The effect of authentic leadership and psychological capital on work engagement amongst employees in leadership positions at Standard Lesotho Bank

[摘要] Organisations today are struggling with the challenges in their efforts to remain competitive.They need to enhance the talents and engagement of all their employees if they are to achievepeak performance, as engaged employees yield direct economic benefits to the organisation. Theconcept of work engagement plays an important role in this endeavor. The assumption of thisstudy was that certain variables influence work engagement and it is therefore important to gainan understanding of these antecedents of work engagement. More specifically, the current studysought to answer the following question: does authentic leadership and psychological capital(self-efficacy, hope, optimism, resilience) have an effect on work engagement amongstemployees in the banking sector in Lesotho? The primary aim of the study was to determine theeffect of authentic leadership and psychological capital on work engagement amongst employeesin the banking sector in Lesotho. The secondary aim was to determine whether differences existin work engagement with regard to age amongst employees in the banking sector in Lesotho. Adiscussion of the relationship between the variables was discussed in the study. Both survey andstatistical modeling methodologies were employed to guide the investigation.In order to conduct the survey research, questionnaires were used as the method of datagathering. In total, 299 questionnaires were returned by employees and consisted of foursections that had to be completed. The measuring instruments included the Utrecht WorkEngagement Scale (UWES), the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire (ALQ) and thePsychological Capital Questionnaire (PsyCap) (self and other rater).The goodness-of-fit statistics associated with each of the four constructs was determined and theresults indicated that all the constructs are valid and reliable measures for this study. The currentstudy found that Relational Transparency (β = 0.736) was the strongest predictor of employees'levels of engagement. Authentic leaders are able to enhance the engagement of employees bystrengthening their identification with the leader and organisation. By actively involving anddeveloping employees, authentic leaders increase employees work engagement and also bypromoting more rapid and accurate transfer of information is most likely expected to facilitatemore effective employee performance and engagement. A significant positive correlation existed between PsyCap (other rater) and work engagement (r = 0.718). One of the elements of thePCQOR is efficacy/confidence. In addition, efficacy/confidence of the leader was the secondbest predictor of employees' levels of engagement (β = 0.248). Self-efficacious employees areable to meet their work goals, and to be persistent in the face of difficulties. As a result,engagement occurs through the facilitation of goal attainment. Manager's self-efficacy may berelated to employee engagement because as the manager's employees become more engaged intheir work, the manager gains confidence and belief in her/his abilities to create and build anengaged team or group successfully. A team led by an efficacious manager, results in desiredunit/organisational outcomes. Employees' levels of hope were the third best predictor of theirlevels of work engagement (β = 0.099). A significant positive correlation also existed betweenPCQSR and work engagement (r = 0.520). Employees high in hope are said to be more engagedin their work since they have more goal orientated strategies and are more motivated to goalachievement. In turn, these employees perform well in service delivery and complaint-handlingprocesses. The fourth and final predictor of employees' levels of work engagement was theirmanagers' levels of optimism. (β = 0.139). A significant positive correlation was also foundbetween PCQOR and work engagement (r = 0.718). Optimistic managers always strive forpositive outcomes and are likely to believe in their potential and that of their subordinatesregardless of previous failures. These qualities help them to be energetic, maintain theirperseverance in the face of demands, and most importantly enable engagement. Managers whopossess high levels of optimism maintain a positive perspective and do not make disasters out ofsetbacks.In addition, employees from the age group 55 years and older scored higher on engagement thanthe younger employees (younger than 35 years). The 55 years and older we found to be moreengaged than the other three groups. Older employees are more content with their employer andparticular working conditions which makes them to be more engaged. They have a clear visionof their place within the organisation and possible resultant career paths and they arecharacterised by the highest overall engagement levels which assumes not only a highcontribution rate but also high attraction to their job and employer. In conclusion, further work is needed on differentiating authentic leadership from existingtheories of leadership such as transformational, charismatic, inspirational and servant leadership.Further research also needs to be explored on how some other leadership theories might beconnected to authentic leadership. Future research should also try to compare multiple measuresof psychological capital to determine appropriate psychometric validity. Further theorydevelopment may also be gained by analysing psychological capital as an antecedent to authenticleadership rather than just an outcome or mediator. Interventions of work engagement should tryto focus on both individuals and the organisation at large. Furthermore, it is worth focusing onthe mechanisms through which work engagement leads to favorable outcomes by getting insightin the processes that it initiates or is involved in. this can help not only to achieve betterperformance but also to increase chances for better career development.

[发布机构] University of the Free State