The Relationship Between Theory X/Y Management Styles and Job Satisfaction: Moderation Roles of Self-Efficacy and Gender

Abstract: The study focused on the relationship between management styles and job satisfaction of employees in the organization. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between management style, using Theory X and Y management style and job satisfaction as moderated by employees’ self-efficacy and gender. The study involved N = 137 participants from two different Swedish organizations in the engineering and manufacturing sector based in Stockholm and Växjö, Sweden. The data was collected through surveys from each participant. Study findings showed that there was a positive correlation between self-efficacy and job satisfaction. Additionally, results revealed that the relationship between theory X and Y and job satisfaction is not moderated by either self-efficacy and gender. Based on the study, it was observed that job satisfaction is greatly impacted by management styles which are oriented more towards theory Y than theory X in the relationship between management and employees in organizations in Sweden. Thus, the study highlights the importance of employee-oriented leadership style for the organizations and how this influences job satisfaction of employees.