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Relational leadership is a key antecedent of employee attitudes and rewards perceptions. However, empirical evidence linking its specific dimensions to compensation outcomes within South Africa’s context remains limited. Drawing on social exchange and equity theories, this study examines how specific relational leadership dimensions influence compensation perceptions. Data was collected from (N = 122) permanently employed personnel at a South African organisation, using a quantitative, cross-sectional design and validated self-report measures. The data was analysed by using Pearson correlations and multiple regression to predict employee compensation through relational leadership. The ethical component emerged as the most consistent and dominant predictor of employee compensation across all models. The empowering component showed significance in one model, but the dimensions usually linked to RLP, including inclusive, caring, and visionary components, had no statistically significant impact on reward outcomes. These findings highlight a critical distinction between behaviours that foster a supportive climate and those that validate the structural legitimacy of reward systems. The study concluded that in socio-economically complex environments like South Africa, employees prioritise ethical governance and fairness over interpersonal warmth when evaluating compensation. Consequently, organisations should prioritise ethical decision-making and transparent accountability in LDPs to enhance satisfaction and perceived equity.

Decent work has become an impetus behind business success and a critical factor for boosting job satisfaction and for alleviating deviant behaviour in the workplace. This study sought to examine the consequences of decent work perception on employee job satisfaction and workplace deviance among casual workers in Zimbabwe transport industry. The study adopted a qualitative research approach embedded in interpretivism paradigm and multiple case-study design. The findings revealed that casual employees experience indecent work characterized by unfair remuneration, job insecurity, and limited employee representation and limited time to rest which affects their overall satisfaction with work. Job dissatisfaction was also found to positively influence negative workplace deviance. An important implication of this study is the need for bus operator companies to understand the value of fostering decent work if they are to have satisfied employees who would be loyal to the organisation and contribute meaningfully to the organisation’s bottom-line. The study is expected to contribute to empirical evidence on the consequences of decent work on job satisfaction and workplace deviance and provide recommendations to human resource practitioners on the essence of addressing workplace deviance and boosting employee job satisfaction through upholding decent work standards in the workplace.

In contemporary organizations, leaders are increasingly required to manage contradictory demands while supporting employees’ psychological resources in dynamic and uncertain work environments. This study examines the effects of paradoxical leadership on two important employee-level outcomes: creative self-efficacy and resilience. Drawing on Social Cognitive Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory, the study aims to explain how leaders who simultaneously balance autonomy and control, flexibility and structure, and support and challenge can strengthen employees’ confidence in generating creative solutions and their capacity to adapt to workplace difficulties. A quantitative research design was employed, using survey data collected from employees working in the Information and Communication Technology sector. The proposed relationships were tested through structural equation modeling, after assessing the reliability and validity of the measurement model. The findings indicate that paradoxical leadership has a significant positive effect on both creative self-efficacy and employee resilience. These results suggest that paradoxical leaders can help employees interpret complexity as manageable, maintain confidence in their creative abilities, and recover more effectively from setbacks. Theoretically, the study contributes to paradoxical leadership research by positioning creative self-efficacy and resilience as key psychological outcomes of paradoxical leader behavior. Practically, the findings suggest that organizations, particularly in technology-intensive sectors, should develop leaders’ capacity for paradoxical thinking and balanced leadership behaviors in order to foster a more creative, adaptive, and resilient workforce.

Employee retention remains a persistent challenge in the South African mining sector due to hazardous working conditions, complex labour relations, and heightened employee expectations. This study explores the influence of the psychological contract on employee retention in a mining organisation. A qualitative research design was adopted, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants, comprising 8 employees and 4 managers. Thematic analysis revealed five dominant themes: employee wage demands, perceptions of organisational profitability, investor pressure, strike action, and retrenchment risks. Grounded in Social Exchange Theory and Equity Theory, the findings demonstrate that unmet expectations and perceived unfair treatment undermine trust, strain labour relations, and weaken employee commitment. The study concludes that transparent communication, fair treatment, and realistic management of expectations are essential for strengthening the psychological contract and improving employee retention in mining organisations.

