Leadership styles and safety culture – a meta-analytic study
International Journal of Organizational Analysis
ISSN: 1934-8835
Article publication date: 5 September 2022
Issue publication date: 24 November 2023
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to quantitatively review previous empirical studies on leadership style and safety culture using meta-analysis and identify the most influential leadership style across organizations. Further, the moderating effect of riskiness in the organizational process on the relationship between leadership style and safety culture was also done.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors conducted a systematic literature review and applied meta-analysis based on 24 empirical studies to calculate the effect size for the relationships between leadership style and safety culture.
Findings
A substantial effect size between leadership style and safety culture (r = 0.50). It was interesting to note the significant relationship between leadership and safety culture, irrespective of high- and low-risk organizations. Moreover, empowering leadership style (r = 0.60) emerged as the most influential leadership style across all organizations and in high-risk organizations.
Originality/value
The meta-analysis established leadership as an essential antecedent of safety culture and suggests implications for future research and practice related to safety and leadership.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Authors acknowledge the work of all the researchers in the field of safety and leadership on whose work the present work is built upon.
Further, authors also disclose that there is no funding received for conducting the present research work.
Authors declare that there is no conflict of interest and no funding is received for this project.
Citation
Nasim, M.A., Yadav, R.S., Dash, S.S. and Bamel, U. (2023), "Leadership styles and safety culture – a meta-analytic study", International Journal of Organizational Analysis, Vol. 31 No. 7, pp. 3233-3250. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-02-2022-3166
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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