The context of Saudi Arabian

422 Pages·2017·8.19 MB·English

The power of productive organisational energy in relation to
leadership style and job satisfaction: The context of Saudi Arabian
universities

By
Zeyad Waleed H Abualhamael

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the
Manchester Metropolitan University for the Degree of Doctor of
Philosophy

Business School
The Manchester Metropolitan University
2017
DECLARATION

I declare that this Ph.D. thesis entitled “The Power of Productive Organisational
Energy in relation to Leadership Style and Job Satisfaction: the context of Saudi
Arabia Universities” has been compiled by me under the supervision of Dr. Linda
Alker, Prof. Ben Lupton and Dr. Rosane Pagano. No part of the work referred to in the
thesis has been submitted in support of an application for another degree or
qualification of this or any other University or Institution.

Signature: _____________________

Date: _________________________

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ABSTRACT
Leadership as a research concept has been for many years – and still remains
– an area of significance. The topic of leadership has been researched and debated a
great deal; however, the leadership style adopted by higher education institutions
within a particular context and culture has been considered very little. The primary
aim of the Doctorate research study carried out herein is to examine and evaluate the
relationship between leadership styles, i.e. transformational and transactional,
productive organisational energy and academic and administrative staffs’ job
satisfaction in public and private universities of Saudi Arabia. In fact, during the latest
few decades, the leadership body of literature has expanded beyond the focus on
traits and behaviours and also provided the theoretical basis for understanding the
nature of each variable, which is highlighted in the research study.
The present study was based completely on the quantitative research method
approach. Data for the research were collected from the academics and
administrative staff of two higher educational institutions in Saudi Arabia through the
use of a survey questionnaire which was sent to more than 1,400 potential
respondents.
A theoretical framework was also assessed in an empirical study in Saudi Arabia, to
examine the impact of leadership style on job satisfaction and the mediating role
played by productive organisational energy – as observed in the relationship between
leadership style and job satisfaction. The study is significant for practical purposes, as
it can benefit organisations in identifying their need for a specific leadership style, in
order to boost their employees’ productive energy and satisfaction. The relationship
between leadership style, productive organisational energy and job satisfaction was
tested theoretically and empirically.
The research determined that in the public King Abdulaziz University, transformational
leadership predicted neither job satisfaction nor productive organisational energy to
a significant level, though transactional leadership did so. Conversely, for the private
Dar Alhekma University, transformational leadership did predict job satisfaction and
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productive organisational energy to a significant level, but transactional leadership did
not manage to do so.
Finally, a review of some of the limitations of the research study and several areas of
future research are provided on the basis of the empirical and theoretical findings.

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DEDICATION

To my wife Rozan Baghdadi, soulmate and my other half.
Also to my parents and only sister for their unconditional love, support
and time.

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is true that human beings have been given an immense power of sensibility and
purpose in life; however, these powers cannot be put into use and application without
the interacting with others. The knowledge and resources that are received from other
people and the nature are what help a person in achieving the things he/she desires.
Hence, I would take this opportunity to thank each and every person who has helped
me in finishing this work.
My first vote of gratitude goes to my Director of study Dr. Linda Alker the great help
and guidance at every step on this research journey. She has provided me with here
great experience, knowledge, time and helpful advice without which this work would
not have been completed. I am grateful to her for helping me to learn from my own
errors and mistakes, learning that would help me throughout my life. She had taught
me the real art of doing work, being positive and always energetic.
I would also like to thank my supervisors, Professor Ben Lupton and Dr. Rosane Pagano
for providing me with the resources and guidance to complete this work. It would not
have been possible to timely finish my work, had I not learnt the art of punctuality,
discipline and self-confidence from them.
Special thanks and appreciation also are due to the Ministry of Higher Education in
Saudi Arabia for funding the entire project. The graduate school and the
administrative team for the doctoral programmes in Business school are also greatly
appreciated for their time and support.
Above all my admiration, I would also express my love and thanks for my lovely wife,
Rozan Baghdadi for giving me unstoppable support and strength to finish this work, as
it would not be achievable and manageable without her encouragement.
Eventually, At last, I would also extend gratitude to my family for supporting me
morally, physically and financially. I extend special thanks to my parents for giving me
the resources and making me capable to reach this level and to my sister for always
being there at my side. My prayers to Allah to keep the same blessings, care, and
support for the rest of my life.
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Table of Contents

