Date
10-16-2025
Department
School of Behavioral Sciences
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)
Chair
Matthew Ferdock
Keywords
Leadership style, Organizational effectiveness, Major Combat Units, Full Range Leadership Theory, Contingency Theory, DEOCS 4.1.
Disciplines
Psychology
Recommended Citation
Chizek, Jason A., "The Relationship Between Leadership Styles and Organizational Effectiveness in U.S Military Major Combat Units" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 7571.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/7571
Abstract
The study examined the predictive relationship between leadership and organizational effectiveness (EO) and the predictive relationship within Major Combat Units (MCUs) of the United States Military. Using archival data from the Defense Equal Opportunity Climate Survey (DEOCS) 4.1, a large cross-sectional sample of active-duty personnel was analyzed to evaluate how five leadership styles, Democratic/Participative, Transactional, Authoritative/Autocratic, Transformational, and Delegative/Laissez-Faire—predicted nine OE outcomes, including Job Satisfaction, Trust in Leadership, Group Cohesion, Connectedness, Engagement, Organizational Process, Organizational Performance, Perceptions of Senior Leadership, and organizational Commitment. General Linear Models, a non-parametric analysis, demonstrated that Transactional Leadership was the strongest predictor of Job Satisfaction, while Democratic/Participative Leadership predicted Trust in Leadership, Group Cohesion, and Connectedness. Authoritative/Autocratic Leadership was most strongly associated with Perceptions of Senior Leadership and Organizational Performance. Delegative/Laisses-Faire Leadership showed positive associations with Engagement and Organizational Process, but negative associations with Trust in Leadership. Findings support Full Range Leadership Theory (FLRT) and Contingency Theory, indicating that leadership effectiveness is context-driven and varies across operational demands, service branch cultures, and rank structures. Implications include the need for evidence-based adaptive leadership development models tailored to varied military contexts, as well as policy recommendations for leadership training that align leadership styles to mission requirements to enhance OE Outcomes across the Department of Defense.
