Organizational leaders and empowered employees: The relationship between leadership styles, perception of styles, and the impact on organizational outcomes

The purpose of the study was to determine leadership styles of organizational leaders and empowered employees and to determine the impact that leadership styles had on organizational outcomes. In this quantitative study, a survey of leaders and empowered employees, in three organizations was conducted. A questionnaire was utilized to collect data to address four hypotheses. Multiple regression analysis and ANOVA was used to analyze the data gathered. Finding from the study included: (a) empowered employees' self-perceived leadership styles had a positive impact on organizational outcomes; (b) organizational leaders did not perceive their leadership styles had an positive impact on organizational outcomes; (c) empowered employees increased their organizational outcomes, as the leader's displayed behaviors of transformational leadership; and (d) organizational leader's perceived organizational outcomes to increase as the empowered employee's displayed transformational leadership. Conclusions from the study indicated that leaders do not realize the impact their leadership styles had on subordinate efforts. Recommendations include leadership training for both recognized leaders and empowered employees.