Abstract
The study explored the complex nature of a public institution experiencing issues related to low service delivery, change of administration, bureaucratic milieu, and low staff morale. The study specifically attempted to understand the leadership trials that affect the extent to which employees are engaged or disengaged in their work. As such, the relationship between the leadership styles and employee engagement was studied. The study utilised the UWES-17 scale to measure employee engagement (dependent variable) and the Circumplex Leadership Scale (CLS) to measure three leadership styles, namely, inspirational, coaching and withdrawn (independent variables).
The research questions the study aimed to answer were, first: is there a significant positive correlation between inspirational leadership style and employee engagement? Second, is there a significant positive relationship between coaching leadership style and employee engagement? Thirdly, what is the relationship between a withdrawn leadership style and employee engagement? A quantitative, cross-sectional survey approach was used. The study sampled a departmental unit consisting of n = 211 employees, of which n = 111 participated in the study through a self-administered questionnaire.
The study found a small negative correlation between withdrawn and employee engagement variables [r=-0.197, p < 0.04]. A significant positive correlation between inspirational leadership style and employee engagement variables [r=0.545, p < 0.00] were noted. A significant positive correlation between coaching leadership style and employee engagement variables [r=0.541, p < 0.00] were observed.
These findings suggest that the presence of withdrawn leadership in a public institution triggers low employee disengagement. Leaders and/or line managers who exhibit inspirational or coaching leadership in a public institution significantly positively influence employees.