Mediating effects of substitute for leadership on the relationship between leadership styles and followers outcome among professionals in Pakistan

Abstract

In the contingency leadership field, substitutes for leadership theory has been accredited as leadership classic and attracted a myriad of empirical research. Nevertheless, earlier studies conceptualized it as moderated-only phenomena and predominantly investigated the moderating effects of substitutes for leadership on the relationship between leadership styles and followers’ outcomes. In contrast, this study focused on other possible domains of substitutes for leadership theory and mixed it with the elements of full range leadership theory to deepen the understanding about effective leadership process. This study tested namely: direct effects of leadership styles and substitutes for leadership on followers’ outcomes, and mediating effects of substitutes for leadership on the relationship between leadership styles and followers’ outcomes. Data were collected from professionals such as PhD faculty members, medical doctors, engineers and pharmacists, and 523 usable responses were analyzed. Regression results regarding the direct effects of leadership styles on followers’ outcomes revealed that leadership styles have significant effects on followers’ followers. The comparison of effect sizes revealed that transformational leadership has a stronger impact on followers’ outcomes than transactional leadership and task-oriented leadership styles. Besides leadership styles, substitutes for leadership have also significantly affected the followers’ outcomes and these results strongly suggest that leadership is not the only source of influence on followers. Hierarchical regression results revealed that substitutes for leadership significantly mediated on the relationship between leadership styles and followers’ outcomes. In summary, findings of the study suggest that substitutes for leadership would make the leader’s job easier in producing the desired outcomes and be used as effective alternatives to ineffective leadership.