Abstract:
ORIENTATION : South African state-owned enterprises (SOEs) are overburdened by excessive
top-level management, straining human capital budgets. Reducing this may increase the span
of control, affecting the relationship between leadership style and employee commitment.
RESEARCH PURPOSE :
This study examines the role of span of control in the relationship between
the transactional leadership behaviours of Black top managers and employee commitment in
South African SOEs.
MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY :
Aligning leadership behaviours with employee expectations is
crucial for fostering commitment and retaining talent, especially in South African SOEs facing
performance issues.
RESEARCH DESIGN, APPROACH AND METHOD :
A positivist approach and quantitative method were
employed. Data were gathered through self-administered questionnaires from a purposive
sample of employees of SOEs. The study’s constructs were assessed using validated
instruments, including the multifactor leadership scale and the three-component employee
commitment model. Descriptive and inferential statistical tools were employed for data
analysis.
MAIN FINDINGS :
The study reveals that span of control does not moderate the relationship
between contingent reward behaviour or management by exception (Passive) and employee
commitment. However, span of control moderates the relationship between management by
exception (Active) and affective commitment, but not with normative commitment or
continuance commitment.
PRACTICAL/MANAGERIAL IMPLICATION :
The findings highlight specific leadership behaviours that
can enhance employee commitment in South African SOEs with increased span of control.
CONTRIBUTION/VALUE-ADD : This study contributes to leadership theory by identifying how span
of control influences the relationship between leadership behaviour and employee commitment
in South African SOEs.
Description:
DATA AVAILABILITY :
All data generated or analysed during this study are
included in this published article and data files are
available from the corresponding author, T.R.M., upon
reasonable request.