The effect of transformational leadership style on employee engagement

Abstract

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.

Keywords: {'name': 'Leadership, Leadership style, Transformational Leadership Style, Employee Engagement'}

Authors & affiliations

Linda Muswaka
Vaal University of Technology

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