This study aimed to determine the impact of leadership styles on staff motivation in Zambian healthcare non-governmental organizations (NGOs) using organizational culture as a mediator. A quantitative survey with a sample size of 286 employees was undertaken, and multiple regression analysis was utilized to examine the impact of transformational, transactional, democratic, and autocratic leadership styles on employee motivation. Transformational leadership had the strongest positive influence on motivation (β = 1.275, p < 0.001), while transactional leadership negatively affected motivation (β = -0.403, p = 0.015). Organizational culture had an important role in mediating these interactions (β = 0.721, p = 0.002). The study emphasizes the importance of transformational leadership in non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and shows that cultivating a strong organizational culture increases employee engagement. This study makes both theoretical and empirical contributions to the literature on leadership styles and employee motivation, as it is among the few to incorporate organizational culture as a mediating variable in the context of health NGOs in low and middle-income countries. The study's limitation is its inability to be generalized to different populations due to the use of a convenience sample strategy for data collection. For future research, we recommend mixed-method techniques, greater sample sizes, and stratified random sampling to ensure diverse representation and deeper contextual insights.
leadership styles, motivation, health non-governmental organizations, NGO
Lameck Chirwa has over 15 years of experience working for faith-based organizations, non-governmental organizations and the public institutions. He has a passion for data analysis, strategic planning, organizational development, human resource management and public speaking. Most of the research conducted by the author has been in public health but more to do with HIV/AIDS and reproductive health programming with special reference to the social context of HIV prevention, treatment and care. He is currently connected with the University of Zambia. Email: lameckchirwa@gmail.com
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
This work was not supported by any funding.
This study was conducted in accordance with the ethical guidelines set by University of Zambia Biomedical Research Ethics Committee (UNZABREC) and the National Health Research Authority (NHRA). The conduct of this study has been approved and given relative clearance(s) by UNZABREC and NHRA with the REF. No. 5042-2024 and NHRA-1266/07/06/2024 respectively.
The author declares the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in writing this paper. In particular, the author used QuillBot in searching appropriate literature, summarizing key points and paraphrasing ideas. The author takes full responsibility in ensuring proper review and editing of contents generated using AI.
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Cite this article:
Chirwa, L. (2025). Impact of leadership styles on employee motivation as mediated by organizational culture: A case of healthcare NGO in Zambia. International Journal of Academe and Industry Research, 6(1), 84-107. https://doi.org/10.53378/ijair.353165
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