Welche Führung braucht die neue Arbeitswelt? Transformationale und authentische Führung, Autonomie und das Wohlbefinden von Geführten

Abstract

What sort of leadership is needed in the new world of work? Transformational and authentic leadership, autonomy and the well-being of the led Objectives: We investigate whether transformational and authentic leaders have a positive impact on the well-being (work engagement, job satisfaction) of those they lead and whether this effect can be explained by increased autonomy. Transformational and authentic leadership could thus be suitable approaches for a changing world of work in which flexibility and dynamism are increasingly high on the agenda as a result, among other things, of the increase in self-organising methods of work. Method: A longitudinal investigation with three measurement times across 20 months was conducted with 1875 employees from 273 teams. Employees assessed the leadership styles of their respective leaders, their autonomy with a time lag of approximately 12 months as well as their work engagement and job satisfaction about eight months later. Data were analysed with multilevel structural equation models in order to control for the nested data structure. Autoregressors (measured at T1) were included for autonomy as the proposed mediator, as well as for the two dependent variables. Results: There were significant positive direct longitudinal relationships between transformational as well as authentic leadership with job satisfaction, yet not with work engagement about 20 months later. Both leadership styles were positively related to autonomy appr. 12 months later, and autonomy in turn was positively related to well-being indicators about eight months later. Overall the hypothesized indirect relationships between leadership and well-being mediated through an increase in autonomy were confirmed for authentic leadership, but not for transformational leadership. Conclusions: Both transformational and authentic leadership show positive correlations to well-being. But only authentic leadership can be shown to promote autonomy, which can be seen as central in dealing with the challenges of the modern world of work. Keywords: leadership – changing world of work – well-being - autonomy