Transformational Leadership and Affective commitment : The Moderating Role of the Age of the leader

Abstract

Using a sample of 202 respondents from a large public hospital in Morocco, we examined how the age of the leader moderated the relationship between transformational leadership and affective commitment. The results obtained by realizing a multiple linear regression analysis highlight the absence of a moderating effect (age of leader) in the relationship between transformational leadership styles and affective commitment. However, transformational leadership does have a significant impact on affective commitment. Thus, when an older leader manifests this type of behavior, subordinates tend to increase their level of identification with the organisation. When younger leaders adopt the same behaviour, their subordinates display a stronger emotional attachment to the organisation than older leaders. This means that younger leaders manifest more effective transformational leadership behaviour than older leaders. This article seeks to contribute to the relationship between age, transformational leadership and affective commitment.