CHAPTER 1: AN INTRODUCTION ..................................................................................... 16
1. RESEARCH INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................... 16
1.1 PREAMBLE ............................................................................................................ 16
1.2 RESEARCH PROBLEM ............................................................................................ 17
1.2.1 CONTEXTUAL FEATURES AND RELEVANCE .......................................................... 18
1.2.2 THE POWER OF PRODUCTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL ENERGY ................................... 19
1.2.3 THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA ....................................................................... 20
1.3 RESEARCH AIM AND OBJECTIVES ........................................................................... 22
1.5 OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH METHOD ....................................................................... 23
1.6 FRAMEWORK ....................................................................................................... 24
1.7 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY ....................................................................................... 25
1.8 THESIS STRUCTURE ............................................................................................... 26
1.9 SUMMARY ............................................................................................................ 27
CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................... 28
2. A REVIEW OF LITERATURE ....................................................................................... 29
2.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................... 29
2.2 CHALLENGES FACING HIGHER EDUCATION ............................................................ 31
2.3 LEADERSHIP ETYMOLOGY AND DEFINITIONS ......................................................... 34
2.4 LEADERSHIP VERSUS MANAGEMENT ..................................................................... 36
2.5 DEVELOPMENT OF LEADERSHIP THEORIES ............................................................. 38
2.5.1 TRAIT THEORY ................................................................................................... 38
2.5.2 BEHAVIORAL THEORY ........................................................................................ 39
2.5.3 CONTINGENCY THEORY ...................................................................................... 41
2.5.4 LEADERS AND FOLLOWERS – “NEW LEADERSHIP” ............................................... 42
2.6 LEADERSHIP IN CONTEXT ...................................................................................... 43
2.7 LEADERSHIP STYLE ................................................................................................ 47
2.7.1 SITUATIONAL ..................................................................................................... 48
2.7.2 DEMOCRATIC ..................................................................................................... 49
2.7.3 AUTOCRATIC ..................................................................................................... 51
2.7.4 TRANSACTIONAL ............................................................................................... 53
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2.7.5 TRANSFORMATIONAL ........................................................................................ 60
2.8.2 THE CONCEPTUALISATION OF ORGANISATIONAL ENERGY AND THE ENERGY
MATRIX ......................................................................................................................... 74
2.8.3 PRODUCTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL ENERGY............................................................ 80
2.9 LINKAGE BETWEEN LEADERSHIP STYLE AND JOB SATISFACTION ............................. 85
2.9.1 JOB SATISFACTION THEORIES ............................................................................. 88
2.9.1.1 CONTENT THEORIES ........................................................................................ 88
2.9.1.2 SITUATIONAL THEORIES .................................................................................. 91
2.10 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................ 92
2.10.1 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERSHIP STYLE AND PRODUCTIVE
ORGANISATIONAL ENERGY ............................................................................................ 93
2.10.2 THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEADERSHIP STYLE AND JOB SATISFACTION ........ 95
2.11 SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... 102
CHAPTER 3: THE SAUDI ARABIAN CONTEXT .................................................................. 103
3. SAUDI ARABIA: CONTEXT REVIEW ......................................................................... 103
3.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 103
3.2 THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA ........................................................................ 104
3.3 LEADERSHIP SYSTEM AND THE SAUDI CULTURE ................................................... 111
3.4 SAUDI ARABIAN EDUCATION SYSTEM ................................................................. 120
3.5 SUMMARY .......................................................................................................... 125
CHAPTER 4: METHODOLOGY ........................................................................................ 126
4. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ................................................................................... 126
4.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 126
4.2 THE ART OF PHILOSOPHY AND RESEARCH METHODOLOGY .................................. 128
4.2.1 EPISTEMOLOGY AND ONTOLOGY ..................................................................... 131
4.2.2 POSITIVISM AND INTERPRETIVISM ................................................................... 133
4.2.2.1 POSITIVISM .................................................................................................. 134
4.2.2.2 INTERPRETIVISM........................................................................................... 136
4.2.3 DEDUCTIVE AND INDUCTIVE RESEARCH APPROACHES ...................................... 137
4.3 RESEARCH METHODS .......................................................................................... 140
4.3.1 QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH METHOD ................................................................. 143
4.4.1 DATA COLLECTION STRATEGIES ........................................................................ 150
4.4.2 EVALUATING AND MEASURING RESEARCH VARIABLES ..................................... 153
4.4.2.1 LEADERSHIP STYLE ........................................................................................ 153
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4.4.2.2 PRODUCTIVE ORGANISATIONAL ENERGY....................................................... 157
4.4.2.3 JOB SATISFACTION ........................................................................................ 158
4.4.3 RESEARCH RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY .............................................................. 160
