Through two studies, this paper investigates the moderating effects of personality traits (i.e., extraversion, conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism) and the mediating effect of psychological empowerment on the relationship between perceived transformational leadership and job satisfaction. Study 1 searches whether personality traits moderate the effects of perceived transformational leadership on followers' job satisfaction. Using a sample of 221 R&D employees employed by information technology organizations, the results of Study 1 indicate that the more conscientious the employee, the stronger the relationship between perceived transformational leadership and job satisfaction. Study 2 explores whether psychological empowerment mediates the effects of perceived transformational leadership on followers' job satisfaction. Based on data from 348 academics, the results support the mediating role of psychological empowerment on job satisfaction, in that when employees perceive their leader as transformational they feel more psychologically empowered, which in turn increases job satisfaction levels. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.Keywords: perceived transformational leadership, personality traits, psychological empowerment, job satisfaction Received 1 February 2016. Accepted 6 November 2016 T oday's dynamic work environment brought about by economic, technological and demographic changes affecting the magnitude of employee job satisfaction. It has been well documented that highly satisfied employees are more likely to be committed to their organization (Cooper-Hakim & Viswesvaran, 2005), have higher levels of job performance (Judge, Scott, & Ilies, 2006) and lower levels of turnover (Hulin & Judge, 2003). The accumulating evidence about the role of job satisfaction on various organizational outcomes triggered the studies investigating its predictors. Although job satisfaction was found to be affected by situational factors, it was also found to be shaped by individual * Faculty of Business Administration, Bilkent University, Ankara, Turkey ** Department of Business Administration, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Science, Hacettepe University, Ankara, TurkeyCorresponding author: caydogmus@bilkent.edu.tr § This manuscript is an original work that has not been submitted to nor published anywhere else. This study probes the underlying mechanism and the processes of how followers' perceptions of transformational leadership influence job satisfaction, with a focus on followers' personality traits and psychological empowerment with two different studies. With this aim, we provide follower-based perspective on leadership issues on management and organizations of benefit to scholars, Human Resource practitioners and managers.
