Influence of Leadership Styles on Turnover Intentions in Technology Startups

This study examines the relationship between leadership styles and turnover intentions in technology startups. It was a correlational study that followed the cross-sectional research design. The hypotheses were democratic and laissez faire leadership styles have positive whereas authoritarian leadership styles have an inverse relationship with turnover intentions of the employees. Data was collected from 150 employees and leaders with age ranges from 20 to 40 years within technology startups in Lahore, Pakistan using the non-probability purposive sampling technique. Leadership styles were measured using the Leadership Style Questionnaire (LSQ), while turnover intentions were measured with the Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6). The results show a nonsignificant correlation between all leadership styles and turnover intentions. Tech startups represent a relatively underexplored population in leadership and organizational behavior literature. Present study tried to expand theoretical frameworks by applying leadership models to non-traditional organizational structures. However, hypotheses were not accepted in the proposed direction. Future research may increase sample size and replicate the study with different populations to see the relationship dynamics.