An Investigation Into the Relationship Between Leadership Style Applied and Job Satisfaction Levels of Virtual Team Members

This paper reports on an investigation into the identification of a leadership style which equates to the greatest level of job satisfaction among virtual teaming participants. The study also investigated the correlation between the leadership desires of virtual team members as compared to the leadership behaviors they are exposed to and the impact this relationship has on the job satisfaction level of the virtual team members. The objective was to determine and discuss leadership behavior and virtual team member job satisfaction and determine that if meeting the perceived leadership behavior needs of virtual team members will equate to higher levels of job satisfaction and if a particular leadership style is preferred by followers in this environment. A cursory discussion of virtual teaming, leadership, and job satisfaction provides a foundation of information to familiarize the reader with the topics under review during this quantitative, descriptive, correlational study. Results are integrated with recent work on leadership, virtual teaming dependencies, and job satisfaction. The study applied techniques of a non-experimental nature to explore virtual team member views and study correlational relationships. One hundred twenty-one members of the international virtual work support organization VE Forum from 23 different nations, completed Internet bound, Likert-type surveys supplying data on leadership behaviors applied, leadership behaviors desired, and job satisfaction rankings on various dependencies. Full demographic data are provided. The study investigated correlations between the predictor variables of leadership style, leadership behaviors, and follower desired leadership behaviors, and the criterion variable of job satisfaction. The conclusion is that the application of a Self-Management methodology equates to higher levels of job satisfaction among virtual team members. The study also determined that the greater the correlation between the leadership behavior desires of the virtual followers and the leadership behaviors they are exposed to, the greater the level of job satisfaction. The paper concludes through discussion of considerations for both followers and leaders in reaching the highest levels of performance. The study offers opportunity for further research. The results add to the virtual teaming knowledge base.