Intention is negatively mediated by perceived Transformational and Transactional Leadership styles, wheares the relationship between Conscientiousness (C) and Turnover Intention is negatively mediated by perceived Transactional Leadership styles. The relationship between Conscientiousness (C) and Job Satisfaction is positively mediated by perceived Transactional Leadership style.
    This research thesis contributes to organisational behaviour and Leadership theory; it is one of the first empirical studies within the Saudi context to investigate the mediating role of perception of Leadership styles between personality traits and employees‟ attitudes to their organisation. It is also one of the first studies to establish a relationship between personality traits, Leadership styles and attitude to the organisation (Job Satisfaction and Turnover Intention) in a banking context.
    Date of AwardSept 2014
    Original languageEnglish
    Awarding Institution
    • University of Portsmouth
    SupervisorCharlotte Rayner (Supervisor)

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