Exploring the Influence of Leadership Behaviors on Job Satisfaction of Hispanic Employees

Abstract

The literature shows that leadership has significant impacts on job satisfaction and work productivity in the United States workplace. However, research has so far focused mainly on the White-Caucasian group despite the rapid growth of the Hispanic workforce in the country during recent decades. The present study attempts to fill this research gap by examining the relationship between leadership and Hispanic employees’ job satisfaction. The sample was taken from about 300 Hispanic employees working in the hospitality, retail, and professional service industries. Spector's Job Satisfaction Survey and the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire were used to measure the participants' job satisfaction and the perception of their supervisors' leadership behaviors. Findings suggest that age, industry type, education level, and years of work experience matter for predicting job satisfaction. Gender was also significant, particularly concerning promotion. Transformational leadership engendered higher levels of Hispanic job satisfaction, while transactional leadership decreased job satisfaction. The latter finding differs from former research where transactional leadership was reported as positively correlated with job satisfaction. Further explorations show that apart from research methodology, Hispanic cultures and perceptions are the potential factors that account for the difference. This research contributes to workplace psychology and leadership studies, recognizing the importance of workers' cultural backgrounds in understanding their perception of leaders, job satisfaction, and work productivity.