Date of Award
2-2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Business Administration (DBA)
Department
College of Business
First Advisor
Scott R. Smith
Committee Members
Stephen F. Pyle; Donald G. Schoffstall
Keywords
Employee engagement; For-profit sectors; Leadership styles; Non-profit sectors; Retention; Transformational leadership
Abstract
As organizations face challenges in sustaining retention and development, they must analyze and implement strategies to strengthen their workforce (Hassanein & Özgit, 2022). Employees are a company's greatest asset; without them, production would halt, as their knowledge, skills, and abilities drive organizational performance and operations (Chunhui et al., 2004; Gallup, 2023). Sturm and Vera (2011) showed that employees tend to be less committed when factors such as desired leadership styles, engagement, and job satisfaction are negative within an organization. Over the past decade, turnover has increased significantly, imposing financial challenges to organizations across both the non-profit and for-profit sectors (McCrory et al., 2016). For this study, the researcher examined the relationship between factors influencing turnover, including leadership's impact on employee engagement, commitment, satisfaction, and turnover intentions.
The analysis of the data showed a strong correlation among these multiple leadership-related factors. The study employed a quantitative questionnaire with a few embedded open-ended questions to analyze the preferred leadership styles of 132 participants from both the non-profit and for-profit sectors. The instrument consisted of a 50-question survey, including 47 quantitative questions and three open-ended qualitative items. Data was collected from two distinct industries: non-profit and for-profit. This provided a comprehensive view, filling a research gap, on how these sectors may differ or be similar in their leadership values and in the factors influencing turnover intention (Bothma & Roodt, 2013).
The evaluation of the data highlighted that leadership style and engagement significantly influenced turnover behavior (Bass & Avolio, 1994). Data-driven insights into the relationships among leadership style, employee engagement, commitment, job satisfaction, and intention to leave are provided by this study. A detailed examination of the findings revealed that the transformational leadership style had a significant impact on increased retention, regardless of the industry or sector. Results from the study indicate that effective leadership fosters trust, open communication, and recognition, which are associated with higher levels of employee commitment. Policymakers, practitioners, and organizations can use these findings to design targeted retention policies such as leadership development programs, engagement initiatives, and recognition systems that address the causes of turnover and strengthen organizational sustainability.
Recommended Citation
Swaby, Laure-Ann, "Leadership Styles and Their Impact on Employee Engagement, Commitment, and Satisfaction in Non-Profit and For-Profit Organizations" (2026). JWU Dissertations & Theses. 37.
https://scholarsarchive.jwu.edu/jwu_etd/37
