The Role of Employee Engagement in Mediating the Relationship between Leadership Style and Organizational Commitment: A Study of a Healthcare Institution in Kano State, Nigeria

SUNDARARAJAN SHANMUGAM; Aliyu Mohammed; Prince Martin

doi:10.63141/gijbr-V2N1-2025ID27

Authors

Dr. Shanmugam Sundararajan Skyline University Nigeria Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9712-6635
Mr. Aliyu Mohammed Skyline University Nigeria Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2071-3089
Dr. V. Prince Martin Alliance Ascent College, Alliance University Bengaluru Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63141/gijbr-V2N1-2025ID27

Abstract

The aim of this study therefore is to investigate the mediating role of employee engagement on the relationship between leadership style and organizational commitment in a selected healthcare institution in Kano State, Nigeria. It only shows that the said leadership initiatives still have not achieved the subject targets, as there is still a very huge gap between the effectiveness of the leadership activities that are undertaken in the specific organizational setting and the corresponding commitment level of the mentioned employees. Therefore, in the current study, the authors considered the employee demographic categorization in the healthcare setting, and employed a stratified random sampling approach to simultaneously distribute a quantitative self-administered questionnaire to 1,500 healthcare employees. The actual sample size derived out of the calculation made for the study was 385, while 320 sealed questionnaires were received and analyzed, thus making the response rate for the study equal to 83 per cent. In the present study, Statistical tools were in the form of Structural Equation Modeling and Confirmatory Factor Analysis to analyze the variables. It was evidenced from the literature review that leadership style positively influences organizational commitment mediated effectively by employee engagement. Of all the leadership styles mentioned in the study, transformational leadership was found to enhance the degree of commitment made by the employees and hence improving the organisational commitment. Engagement is also found to be the relational mechanism between leadership and commitment in the study. For that reason, there is a necessity in the adoption of transformational leadership practices and the development of the special protective measures to enhance the employee engagement level of the healthcare institutions in Kano State. Further, the leadership development initiatives should be run for continuity because when run for continuity, they help to sustain interest of the people working in the organization. Therefore, this study contributes to the existing understandings of leadership and employee engagement with focus on healthcare organisation to help the practitioners in improving organisational outcomes.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Author Biographies

Dr. Shanmugam Sundararajan, Skyline University Nigeria

Dr. Shanmugam Sundararajan, Head - Economics & Entrepreneurship Department, Skyline University Nigeria, Kano state, Nigeria-700225
Mr. Aliyu Mohammed, Skyline University Nigeria

Mr. Aliyu Mohammed, Lecturer II & PhD Research Scholar in Management, Department of Management, Skyline University Nigeria, Kano state, Nigeria-700225
Dr. V. Prince Martin, Alliance Ascent College, Alliance University Bengaluru

Dr. V. Prince Martin, Associate Professor, Alliance Ascent College, Alliance University, Bengaluru, Karnataka, India

References

1. Ali, B. J., & Anwar, G. (2021). Strategic leadership effectiveness and its influence on organizational effectiveness. International Journal of Electrical, Electronics and Computers, 6(2).

2. Bakker, A. B. (2022). The social psychology of work engagement: state of the field. Career Development International, 27(1), 36-53.

3. Baldwin, R., & Cave, M. (2020). Taming the Corporation: How to Regulate for Success. Oxford University Press, USA.

4. Chukwukelu, T. I. (2023). Examining The Impact of Leadership Styles on Teacher Motivation And Teacher Turnover Intentions.

5. De Clercq, D., & Pereira, R. (2020). Knowledge-sharing efforts and employee creative behavior: the invigorating roles of passion for work, time sufficiency and procedural justice. Journal of Knowledge Management, 24(5), 1131-1155.

6. Gaynor, V. (2022). Individual and Organizational Value Congruence: Understanding the Connection between Organizational Culture Values and Employee’s Source of Intrinsic Motivation (Doctoral dissertation, The Chicago School of Professional Psychology).

7. Hongal, P., & Kinange, U. (2020). A study on talent management and its impact on organization performance-an empirical review. International Journal of Engineering and Management Research, 10.

8. Jones, I. (2021). The Future Leading Ladies, Female Leaders by Choice, Obligation, or Necessity. A Qualitative Study Dismantling Millennial-Aged Women’s Assumption, Leadership Perceptions, and Influence on Social Support in the It Industry That’s Viewed Male-Dominated. Adler University.

9. Kitsios, F., & Kamariotou, M. (2021). Job satisfaction behind motivation: An empirical study in public health workers. Heliyon, 7(4).

10. Kwan, P. (2020). Is transformational leadership theory passé? Revisiting the integrative effect of instructional leadership and transformational leadership on student outcomes. Educational Administration Quarterly, 56(2), 321-349.

11. Machmud, R., & Wolok, T. (2020). Model design of influence of service quality on customer satisfaction in regional general hospitals in Gorontalo Province. International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality in Asia Pasific (IJTHAP), 3(3), 63-78.

12. Novruzov, S. (2024). The Impact of Leadership Styles on Organizational Commitment: A Study in the Trading and Logistics Company in Azerbaijan. Open Journal of Business and Management, 12(5), 3572-3622.

13. Purwanto, A. (2020). The relationship of transformational leadership, organizational justice and organizational commitment: a mediation effect of job satisfaction. Journal of Critical Reviews.

14. Rameshkumar, M. (2020). Employee engagement as an antecedent of organizational commitment–A study on Indian seafaring officers. The Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics, 36(3), 105-112.

15. Rameshkumar, M. (2020). Employee engagement as an antecedent of organizational commitment–A study on Indian seafaring officers. The Asian Journal of Shipping and Logistics, 36(3), 105-112.

16. Rubab, S. (2024). Effect of customer incivility and emotional exhaustion on job satisfaction and turnover intentions in nurses at a tertiary care cancer hospital in Pakistan.

17. Samuel, O. M., & Engelbrecht, A. S. (2021). How transformational leadership, psychological contract violation, empowerment and affective commitment influence employee’s intention to quit an organisation. South African Journal of Business Management, 52(1), 12.

18. Santhanam, N., & Srinivas, S. (2020). Modeling the impact of employee engagement and happiness on burnout and turnover intention among blue-collar workers at a manufacturing company. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 27(2), 499-516.

19. Senjaya, V., & Anindita, R. (2020). The role of transformational leadership and organizational culture towards organizational commitment through job satisfaction among mining industry employees. Jurnal Aplikasi Manajemen, 18(4), 767-782.

20. Shore, L. M., & Chung, B. G. (2023). Enhancing leader inclusion while preventing social exclusion in the work group. Human Resource Management Review, 33(1), 100902.

21. TASHTOUSH, L. M. I. (2020). Impact on Organizational Commitment and Organizational Citizenship Behavior in Jordanian Universities (Doctoral dissertation, Ph. D. Thesis, Near East University, Business Administration Department).

22. Thanh, N. H., & Quang, N. V. (2022). Transformational, transactional, laissez-faire leadership styles and employee engagement: Evidence from Vietnam’s public sector. Sage Open, 12(2), 21582440221094606.

23. Xanthopoulou, P., & Karampelas, I. D. (2020). The Impact of Leadership on Employ eesâ€™ Loyalty and on Organizational Success: Do Transformational and Transactional Leadership Ensure Organizational and Work Commitment. Int J Sci, 9(10), 45-63.

24. Zondo, R. W. (2020). The influence of employee engagement on labour productivity in an automotive assembly organisation in South Africa. South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences, 23(1), 1-9.