The Influence of Leaders' Power Bases on Academic Staffs' Job Satisfaction: The Case of Wolaita Sodo University

The main purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the influence of leaders' power bases on academic staffs' job satisfaction in Woliata Sodo University. A correlational research design was employed and data were gathered from two groups of respondents: Academic staffs and Academic Leaders.188 research participants were selected using simple random and availability sampling technique. To collect the required data, questionnaires and face to face interviews were employed. The correlation result of the study indicates that there are positive relationships between personal power bases (expert and referent) and job satisfaction. However, the correlation strength was found medium. In addition, there is also a positive relationship between organizational power and job satisfaction. But, the correlation strength between the two variables was found small. According to the descriptive statistics of power bases, the mean score of referent power was the highest mean score in comparison to the other power base sub-variables. Moreover, the descriptive results of job satisfaction revealed that, the mean score for the work was the highest in comparison to the other job satisfaction dimensions. Hence, it can be inferred that personal power bases are more effective and well exercised power than organizational power