Abstract:
Management uses Influence tactics to direct and coordinate their teams towards a common goal. This crucial part of leadership, specifically the usage of influence tactics in combination, is not as well understood as when used individually. Engagement, on the other hand, is well accepted to contribute to better organisational performance. The understanding of influence tactics through the lens of engagement is still not well understood, and as a result, this study goes deeper into understanding the links between these two crucial constructs.
The study aimed to understand the effect of using rational persuasion and collaboration, individually and in combination, relative to individual work engagement (IWE).
The hypotheses were tested using quantitative methods through the use of a self-report online questionnaire. The constructs were tested for validity and reliability, and analyses were done using the ANOVA analysis. The study was cross-sectional and included a final valid sample size of 129 respondents.
The study provided empirical evidence that rational persuasion and collaboration positively affected individual work engagement, individually and in combination. It was further found that rational persuasion had a more significant effect on individual work engagement than collaboration and a combination of rational persuasion and collaboration. There was, however, no statistical difference between the individual work engagement between using collaboration individually and in combination with rational persuasion.
The study thus contributes to the literature in leadership, influence, engagement and performance.
