Autonomie en coöperatief werkgedrag: Een andere manier van leidinggeven?

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to explain the variation of the link between autonomy and cooperative employee behavior. Organizational literature shows various findings about the effect of autonomy on the cooperative behavior of employees. However, little research has been done to understand how organizational factors can influence the effect of autonomy on cooperative employee behavior. This study investigated the effect of the fit between autonomy and leadership styles on OCB, organizational solidarity and organizational commitment. A distinction is made between a transactional leadership style and a transformational leadership style. It was expected that a fit between autonomy and the leadership style increases the effect of autonomy on OCB, organizational solidarity and organizational commitment. Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of 249 employees from different organizations, I tested the hypothesized model using linear regression analysis. Findings – Results from the correlation analyses showed that autonomy has a positive effect on general compliance (OCB), organizational solidarity and organizational commitment. However, regression analysis showed that the fit between autonomy and the leadership styles has no increasing effect on the cooperative behavior of employees. Implications for research and practice of our findings are discussed.