The Mediated Relationship of Leadership on Job Insecurity

Job insecurity is a predominant work stressor that has negative effects for individuals and organizations. The purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of the effect of organizational management, more specifically of production- and employee-oriented leadership, on job insecurity. Moreover, two potential mediators of leadership—goal clarity and trust—are investigated. Cross-sectional questionnaire data (n = 1329) from an acute care hospital in Sweden was used. Both leadership styles were negatively associated with job insecurity. In addition, production-oriented and employee-oriented leadership had indirect effects on job insecurity. More specifically, we found goal clarity to be the prominent mediator of the relation between production-oriented leadership and job insecurity. Organizational actions such as leadership are important for working preventively with job insecurity. It is the mechanisms of leadership that may reduce job insecurity. This is the first study to show how leadership styles may influence employees’ perceptions of job insecurity.