Effect of Leadership Style on Employee Job Satisfaction at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital, Awka

Leadership style is a pivotal determinant of job satisfaction in healthcare organisations, where the quality of human resource management has direct implications for patient care outcomes and institutional efficiency. This study examines the effect of leadership styles on employee job satisfaction at Nnamdi Azikiwe University Teaching Hospital (NAUTH), Awka. The research is theoretically anchored on Burns's Transformational-Transactional Leadership Theory, which differentiates between leaders who inspire intrinsic motivation through vision and those who motivate through contingent reward and corrective mechanisms. A descriptive survey design was adopted. The study population comprised 893 health workers, including nurses, medical officers, pharmacists, and administrative staff at NAUTH. A sample of 269 respondents was drawn using stratified random sampling. Data were gathered with a structured questionnaire validated through content validity ratio and Cronbach's alpha reliability testing. Data were analysed using multiple regression and ANOVA. Findings indicate that transformational leadership practices, particularly individualised consideration and inspirational motivation, are most strongly associated with elevated job satisfaction scores among health workers. Transactional leadership, while effective in maintaining minimal compliance, was found to have limited capacity to sustain long-term employee satisfaction. It is concluded that adopting transformational leadership approaches within NAUTH can substantially improve workforce morale, reduce absenteeism, and enhance service quality. It is recommended that the hospital management invest in structured leadership development programmes that equip departmental heads with transformational competencies, including mentoring, visioning, and participatory decision-making skills.

Keywords: Leadership style, job satisfaction, transformational leadership, healthcare workers, NAUTH