CORRELATION OF EMPLOYEES’ JOB SATISFACTION AND LEADERSHIP IN DOST IX

INTRODUCTION

Employee job satisfaction is a critical factor that can influence the success of any

organization. Accordingly, satisfied employees are more productive, motivated, and

committed to their work, which can ultimately lead to increased organizational

performance (Locke, 1976). In recent years, there has been a growing interest in

understanding the relationship between management and leadership practices and

employee job satisfaction. Effective leadership practices can create a positive work

environment and foster employee satisfaction (Avolio et al., 1999). Similarly, effective

management practices can lead to better employee engagement and job satisfaction

(Nwankwo & Oshagbemi, 2011). On the other hand, dissatisfied employees due to

ineffective management and leadership practices can lead to negative outcomes, such

as increased absenteeism, turnover, and decreased productivity (Judge et al., 2001).

Management and leadership are often used interchangeably, but they actually

have distinct meanings (Drucker, 1999). While management refers to the process of

planning, organizing, and controlling resources to achieve specific goals and objectives,

leadership refers to the ability to inspire and motivate individuals or groups to work

towards a common goal. That being said, Nevertheless, the terms "management" and

"leadership" refer to different aspects of administration and guiding, respectively.

(Merriam-Webster). In this paper, the researcher was only examining the variables of

leadership and job satisfaction in the DOST IX organization.

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 In the context of the Department of Science and Technology Region IX (DOST IX),

employee job satisfaction is critical for achieving the agency's mission of promoting

science and technology in the Zamboanga Peninsula region of the Philippines. As such,

examining the correlation between employee job satisfaction and leadership practices in

DOST IX is essential. The study utilized a quantitative research design and a survey

questionnaire to gathering data from 30 DOST IX employees.

This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the level of employee job

satisfaction and leadership practices in DOST IX. Further, the study identified areas for

improvement and provides recommendations for enhancing employee satisfaction and

engagement. The study is significant because it provides insights into how leadership

practices can affect employee job satisfaction in a government agency. Moreover, the

study's findings can contribute to the existing literature on employee job satisfaction and

leadership practices, as well as provide insights for DOST IX's management to enhance

employee satisfaction and engagement.

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 METHODOLOGY

This study utilized a descriptive-correlational research design to investigate the

correlation between employee job satisfaction and leadership in DOST IX. The design

allows the researcher to describe the relationship between two variables and determine

if a significant correlation exists. According to Field (2013), a correlation study is a

statistical method used to explore the relationship between two variables, where the

correlation coefficient is a numerical measure of the strength and direction of the

relationship between the variables. Sullivan and Artino Jr (2013) further note that

correlation studies can be useful in many fields, including organizations.

The study was conducted with the informed consent of the participants. The

researcher ensures the confidentiality of the participants' responses by keeping the data

anonymous and secure. The participants were informed about the purpose of the study,

the risks and benefits of participation, and their right to withdraw from the study at any

time. The participants' responses were kept confidential and anonymous, and only the

researcher have access to the data.

The study includes 30 DOST IX employees who have been working in the

organization for at least six months. The participants were selected through convenience

sampling to ensure that each employee has equal chances. Convenience sampling is the

most feasible sampling technique to use, especially when a specific population is difficult

to access, and the sample size is relatively small (Sekaran & Bougie, 2019). Moreover,

convenience sampling is the most widely utilized sampling strategy since it is rapid,

convenient, and inexpensive. Furthermore, by using this sampling technique, the

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researcher easily observed the selected participants' opinions and viewpoints through

this approach. On the other hand, according to Hair, et al. (2014), a sample size of 30 is

sufficient for correlation studies. The researcher used a list of employees from the Human

Resource Management Office as the sampling frame.

The survey questionnaire was used to gather data from the respondents and

distributed it to the participants online. The questionnaire was composed of two parts.

The first part collects data on employee job satisfaction, while the second part gathers

data on leadership practices in DOST IX. The 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 =

Strongly disagree to 5 = Strongly agree, was used to rate the participants’ responses.

The survey was administered electronically through email, and responses were collected

anonymously.

This study utilizes a quantitative research design. Quantitative research is

appropriate for examining the correlation between two variables and for obtaining

numerical data (Creswell, 2014). The research design allows for the use of statistical

analysis examining the correlation between employees' job satisfaction and leadership in

DOST IX. The collected data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social

Sciences (SPSS), Online Pearson Correlation Coefficient and P-value Calculators and

Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software. The test for significant is set at p < .05.

