Enhancing employee engagement through integrating leadership and employee job resources: evidence from a public healthcare setting

Abstract

This study examines the mediating role of job resources on the relationship between leadership and the work engagement of healthcare professionals. A stratified random sample from across the public healthcare sector of Cyprus was used. Data from a total of 605 respondents were analyzed: nurses (n = 348), physicians (n = 114), and other health professionals (n = 143). Using exploratory factor analysis, the antecedents of engagement were extracted, and a structural equation model was developed to investigate the hypothesized relationships. The results suggest that leadership factors such as leadership role encouragement and employee orientation leadership could elicit greater engagement among healthcare professionals by facilitating improved job resources (line-management supervision, development and training opportunities, and shared organizational vision). Notably, our results highlight the important role of a shared organizational vision in enhancing employee engagement. Our study provides important insights that can help managers and decision-makers further engage public healthcare employees.