THE CONSEQUENCES OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND/OR TRANSACTIONAL LEADERSHIP IN RELATIONSHIP TO JOB SATISFACTION AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT FOR ACTIVE DUTY WOMEN SERVING IN THE AIR FORCE MEDICAL SERVICE

The purpose of this study was to gain an understanding of the relationship between leadership, job satisfaction and organizational commitment among active duty Air Force women in a military healthcare environment. The population was from the largest Air Force trauma center with a continuous deployment requirement in support Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operating Enduring Freedom (operations in Afghanistan), as well as other overseas contingency operations. Prior research participants especially in a military environment have been predominately male for military, private and public studies. This study is the first to target exclusively a female population utilizing the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5X Short) developed by Bernard M. Bass and Bruce J. Avolio. Two hypotheses were developed based on one independent variable, perceived leadership styles, measured with the MLQ 5X Short, two dependent variables, job satisfaction, measured utilizing Spector\u27s Job Satisfaction survey, commitment, measured with Meyer and Allen\u27s TCM Employee Commitment Survey, and as set of demographic variables. All surveys were administered using SurveyMonkey.com thus allowing on line access 24/7 with worldwide access. The result of this study served to extend the body of research that suggest leaders behaviors, especially those that display transformational leadership and transactional leadership behaviors with a higher degree of frequency, as perceived by their subordinates, elicit a higher level of job satisfaction and commitment. However, findings were inclusive that leadership behaviors had as strong of a relationship as an individual\u27s commitment to their profession or the job within itself