4.4.4 PILOT STUDY AND PRE-TESTING ....................................................................... 162
4.5 RESEARCH SAMPLE ............................................................................................. 166
4.5.1 POPULATION ................................................................................................... 166
4.5.1.1 KING ABDUL-AZIZ UNIVERSITY ...................................................................... 166
4.5.1.2 DAR ALHEKMA UNIVERSITY .......................................................................... 167
4.5.2 SAMPLE SIZE .................................................................................................... 168
4.5.3 SAMPLE STRATEGY .......................................................................................... 170
4.6 DATA COLLECTION .............................................................................................. 171
4.7 SUMMERY .......................................................................................................... 174
CHAPTER 5: ANALYSIS APPROACHES ............................................................................. 175
5. ANALYSIS APPROACHES ........................................................................................ 175
5.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 175
5.2 SELECTION OF STATISTICAL SYSTEM PACKAGE ..................................................... 176
5.3 SELECTION OF APPROPRIATE ANALYTICAL TECHNIQUES ...................................... 177
5.3.1 OBJECTIVE OF ANALYSIS................................................................................... 177
5.3.2 FOCUS OF THE ANALYSIS .................................................................................. 178
5.3.3 LEVEL OF MEASUREMENT ................................................................................ 179
5.3.4 DATA DISTRIBUTION PATTERN ......................................................................... 181
5.4 STATISTICAL TEST EMPLOYED .............................................................................. 181
5.5 MISSING DATA AND OUTLINER ........................................................................... 182
5.6 NORMALITY USING SKEWNESS AND KURTOSIS .................................................... 183
5.7 MULTICOLLIENARITY ........................................................................................... 184
5.8 BARTLETT’S TEST OF SPHERICITY ......................................................................... 184
5.9 RELIABILITY AND CRONBACH ALPHA ................................................................... 184
5.10 REGRESSION ANALYSIS ..................................................................................... 185
5.11 STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING ............................................................... 188
5.12 SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... 190
CHAPTER 6: RESULTS .................................................................................................... 191
6. DATA ANALYSIS AND RESULTS ............................................................................... 191
6.1 INTRODUCTION .................................................................................................. 191
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6.2 RESEARCH VARIABLES OPERATIONAL DEFINITIONS .............................................. 192
6.2.1 TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP .......................................................................... 192
6.2.2 TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP .................................................................. 193
6.2.3 PRODUCTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL ENERGY.......................................................... 193
6.2.4 JOB SATISFACTION ........................................................................................... 194
6.3 DESCRIPTIVE ANALYSIS ....................................................................................... 194
6.3.1 DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF RESPONDENTS ...................................................... 195
6.3.1.1 AGE .............................................................................................................. 195
6.3.1.2 GENDER ........................................................................................................ 196
6.3.1.3 LEVEL OF EDUCATION ................................................................................... 196
6.3.1.4 WORK FIELD ................................................................................................. 197
6.4 DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS ..................................................................................... 198
6.4.1 LEADERSHIP ..................................................................................................... 199
6.4.2 PRODUCTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL ENERGY.......................................................... 200
6.4.3 JOB SATISFACTION ........................................................................................... 200
6.4.4 SUMMARY OF THE DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS ..................................................... 200
6.5 FACTOR ANALYSIS............................................................................................... 201
6.5.1 ASSUMPTIONS ................................................................................................. 201
6.5.2 COMPONENT MATRIX ...................................................................................... 204
6.5.2.1 LEADERSHIP .................................................................................................. 205
6.5.2.2 PRODUCTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL ENERGY ...................................................... 207
6.5.2.3 JOB SATISFACTION ........................................................................................ 208
6.5.3 FACTOR ANALYSIS SUMMARY .......................................................................... 208
6.5.4 RELIABILITY ..................................................................................................... 209
6.6 STRUCTURAL EQUATION MODELLING ................................................................. 210
6.6.1 EVALUATIONS OF MEASUREMENT MODELS ..................................................... 210
6.6.1.1 TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP ............................................................... 211
6.6.1.2 TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP ....................................................................... 212
6.6.1.3 PRODUCTIVE ORGANIZATIONAL ENERGY ...................................................... 214
6.6.1.4 JOB SATISFACTION ........................................................................................ 215
6.6.2 SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... 216
6.7 REGRESSION ANALYSIS ....................................................................................... 217
6.7.1 SUMMARY ....................................................................................................... 220
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