Effects of managerial leadership power bases on employees' job commitment in the nationalised commercial banks of Bangladesh

Abstract

Lack of efficiency in the Nationalised Commercial Banks (NCBs) of Bangladesh can be attributed to a multitude of sources. Absence of adequate infrastructure facilities, lack of modern technology and the use of conventional managerial approaches have all contributed to the dismal performance of the NCBs. In a poor country like Bangladesh, where financial resources are scarce, an abrupt improvement in the infrastructure and technological facilities cannot be expected in government-owned banks. Immediate improvement in the NCBs can be brought about by improving the employees' job performance by motivating and developing their commitment to the organisation. The role of the managers as leaders of the employees is vital along this direction. Among the various aspects ofleadership the use of power bases has gained significant popularity in the literature of management. The effective use of different bases of social power by the managers can contribute significantly in accomplishing higher employee commitment, greater job performance. and higher job satisfaction, all of which result in improved organisational performance. This paper examines the relationship between managers' use of social power and employees' organisational commitment level in context of NCBs of Bangladesh. The five bases of social power, as developed by French and Raven (I 959), were utilised to investigate the relationship. Bivariate correlation, factor analysis and hierarchical multiple regression analyses were performed on data obtained from NCBs employees. The results indicate significant relationship between organisational commitment and two bases of social power. Implications for practicing managers and for future research are also discussed'.