Numerous studies have shown that colleges and departments at the University of Technology (UoT) are frequently overseen by mid-level management, who may not possess a thorough understanding of the potential effects of UoT choices on employee well-being in the workplace. Some of these leaders neglect employees by displaying autocratic or poisonous characteristics, instead than embodying ethical and effective leadership that fosters the principles of 'Spirit of Ubuntu' ethics. Thus, the research aimed to investigate the dynamics of subordinate leadership and employee interactions in the workplace for potential evidence of unethical leadership styles and behaviours at a University of Technology in South Africa. Quantitative data was obtained from 312 out of 420 employees, yielding a response rate of 74%. The inferential results substantiate the alternative hypothesis that lower-level leadership exhibits immoral tendencies in the workplace. Moreover, the findings of the hypothesis indicate that certain lower-level leaders may not consistently exemplify role modelling, transparency, and ethical behaviour. Furthermore, they may neglect to cultivate an environment that emphasises respect, trust, and equality among employees or sufficiently consider the ethical ramifications of UoT decisions. The research consequences indicate that certain lower-level executives lack mentorship, transparency, and ethical conduct. Consequently, certain lower-level leaders are reluctant to exhibit unusual dedication to resolving faculty or departmental issues. The study advocates for the introduction of annual anonymous assessments of subordinate leadership, which may reinforce the UoT’s principles of transparency, professionalism, fairness, responsibility, honesty, and integrity. These research findings may be utilised by other organisations investigating the correlation between lower-level leadership (Supervisors, Heads of Departments, etc.) and employees.

This integrative review explores the relationship between leadership styles, employee resilience, and well-being within modern organizational settings. Based on empirical and theoretical research published between 2015 and 2025, the study consolidates multidisciplinary insights to examine how different leadership approaches impact employee adaptability and psychological health. Leadership styles such as transformational, authentic, and servant leadership are increasingly acknowledged for their effectiveness in fostering resilience and supporting employee well-being, whereas transactional, authoritarian, and laissez-faire leadership tend to be associated with less favorable outcomes. The review integrates perspectives from Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) theory, Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, and the Job Demands–Resources (JD–R) model to provide a comprehensive understanding of how leadership behaviours function as organizational and psychological resources. Through thematic analysis of selected studies, resilience is identified as both a mediator and a moderator in the relationship between leadership and well-being, indicating that resilient employees are better equipped to manage workplace stressors and maintain engagement. Findings suggest that supportive leadership behaviours facilitate resource accumulation, enhance positive employee outcomes, and help mitigate the adverse effects of job demands. Conversely, ineffective leadership styles are linked to diminished trust, increased burnout, and lower organizational commitment. The review emphasizes the importance of developing resilience-focused leadership practices to support sustainable employee well-being and organizational success. It also recommends that organizations incorporate leadership development programs alongside resilience-building initiatives to strengthen psychological resources and adaptive capacities across all levels of the workforce. Future research should focus on longitudinal and cross-cultural studies to enhance understanding of these complex dynamics.

Work engagement is a crucial ingredient that cultivates an individual’s physical and general well-being in the workplace. This, in turn, produces organisational effectiveness and contributes to organisational success and sustainability. Concerningly, work engagement remains under-researched in South African higher education institutions. This study investigated the work engagement experiences of employees in a technical services department of a South African institution of higher education. The study employed qualitative research methods and phenomenological research design. Semi-structured face-to-face interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 10 participants. Thematic analysis was used to analyse data. The findings suggest that employees who have optimal work demands receive adequate support to discharge their work and feel engaged and attached to their jobs. The findings further suggest that personal and job resources contribute to improved engagement levels among employees. Organisations should enhance the work engagement of employees by effectively managing their job demands while providing adequate job and personal resources. This study provides insights into the importance of cultivating work engagement within the workplace and the ways to achieve this. The study further provides guidelines for enhancing engagement by highlighting four elements to consider: workload, skills and self-efficacy, tools and equipment, and supervisor and co-worker support.    

This study investigated the influence of organisational culture and responsible leadership on employee job satisfaction. A positivist research philosophy was adopted, with a stratified sample of 373 permanent employees from a South African state-owned enterprise, using a quantitative approach and cross-sectional design. Data were collected using the Organisational Culture Assessment Inventory (OCAI), the Responsible Leadership Scale (RLS), and the Job Satisfaction Index (JSI). Data reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, while confirmatory factor analysis, correlation analysis, and multiple regression were used to determine predictive relationships among variables. The results indicated that organisational culture correlated positively and significantly with both responsible leadership and job satisfaction, and responsible leadership also correlated positively and significantly with job satisfaction. Furthermore, responsible leadership significantly predicted job satisfaction, whereas organisational culture did not significantly predict job satisfaction. From a business ecosystem and strategy perspective, the findings highlight the importance of fostering responsible leadership and adaptive organisational cultures as key enablers of sustainable performance, ethical governance, and stakeholder trust. These factors are crucial for strengthening strategic alignment and long-term competitiveness in complex institutional environments. The study also has socio-economic development implications: by promoting responsible leadership and enhancing employee satisfaction, state-owned enterprises can drive productivity, social equity, and inclusive growth, thereby reinforcing South Africa’s broader business and socio-economic ecosystem.