Furthermore, the data collected were analyzed using descriptive and inferential

statistics. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data collected from the

survey questionnaire, including the mean, median, mode, standard deviation, and

frequency distribution. Moreover, inferential statistics were cast-off to determine the

correlation between job satisfaction and leadership using Pearson's correlation

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coefficient, and the strength of the relationship was interpreted using Cohen's criteria

(Cohen, 1988). Pearson correlation analysis was used to examine the correlation

between employees' job satisfaction and leadership in DOST IX.

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 RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS

Table 1 shows the raw data of survey results of employee job satisfaction and

leadership ratings of 30 respondents, while Table 2 shows the computed mean, median,

mode, and standard deviation.

The job satisfaction ratings range from 2 to 5, with a mean of 4.23 and a median

of 4. The mode is split between the ratings of 4 and 5, which were each chosen 10 times.

This indicates that most respondents were either highly satisfied or satisfied with their

current jobs in DOST IX. The mean score of 4.2333 suggests that, on average, shows

that the respondents are satisfied with their jobs. This is because the scale used to

measure job satisfaction ranges from 1 = Strongly disagree to 5 = Strongly agree, so a

score of 4.2333 is closer to the top of the scale (5) than to the lowermost scale (1).

On the other hand, the leadership ratings range from 2 to 5, with a mean of 3.6

and a median of 4. The mode is 5, chosen by 6 respondents as presented in Table 2. The

mean score of 3.6 suggests that, on average, the respondents perceive the managers'

leadership as somewhat effective, but with some room for improvement. This is because

the scale used to measure leadership ranges from 1 (ineffective) to 5 (very effective), so

a score of 3.6 is closer to the middle of the scale than to either extreme, which suggests

that most respondents perceive their managers' leadership as at least somewhat

effective.

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Table 1

Survey results of employee job satisfaction and leadership in DOST IX, n=30

Respondent Job Satisfaction Leadership

1 3 5
2 5 3
3 4 2
4 5 3
5 5 4
6 4 5
7 5 3
8 3 5
9 5 4
10 5 4
11 4 2
12 5 4
13 3 4
14 5 5
15 4 3
16 4 2
17 2 5
18 5 4
19 4 3
20 5 3
21 3 3
22 3 4
23 5 4
24 4 2
25 4 5
26 5 4
27 5 3
28 5 4
29 4 4
30 4 2

Generally, the data suggests that the majority of respondents were satisfied with

their jobs and believed the leadership was good or very good. However, there were some

who had lower ratings in both categories, indicating that there is still room for improvement

in these areas.

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Table 2

Descriptive statistics on employee job satisfaction and leadership in DOST IX, n=30

Descriptive Statistics Job Satisfaction Leadership

Mean 4.233333333 3.6
Median 4 4
Mode 5 4
Standard Deviation 0.858359837 1.003442351

The standard deviation of job satisfaction is 0.86, indicating that there was not a

lot of variation in responses as presented in Table 2. This finding was supported by the

study conducted by Akinyemi and Olufemi (2015) which examined the relationship

between leadership style and job satisfaction among Nigerian employees and found that

the standard deviation of job satisfaction was relatively small, indicating a lack of variation

in job satisfaction ratings. Similarly, a study by Jung et al. (2008) that investigated the

relationship between leadership style and job satisfaction among Korean employees

found that the standard deviation of job satisfaction was relatively low.

The standard deviation of leadership, on the other hand, is 1.00, suggesting that

there was more variation in leadership ratings than job satisfaction ratings in the

organization. These findings were consistent with the results of the studies conducted by

Akinyemi and Olufemi (2015) and Jung et al. (2008), in which both studies suggest that

the standard deviation of leadership ratings was relatively high, indicating that there was

more variation in perceptions of leadership effectiveness. Furthermore, the aforesaid

studies support the notion that perceptions of leadership effectiveness are more likely to

vary across individuals and organizational contexts, whereas job satisfaction may be

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influenced more by individual factors such as personal preferences, job characteristics,

and work environment.

Table 3 shows the frequency and percentage of responses for each rating. Out of

the total respondents, no one strongly disagreed with their job satisfaction (rated as 1).

One person (3.33%) disagreed (rated as 2) and four people (13.33%) were neutral (rated

as 3). Nine people (30%) agreed (rated as 4) and the majority of 16 people (53.33%)

strongly agreed (rated as 5) with their job satisfaction.

