The Relationship of Job Satisfaction With Substitutes of Leadership, Leadership Behavior, and Work Motivation

Abstract A self-report questionnaire was administered to 125 adult Americans between the ages of 20 and 46 years, to examine the predictive values of substitutes of leadership, leadership behavior, and work motivation in relation to job satisfaction. The results of independent regression analyses revealed that all but subordinate substitutes were significant predictors of job satisfaction. In the stepwise analysis, task substitutes, organizational substitutes, consideration leadership behavior, initiating structure leadership behavior, and work motivation were significant and together accounted for 54% of the total variance of job satisfaction. In both the stepwise and independent analyses, work motivation (expectancy theory) and consideration leadership style affected levels of job satisfaction more than any other variables. The study included an analysis of the aggregate population by occupation. The individual results from assembly workers, middle managers, and executives were used to examine the predictive values of substitutes of leadership, leadership behavior, and work motivation in relation to job satisfaction.