A Systematic Review on Leadership Style

Abstract This systematic review examines various leadership styles and their impact on organizational performance, employee satisfaction, teamwork, and quality of work life across different sectors, with a particular focus on transformational and transactional leadership. Drawing upon secondary data from peer-reviewed journals, conference proceedings, and scholarly publications, the study employs descriptive content analysis to synthesize existing findings. The review highlights that transformational leadership, characterized by vision, inspiration, and personal development of subordinates, is strongly associated with positive outcomes such as higher job satisfaction, innovation, and organizational commitment. Transactional leadership, based on structured exchanges and performance-based rewards, also shows significant but more task-oriented impacts. The analysis reveals that most studies originate from Western contexts, leaving a notable research gap in regions such as North-East India, particularly in the context of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs). Findings suggest that leadership style is a critical determinant of organizational effectiveness and employee well-being, underscoring the need for localized research to enhance leadership practices in diverse socio-cultural settings.