Influence of leadership styles and performance management on enhancing employee engagement

Abstract

This research intended to describe the relationships between different leadership styles, experiences of performance management systems and employee engagement. In an increasingly competitive business environment, employee engagement can aid improvement in organisational efficiency and performance as well as building sustainable competitive advantage. Understanding levers, such as leadership development programs and human resource management systems, that organisations can use to enhance engagement is, therefore, critical. A quantitative research methodology was followed to collect the research data. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ 5x), Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and a scale to measure experiences of performance management was administered to 97 respondents. Regression analysis was used to describe the nature of the relationships between the variables in the study. The findings from the study indicated positive relationships between transformational and transactional leadership styles and experiences of the performance management process as well as employee engagement. Passiveavoidant, laissez-faire approaches to leadership were found to have a negative relationship with the employee experiences of performance management and engagement. From the results, it was also possible to conclude a positive relationship between experiences of performance management and employee engagement. The research contributes to explaining the impact of transformational leadership styles on employee's perception of human resource practices in an organisation as well as the employee's state of engagement. A framework describing the leadership behaviours that influence performance management and employee engagement respectively is developed based on the conclusions drawn.