Examining the mediating role of impression management in the relationship between democratic, autocratic, and laissez-faire leadership styles and career satisfaction

Management styles are influential on many issues in organizational processes. One of these effects is on employees. Employee behaviours and perceptions may differ according to management styles. In this study, the effect of management style perception (Democratic, Autocratic, and Laissez-Faire) on the career satisfaction of employees was investigated. In this relationship, the mediating role of impression management was examined. The research sample consists of 365 white-collar employees in Turkey's manufacturing sector. Survey technique was used to collect primary data. According to the analysis of the collected data results, it was determined that there were significant relationships between perceived management style and career satisfaction and that impression management had a "partial mediation" effect. Since researchers have paid little attention to the impact of management style perception on employee career satisfaction, this study aimed to extend previous research by investigating these associations through the impression management mediating effect.