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Abstract
The present study investigates the effect of supervisors' use of different leadership styles on employees' work ethic over a 6 week period of time. Seventy-seven newly hired food servers were surveyed, using the Occupational Work Ethic Inventory (OWEI), to determine a base level of work ethic. After 6 weeks, these employees were assessed a second time using the OWEI. They were also asked to evaluate their supervisor, using the Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ), to determine the supervisor's leadership style. The results of the study indicated a significant positive correlation between transformational leadership style and employee work ethic change, no significant correlation between transactional leadership style and employee work ethic change, and no significant correlation between laissez-faire leadership style and employee work ethic change. Implications of the research results and future research directions are discussed.