Role overload is prevalent in modern workplaces and can lead to negative consequences; however, its connection to organizational deviance is understudied. This study investigated the relationship between role overload and organizational deviance, and examining the mediating roles of moral disengagement and felt trust. Using the job demands-resources model, moral disengagement theory, and social exchange theory as frameworks, three hypotheses were developed and tested. Data were collected in two phases from 324 full-time employees in Taiwan using validated scales. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was used for the analysis. The results indicate that role overload has a direct positive relationship with organizational deviance. Additionally, moral disengagement and felt trust both mediated this relationship. Specifically, role overload increases moral disengagement, which in turn increases organizational deviance. Role overload also decreases felt trust, leading to increased organizational deviance. These findings suggest multiple pathways through which role overload can result in deviant workplace behaviors. This study contributes to the literature by identifying the moral and emotional mechanisms linking role overload to organizational deviance.

Organisational leaders are the most vital and effective machinery that organisations possess to enhance and sustain employee engagement. As such, it is important that they fully understand the significance of the effect of leadership style on employee engagement. Against this background, this paper aims to examine the effect of transformational leadership on employee engagement. A quantitative research methodology was utilised for the data collection and analysis.  The target population for this study comprised the labour force at a specific company in South Africa. The unit of analysis was all individuals employed at the company and could be seen as individuals with an influence on the performance of the company through their level of engagement. A questionnaire with closed-ended questions was utilised to collect data after having obtained an ethical clearance certificate from an institution of higher learning in South Africa. Descriptive statistics and correlational analysis were used to analyse the data. The main finding demonstrates that transformational leadership style has a positive effect on employee engagement. The study underscores the importance of transformational leadership style in fostering employee engagement. The study contributes to the theoretical discourse on leadership by emphasising the need, in an ever-changing competitive business environment, where businesses are constantly striving to achieve a competitive edge over their competitors, for a leadership style that has a positive effect on employee engagement.

Management often promotes internal competition as a means to enhance employee performance; however, the potential adverse effects are frequently neglected. This study investigates the relationships among competitive psychological climate, organizational deviance, moral disengagement, and felt trust. It explores how a competitive climate is associated with organizational deviance through the mechanism of moral disengagement and examines whether felt trust moderates this relationship. Surveys were administered in two phases to 279 full-time employees in Taiwan. Partial least square structural equation modeling was employed to test the hypothesized relationships. Our findings indicate that moral disengagement mediates the relationship between competitive psychological climate and organizational deviance. Furthermore, felt trust moderated both the direct and indirect relationships involving competitive psychological climate. The implication for management is that when employing internal competition to enhance performance, they should consider the potential for deviant behavior and whether it can be mitigated by moderators such as felt trust.

Workplace dynamics have significantly evolved, leading to increased discussions around psychological safety, quiet quitting, and employee resilience. Psychological safety fosters an environment where employees feel comfortable expressing ideas, taking risks, and seeking support without fear of negative consequences. However, the emergence of quiet quitting, where employees disengage emotionally while meeting only minimal job requirements, raises concerns about workplace motivation and commitment. This conceptual paper explores the interplay between psychological safety, quiet quitting, and employee resilience, proposing a framework for sustainable workplace engagement. Drawing on existing theories in organizational behavior and psychology, this paper examines how fostering psychological safety can mitigate quiet quitting and enhance resilience among employees. The study further highlights strategies for organizations to build adaptive work cultures that promote employee well-being, engagement, and long-term productivity.

