THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERSHIP STYLES AND EMPLOYEE COMMITMENT IN SEBETA SUB-CITY ADMINISTRATION

ABSTRACT : Leadership style refers to the behaviors and strategies leaders employ to guide, motivate, and manage their teams, while employee commitment reflects the emotional and psychological attachment employees hold toward their organization both of which are critical for organizational success. In Ethiopia, particularly within the Sebeta Sub-City Administration, transformational leadership has been recognized as influential; however, empirical evidence on how different leadership styles affect employee commitment remains limited. This study therefore investigates the relationship between leadership styles and employee commitment in the Sebeta Sub-City Administration. A quantitative correlational design was employed, with data collected from 362 employees, using closed-ended questionnaires. The Multi-factor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ) were administered, and data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 through descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation. The results reveal that transformational leadership is negatively correlated with affective commitment (r = –0.269, p < 0.01), while laissez-faire leadership shows positive correlations with affective commitment (r = 0.134, p < 0.05) and continuance commitment (r = 0.107, p < 0.05). Democratic leadership is positively associated with continuance commitment (r = 0.247, p < 0.01) but negatively correlated with affective commitment (r = –0.159, p < 0.01). These findings suggest that no single leadership style uniformly enhances employee commitment; rather, a balanced approach integrating transformational, transactional, and democratic elements is essential. It is recommended that organizations cultivate leadership practices that strengthen communication, collaboration, and accountability, thereby fostering both emotional and continuance commitment and creating a supportive work environment conducive to long-term organizational success.

KEYWORDS: Leadership Styles, Employee Commitment, Transformational leadership