Table 3

Breakdown of responses for Job Satisfaction in DOST IX, n=30

Job Satisfaction Frequency Percent

Strongly disagree (1) 0 0%

Disagree (2) 1 3.33%
Neutral (3) 4 13.33%
Agree (4) 9 30%
Strongly agree (5) 16 53.33%

The data presented in Table 3 shows that the majority of respondents strongly

agreed with their job satisfaction, which suggests that they have a positive attitude

towards their current work in the mentioned organization. These findings were supported

by the study conducted by Judge et al. (2001) which found that job attitudes such as job

satisfaction were strongly related to job performance, organizational citizenship

behaviors, and turnover.

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 Furthermore, the data indicates that only one person (3.33%) disagreed with their

job satisfaction, which suggests that job dissatisfaction is relatively low among the

respondents in the organization. This finding aligns with previous research conducted by

Mobley et al. (1979) that has identified job satisfaction as a key predictor of employee

turnover.

In addition, the relatively high proportion of respondents who strongly agreed with

their job satisfaction suggests that they may be experiencing high levels of job

engagement, which is another important aspect of job satisfaction. Research by Schaufeli

et al. (2002) has shown that job engagement is positively related to job satisfaction, job

performance, and organizational commitment.

Overall, the data in Table 3 support the abovementioned research suggesting that

job satisfaction is an important predictor of employee attitudes, behaviors, and outcomes.

The high proportion of respondents who strongly agreed with their job satisfaction

suggests that the organization could be doing a good job of creating a positive work

environment, which can have important implications for employee retention and

productivity.

Table 4 shows the results of a survey where respondents were asked to rate their

views on leadership on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 represents "strongly disagree" and 5

represents "strongly agree." Based on the presented table, no one "strongly disagreed"

with the statement, and the majority of respondents fell into the "agree" or "strongly agree"

categories. Specifically, 30% of respondents "agreed" with the statement (rated as 4),

while 36.67% "strongly agreed" (rated as 5). On the other hand, 13.33% of respondents

"disagreed" with the statement (rated as 2), while 20% were "neutral" (rated as 3). This

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suggests that some respondents had mixed feelings about the leadership in the

organization.

Table 4

Breakdown of Responses for Leadership in DOST IX, n=30

Leadership Frequency Percent

Strongly disagree (1) 0 0%

Disagree (2) 6 13.33%

Neutral (3) 9 20%
Agree (4) 11 30%

Strongly agree (5) 4 36.67%

The results presented in Table 4 suggest that the majority of respondents in the

survey held a positive view of leadership in the organization, with a significant portion

indicating strong agreement with the statement. However, a non-trivial number of

respondents also expressed disagreement or neutrality, suggesting that there may be

areas of improvement for the leadership in the organization.

The mixed feelings about leadership in the DOST IX may be influenced by factors

such as communication, decision-making, and employee involvement. Previous research

has shown that employees are more likely to feel positive about their leadership when

they perceive their leaders as being transparent, fair, and supportive (Avolio & Bass,

2002).

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Table 5

Correlation matrix on employee job satisfaction and leadership in DOST IX, n=30

Job Satisfaction Leadership

Job Satisfaction 1.00 -0.168a

Leadership -0.168a 1.00

Meanwhile, the correlation coefficient between "job satisfaction" and "leadership"

resulting to Pearson correlation coefficient (r) of -0.1681 as presented in Table 5 suggests

a weak negative relationship between the two variables. Further, the calculated p-value

using the P-Value from Pearson (r) Calculator was 0.374861 at p < .05. The p-value of

0.374861 indicates that there is no significant correlation between the variables; "Job

Satisfaction" and "Leadership" at the alpha level of 0.05.

A negative correlation means that as one variable increases, the other variable

tends to decrease. However, a negative correlation between job satisfaction and

leadership does not necessarily mean that the leadership is causing job dissatisfaction,

or that job satisfaction is causing a poor perception of leadership. These findings were

consistent with previous research that has also found a negative correlation between job

satisfaction and leadership, although the strength of the relationship varies across studies

(Jaiswal, Dhar, & Khanna, 2021; Miao, Newman, & Schwarz, 2016; Yu, Zhang, & Ma,

2020).

Accordingly, one possible explanation for this negative relationship between job

satisfaction and leadership in DOST IX stands that employees who perceive their leaders

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to be ineffective or unsupportive could feel less satisfied with their job due to a lack of

motivation or engagement as consistent with study conducted by Kumari & Batra (2020).

On the other hand, employees who perceive their leaders to be effective and supportive

may be more satisfied with their job due to the positive impact of leadership on employee

motivation, engagement, and job performance (Zhang, Tsui, & Wang, 2011).

Nevertheless, further research would be required to determine the underlying factors

contributing to the observed negative correlation between job satisfaction and leadership.

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