ABSTRACT Purpose of the study: Our quantitative correlational study investigates the association between the perceived organisational support of manufacturing company employees and their innovative work behaviour. Design/methodology/approach: Our study included 423 employees from a manufacturing company in Gauteng, South Africa, selected using a convenient sampling method. We used descriptive statistics, chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis test, and regression analyses. Findings: We found that manufacturing company perceptions of organisational support and innovative work behaviour differ based on age, job role, and tenure and are not different by highest completed qualification. Perceived organisational support had a positive significant relationship with innovative work behaviour. Recommendations/value: The value of this study is that it allows company managers to realise that when they do not create a supportive culture, it leads to less innovation. Creating a supportive work environment positively impacts employees’ innovative work behaviour, builds a strong organisational innovative culture, and communicates innovation. Managerial implications: Manufacturing company managers to diversify resources of support for employees and prioritise this approach for the administration. They should make organisational changes that consider the needs and expectations of the employees.

Research on job satisfaction (JS) and work engagement (WE) has been conducted in the context of the South African public sector; however, there remains a gap in understanding the relationship between JS and WE within the offices of specific government departments. This study sought to investigate the correlation between work engagement and job satisfaction among administrative employees. The South African Government is viewed as a failed state because of its difficulties in delivering efficient and effective services to its citizens, which may undermine public trust in institutions. The study sought to ascertain that managers in a chosen government department recognise the correlation between job satisfaction and work engagement. A quantitative research approach employing a cross-sectional design was implemented, utilising two established questionnaires on job satisfaction and work engagement, which were distributed to administrative employees (n = 180) through Google Forms. Participants were selected using the snowball sampling method. The collected data underwent analysis through factor analysis. The data obtained from 180 respondents indicated a positive correlation between work engagement and job satisfaction. Management should prioritise the enhancement of work engagement, as it directly impacts job satisfaction and can lead to improvements in both employee and organisational performance. This alignment may improve employee motivation and the contributions employees make to the organisation. This study emphasises the significant correlation between employee engagement and job satisfaction, especially among administrative staff. This will assist the organisation in aligning its policies with employee expectations.

Amid the dynamic manufacturing landscape of the modern world, innovation remains key in fostering competitiveness and growth. Whereas psychological safety has been proven to be an inducer of innovative work behaviour (IWB), fewer studies have probed the mechanism through which this is achieved, particularly in emerging economies. Addressing this literature gap, the current study examines the mediating effect of perceived organisational support (POS) between psychological safety and innovative work behaviour in a South African manufacturing company. We adopted a quantitative cross-sectional design, where data were collected from 423 employees with the help of reliable and validated measures. Data were analysed using STATA version 17, and all the respondents were collected with the help of a structured, closed-ended questionnaire. The results indicate that perceived organisational support plays a partial mediating role in the association of psychological safety with innovative work behaviour. In other words, perceived organisational support enhances the positive effect of psychological safety on employees' inclination to innovate, which highlights its strategic significance. This study contributes to the organisational behaviour field by unpacking the indirect role of POS in the safety–innovation relationship and offers practical implications for HR practitioners and leadership. Organisations are encouraged to create inclusive feedback systems, reward the contributions of employees, and infuse support mechanisms into workplace culture to release employee innovation and build adaptive capacity in competitive environments.

Employee engagement has become a critical business priority for senior executives. Engaged employees are inclined to contribute more to organizational output and sustain greater commitment toward their organizations. Individualized consideration is a component of transformational leadership that involves offering personalized support to employees, understanding their unique needs and aspirations, and fostering their career development through mentorship and coaching. This study aimed to examine the influence of individualized consideration on employee engagement. The article is guided by three objectives: the influence of supportive leadership on employee engagement, mentorship and coaching on employee engagement, and career development and training on employee engagement. This study targeted the 10 parastatals within the energy sector in Kenya, with a population of 315 middle-level managers. The study adopted a positivist research philosophy to examine the influence of individualized consideration on employee engagement, and data was collected using structured questionnaires. A correlational research design was conducted to determine the extent to which constructs of individualized consideration influence employee engagement. The findings showed that employee engagement has a statistically significant relationship with supportive leadership, r(161) = 0.413, p < 0.01; mentorship and coaching, r(161) = 0.480, p < 0.01; and career development and training, r(161) = 0.454, p < 0.01. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that supportive leadership, mentorship and coaching, and career development and training positively and significantly influence employee engagement, respectively, ? = 0.141, p < .01, ? = 0.252, p < .01, ? = 0.207, p < .01. The study concluded that supportive leadership, mentorship and coaching, and career development and training positively and significantly enhance employee engagement.

