Linking Transformational Leadership and Customer Satisfaction: The Mediation of Team Conflict and Team Cohesion

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between transformational leadership and customer satisfaction, mediated by task conflict and team cohesion. We used a sample of 319 retail branches from a Belgian bank and scores from 16,459 customers regarding the quality of service provided. Our research model was confirmed using Confirmatory Factor Analyses. Further we found evidence for the mediation of team conflict between transformational leadership and customer satisfaction. However, the hypothesis that team cohesion mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and customer satisfaction was not confirmed. Strengths, limitations and future research are discussed.

Keywords: customer satisfaction, transformational leadership, team conflict, team cohesion