Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
JOURNAL OF SOCIAL POLICY STUDIES, cilt.22, sa.3, ss.507-524, 2024 (ESCI)
This article explores the relationship between the personality traits and leadership styles of civil society organization (CSO) administrators. As the number of NGOs increases and their influence expands in Turkey, it becomes essential to determine which personality traits best contribute to effective leadership and which leadership styles are suited to the specific nature of such organizations. The study was conducted among 105 NGO administrators working in Turkey. The Big Five model, which includes traits such as openness to experience, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability, was used to assess personality traits. Leadership styles were evaluated using a leadership style scale that includes authoritarian, democratic, transformational, and transactional styles. The results of the study showed the strongest correlations between democratic and transformational leadership styles and personality traits such as agreeableness and openness to experience. Administrators with high levels of agreeableness exhibited a democratic leadership style, fostering an inclusive environment and effectively involving employees in decision- making processes. Transformational leaders with openness to experience had a significant impact on organizational development, encouraging innovation and positive change. However, traits such as extraversion and emotional stability did not show significant relationships with specific leadership styles, suggesting the need for more in-depth research on these aspects in the NGO context. A limitation of the study is the homogeneity of the sample: all participants were male, which does not allow conclusions to be drawn about female leadership in NGOs. Future research should include female leaders and expand the sample to include volunteers and non-managerial staff. This study contributes to the understanding of what personality traits promote successful leadership in NGOs and how leadership style can influence organizational effectiveness.