The concepts of environmental-specific and servant leadership (ESSL) and organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) for the environment are recognized as pivotal in achieving environmental sustainability. This study aims to explore the interconnectedness between these two concepts. A comprehensive desktop integrative study was conducted, encompassing a thorough analysis of pertinent literature. This approach was augmented by comprehensive searches of reputable academic databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, ResearchGate, and Google Scholar, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the research topic through high-quality, peer-reviewed articles and scholarly content. The findings strongly support the idea that ESSL plays a crucial role in cultivating a sustainable culture within organizations by empowering leaders to develop their teams' knowledge and skills in environmental sustainability. Such leadership fosters employee engagement in sustainable practices, enhancing overall environmental performance and promoting a sense of responsibility towards sustainable development. Recommendations emphasize the importance of fostering a supportive organizational culture where employees perceive their contributions to environmental goals as significant. Recognizing and rewarding exemplary environmental behaviours can further inspire others, embedding ESSL and OCB into organizational culture for holistic sustainability. This approach encourages a shared commitment to environmental stewardship, driving organizational change towards sustainable practices and positioning the company as a leader in environmental responsibility. Managerial implications highlight the role of ESSL in aligning sustainability goals with leadership practices, emphasizing stewardship and a service-oriented approach that prioritizes both employee welfare and environmental sustainability.

This paper examines the impact of employee perceptions of diversity management (DM) on individual outcomes, such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and workplace performance, in the context of Eastern Europe, focusing on Romania. It aims to address gaps in the literature by exploring individual-level dynamics of DM, which have been largely overlooked compared to organizational or group-level analyses. Additionally, the study integrates frameworks such as Social Identity Theory, Similarity-Attraction Theory, and Resource-Based Theory to conceptualize how perceptions of inclusiveness influence employee attitudes and behaviors. A quantitative analysis was conducted using validated instruments to measure perceptions of DM, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and individual performance among employees from various industries in Romania. The dataset includes responses collected over a specific timeframe, ensuring robust statistical analysis. The main findings of the study reveal that: (i) Positive perceptions of DM are significantly associated with improved workplace performance, mediated by organizational commitment. (ii) Positive perceptions of DM are significantly associated with improved job satisfaction, mediated by organizational commitment. These findings provide actionable insights for organizations operating in socio-economically transitioning economies like Romania. The study contributes to the literature by applying classical theories in an Eastern European context and offers practical strategies for designing and implementing effective DM initiatives that promote inclusiveness, reduce intergroup conflict, and enhance employee engagement.

Employee engagement has become a prominent topic in workplace discourse, particularly within academia, yet the academic literature on this subject remains relatively limited, especially in the context of Ghana. This paper seeks to address this gap by examining the factors contributing to employee engagement among academics and exploring their interrelationships for enhanced engagement of faculty. This was done through a comprehensive literature review, drawing on peer-reviewed journal articles, working papers, textbooks, and other relevant published sources, as well as online databases, including EBSCO Business Source Premier, Emerald Full Text, Google Scholar, Sci-Space, Science Direct, Sci-Hub, and Scopus. This study identifies key factors influencing employee engagement in higher education institutions as co-worker relationships, effective supervision, confidence in management, meaningful work roles, perceived organisational politics, organisational resources, effective leadership, and compensation and monetary benefits. The findings reveal a concerning trend of a higher number of disengaged or unengaged employees compared to those who are actively engaged. Furthermore, the consequences of employee engagement identified in the literature include job satisfaction, employee retention, and organisational citizenship behaviours, while challenges and barriers to engagement include poor management-union relationships, poor work environments, poor management practices, and inadequate communication. This paper contributes to the understanding of employee engagement in academia and provides insights for improving engagement levels in higher education institutions in Ghana.

This study investigates the impact of digital transformation on human capital management practices (HCMPs) and their influence on work engagement. The research aims to evaluate the effects of recruitment and selection, training, career opportunities, and reward on employee engagement, and to examine whether digital transformation moderates these relationships. Using a sample of 607 employees, data were collected through online questionnaires from the banking and hospitality sectors in South Africa and analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The study finds that HCMPs such as recruitment and selection, training, career opportunities, and reward positively affect work engagement. However, contrary to expectations, digital transformation did not significantly moderate the effect of HCMPs on Work engagement. This suggests that the impact of digitalization may be more complex and context dependent. The significance of this study lies in highlighting the stability of HCMP impacts amidst technological change, providing insights for organizations to manage work engagement effectively without over-relying on digital transformation as a moderating factor.