| The low level of job satisfaction of employees at local companies in Vietnam was shown in recent studies. Low level of employee job satisfaction may relate to low organizational performance and high absenteeism and turnover rate. Quantitative methodology and correlational design were used to examine the relationships between transformational and transactional leadership styles and intrinsic, extrinsic, and general employee job satisfaction at local companies in Vietnam. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire Short Form were used to measure the two leadership styles and the three scales of job satisfaction, respectively. Based on responses from 123 participants from various companies in three key cities in Vietnam - Ha Noi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City, Pearson's correlation coefficients ranged from .45 to .61 (all ps < .001), which suggested positive and significant relationships between the two groups of variables. Multiple regression results suggested that transformational leadership was better than transactional leadership as a predictor of intrinsic job satisfaction (beta = .30, t(118) = 3.09, p = .003), extrinsic job satisfaction (beta = .40, t(118) = 4.79, p < .001), and general job satisfaction (beta = .39, t(118) = 4.48, p < .001). The superior predictive ability of transformational leadership contributed to the assertion that transformational leadership is more strongly predictive of employee job satisfaction than transactional leadership. Further research on the relationship between specific factors of transformational and transactional leadership styles and employee job satisfaction at local companies in Vietnam is recommended. |
