Date of Conferral

10-26-2025

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Dr. Richard Thompson

Abstract

A problem confronting organizations, including mental health organizations, is how leadership will address motivation and satisfaction in a diverse, multigenerational workforce. The purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional correlational study was to examine the relationship between multigenerational licensed clinician providers and perceptions of their supervisors’ leadership style to predict their motivation and job satisfaction in mental health workplace settings. Transformational leadership theory grounded this study. The participants comprised 93 licensed clinician providers from mental health organizations in three generational cohorts, Baby Boomer, Generation X, and Millennial, in the Middle Atlantic, Pacific, South Atlantic, West-South Central, and East-North Central regions of the United States. They completed the job satisfaction survey, the work extrinsic and intrinsic motivation scale, and the multifactor leadership questionnaire. The multiple linear regression results were statistically significant, F(2,84) = 32.69, p < .001, R2 = .424, showing that generational cohort and leadership perceptions accounted for approximately 42.4% of the variance in motivation. Results also indicated F(3,76) = 44.83, p < .001, R² = .625, revealing that the variables significantly relate to job satisfaction, accounting for approximately 62.5% of its variance. Understanding these relationships may help mental health organizational leaders address systemic barriers such as educational and socioeconomic inequalities, financial constraints, and cultural challenges to improve multigenerational licensed clinician providers’ motivation and job satisfaction. The implications for positive social change include the potential for mental health industry leaders to build trust and collaboration among multigenerational licensed clinician providers and supervisors to impact the industry’s sustainable competitiveness.

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