Leading with impact: How university deans' leadership styles shape job satisfaction among lecturers in China

This study examines the role of leadership styles and proactive personality in shaping job satisfaction among university lecturers in China. Drawing on full-range leadership theory and proactive personality theory, a research model was developed to investigate the effects of transformational and transactional leadership on lecturer job satisfaction and the moderating role of proactive personality. Data were collected from 460 university lecturers and analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results indicate that both transformational and transactional leadership are positively associated with lecturer job satisfaction. Proactive personality moderates the relationship between transformational leadership and job satisfaction, such that the positive effect of transformational leadership is stronger among lecturers with high levels of proactive personality. This study contributes to the literature by clarifying how different leadership styles influence lecturer job satisfaction in the Chinese higher education context and by highlighting the boundary role of proactive personality. The findings also provide practical insights for university administrators in aligning leadership approaches with lecturers' personality traits to enhance job satisfaction.