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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.

In today’s business world, where technology and competition are intensely experienced, one of the most essential factors for organizational success is the establishment of healthy and harmonious relationships between managers and employees. In this context, paternalistic leadership refers to managers approaching their employees with the same care and protection that a father shows to his children, while employees willingly embrace this attitude. Such an approach can have significant effects on employees’ performance, commitment, job satisfaction, work engagement, and overall happiness. The primary purpose of this study is to examine the mediating role of employee happiness in the effect of paternalistic leadership on employees’ work engagement. The research population consists of all employees (N=1120) of Bortar Group Catering operating in ?zmir, while the sample comprises 428 participants who voluntarily completed the survey. The data were analyzed using the SPSS 23 statistical software. The findings aim to reveal how paternalistic leadership influences employees’ work engagement and whether happiness serves as a mediating factor in this relationship.

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.