Linking Leader Social Skills and Organisational Health to Positive Work Relationships in Local Governments

Abstract This study examines the links between leaders' social skills, organisational health (decline) and positive work relationships. In particular it tests whether leaders' social skills are more strongly associated to work relationships when the organisation's fiscal health is more precarious. Using data from both surveys and annual financial statements of 103 public sector organisations, the results indicate that a leader's social skills and organisational fiscal health are positively related to work relationships. However, the interactive effect of leaders' social skills and organisational fiscal health on positive work relationships was not significant. Key Words: Leadershipsocial skillswork relationshipsorganisational health and declinepublic sector Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank the Editor, anonymous reviewers of this journal, Ronit Kark and Esther Singer for their helpful comments and suggestion on earlier drafts of this paper.