A Comparative Analysis of Leadership Styles on Organizational Performance in the Airline Industry

Background The 21st century has witnessed several changes in the airline industry, owing to many factors, including the leadership styles adopted. Recently, there have been many successful and unsuccessful airlines (Zhang, 2017) attributed to different leadership styles that have significantly impacted organizational performance in the airline industry (Kamisan and King, 2013). This is because of its impact on employees' satisfaction (Asrar-ul-Haqa and Kuchinkeb, 2016) and the organization's ability to outperform others within the industry (Anderson and Birrer, 2011). However, Madanchain et al. (2016) argued that for organizations to remain viable through compelling performances, employee satisfaction, competitive advantage, and the role of leadership remains critical. As a result, Nanjundeswaraswamy and Swamy (2014) lamented the need for further studies to understand how leadership influenced organizational performance in the airline industry. As such, this study embarked on a study to underpin leadership's impact on organizational performance using Southwest and Malaysia Airlines and to recommend the best leadership style for airlines. D. Rationale This research was undertaken with three rationales. Firstly, the literature on the importance of leadership on organizational performances in the airline industry should be enhanced, focusing on Southwest and Malaysia Airlines models. Secondly, the study will identify and link the effects of transactional and transformational leadership styles on organizational performance using the two airlines. Finally, it will recommend the best leadership style for airlines based on the research conducted on the two aforementioned internationally recognized airlines.