The Role of Transformational Leadership and Organizational Climate in Organizational Self-Esteem of Mashhad Firefighters

This study aimed to investigate the impact of transformational leadership and organizational climate on the organizational self-esteem of the Mashhad Fire Department.

The present applied research is a descriptive survey. The statistical population of this study consists of all 210 firefighters in Mashhad fire headquarters. The sample size was calculated according to Morgan's table comprising 132 individuals selected through simple random sampling. Data collection was accomplished through three questionnaires: Bass and Avolio's (2000) Transformational Leadership Questionnaire (TLQ), Sussman and Deep's (1989) Organizational Climate Questionnaire, and Pierce et al.'s (1989) Organizational-Based Self-Esteem Questionnaire, whose validity and reliability were confirmed. The collected statistical data were analyzed within SPSS and Smart PLS software.

Data analysis confirmed all research hypotheses. Transformational leadership has a direct impact on organizational self-esteem with a path coefficient of 0.62. The organizational climate has a direct impact on organizational self-esteem with a path coefficient of 0.63. Components of transformational leadership including idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individual consideration affect organizational self-esteem. Components of organizational climate including clarity of and agreement on organizational goals, clarity of and agreement on role, satisfaction with rewards, satisfaction with and agreement on procedures, and effectiveness of relations affect organizational self-esteem.

Managing directors ought to reinforce employees' self-esteem to improve the performance of employees and boost productivity in the organization. In this regard, they must exercise an appropriate style in dealing with employees, which is the transformational leadership style. Moreover, a decent organizational climate should be created to build and boost self-esteem in employees and consequently enrich their performance towards fulfilling organizational goals.