How leadership behaviours impact employee engagement - a case study approach

The chemical and engineering industry, amongst other industries, is increasingly facing the shortfalls of experienced talent. Organisations need to react and empower leaders to attract and more importantly to retain talented employees. As a result, organisations put more focus and greater attention on employee engagement. The level of employee satisfaction with a manager’s leadership style is decisive for the engagement level of employees. An employee’s engagement levels represent not only a sustainable competitive advantage, and consequently high levels of employee engagement lead to higher productivity levels. Based on a grounded theory research methodology, this study aims to provide an understanding of the leadership styles and leadership behaviours which contribute to the higher levels of employee engagement at Linde Plc. – the case study organisation used for this research. Data collection was carried out using semi-structured interviews with 17 business leaders reporting on their own experiences throughout their leadership careers at Linde Plc. The study analysed how leadership behaviour and certain leadership practices have a positive impact on employee engagement. The findings of this study indicate that a leader's understanding of employee engagement, a leader's personality and background as well as specific leadership practices have a positive effect on employee engagement. Furthermore, the research identified that a leader's focus on talent management activities drives employee engagement in a positive way. Based on the findings, and as a contribution to practice, the research study presents and discusses six recommendations for the case study organisation in order to increase the levels of employee engagement. The recommendations of practices can be applied to practices in a broader audience and other industries through further contextual research and analysis.