The relationship between leadership styles and organizational commitment in Malaysia: role of leader–member exchange

Abstract

Building upon the ‘social exchange theory’ notion, this study hypothesized the moderating impact of leader–member exchange (LMX) on the relationship between two leadership styles and organizational commitment of employees. One hundred and fifty-six Malaysian executives voluntarily participated in this study. Though the hypotheses for direct effects received low to moderate support for transformational leadership styles, the moderating hypothesis received substantial support, with a stronger relationship particularly in the case of professional respect dimension of LMX. Implications of the findings, limitations of the study and directions for future research are suggested.