The Major Determinant of Optimum Leadership Style – An Empiricalanalysis

In the present organizational context, though the available human resources are efficient, they need an external motivation, generally called the leaders. These leaders serve as the best role model to the employees and act as the best representative of the Management. Hence the leadership styles are considered to be one of the important prerequisites for the organizational success. Through this study, an attempt has been made to find out the optimum leadership styles from among the prevalent styles (Autocratic, Laissez-Faire, Democratic and Paternalistic) and the major determinants that affect the leadership styles. For this, a sample of 100 employees were selected randomly and they were then classified on the basis of selected demographic variables such as age, gender, years of experience, personal behavior and educational qualification. Statistical tools like Chi-Square Test and ANOVA Techniques were applied to find out the optimum leadership style from among the selected styles and to find out whether the selected independent variables (demographic variables) were associated with the desirable leadership style. The findings of the research suggested that the democratic leaders were supported well by the employees and all the demographic variables could be considered crucial for determining the optimum leadership styles.