RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Research Proposal: The Role of Leadership in Employee Engagement

Research Proposal: The Role of Leadership in Employee Engagement

Introduction

Background

Nowadays, business environment is drastically changing. The focus of organisations changes from capital or products to human resources. Organisations understand that to gain competitive advantage over others, they need to change their focus from better technologies, strategies, services and products or a better cost structure to effective management of resource. Since, employees are the implementers of strategies or the one who uses technology; thus, their engagement is essential.

The company's strength and long-term value now refers to the employees. Several studies asserted over and over again that talent workforce become the vital need of organisations and very important for sustainability of business. To gain competitive advantage, companies emphasise on offering differentiation and involved workforce is the ultimate objective.

To keep the workforce engaged, businesses need to foster a work environment that support and motivate employees within the workforce. Organisation to retain and engage its workforce offers several motivators factors, such as intrinsic and extrinsic motivators. Several researchers in conformity asserted that intrinsic motivators turn out to be advantageous in gaining employee engagement in today's highly competitive work environment. The key drivers highlighted are pride in working for the organisation, belief in senior leadership and relationship with line manager (Redman, 2011, pp.11-18).

These days, workforce looks for personal association with their immediate manager. The actions and attitude of the immediate manager may help in keeping the workforce engaged or may create an environment when a worker becomes disengage. Additionally, employees believe in the senior leadership's ability to take their input, lead the organisation in the right path where employees can communicate openly, which is the key driver of employee engagement. Similar factors that drive employee engagement is that workforce are treated with respect, which shows that the organisation values their feeling and employees' personal values are reflected.

Purpose of the Study

Studies regarded that the search for continuous improvement and competitive advantage is a compelling factor for companies to consider employees as a key of enhancing organisational success. The aim of this study is twofold: firstly, to explore the role of leadership on employee engagement that as a result, increases firm's competitive advantage and organisational performance. Secondly, this assignment highlighted specific leadership behaviours and values have an effect on employee engagement.

Research Problem

The effect of an economic downturn and pressure bring severe challenges for companies that make efforts to gain competitive advantage over rival firms as regards to the component of people of their strategies to maintain and achieve a competitive edge. Therefore, people strategies emphasis on the optimisation, retention and attraction of skilled and talented employees (MacDonald, 2002, pp.220-226).

The issue this brings for companies based on determining how they might create the work environment type in their companies, which promotes the mechanisms of psychology that mitigate employee turnover and deliver excellent performance. Leaders have a vital role in engaging employees towards organisation by employing several tools of ...