Organizational commitment and leadership styles of military wives: A multiple regression study

The deployment-related stress experienced by the civilian wives of military personnel can cause reductions in spousal organizational commitment, which is linked to increased military attrition. Since spousal organizational commitment is a predictor of reenlistment, it is important to understand how leadership styles may be related. Prior to this investigation, little was known about the relationship between leadership styles of military wives and their levels of OC. The purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental, survey study was to use the framework of the full range leadership model to relate the style of leadership (transformational, transactional, or laissez-faire) to the organizational commitment of civilian wives of military personnel who have experienced at least one deployment. Eighty-three civilian wives of Air Force personnel completed the online research survey, which included the Multi-Factor Leadership Questionnaire and the Spousal Commitment Measure. Data analysis indicated that mean scores were highest for transformational leadership. No significant relationship between transactional leadership and organizational commitment was found. A weak positive association was indicated between transformational leadership and organizational commitment, and a weak negative relationship was found between laissez-faire and organizational commitment scores. Findings from the study indicated that much is yet to be uncovered about the relationship between individuals' organizational commitment levels and their own leadership styles. Additional research is needed to determine if organizational commitment is higher among leaders who demonstrate transformational leadership styles.