Leadership Skills and Workplace Engagement among Academic Staff: Evidence from Public Universities in the Amhara Region, Ethiopia.
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63990/2026ajoldvol11iss1pp198-226Keywords:
leadership skills, workplace engagement, higher education, academic staffAbstract
This study investigates the relationship between university leader’s' skills and academic staff workplace engagement within Ethiopian public universities. An explanatory sequential mixed- method design, grounded in the pragmatism paradigm was employed. The quantitative data were collected from 488 academic staff among four public universities in the state of Amhara, Ethiopia, selected via multistage stratified sampling. Participants were completed validated surveys measuringg leadership skills and workplace engagement. The quantitative data were analysed using inferential statistics and Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), and the qualitative data were analysed through thematic analysis. The SEM results showed a solid, positive link between leadership skills and how engaged people are at work, with a coefficient of β=0.51. On the qualitative side, we found that support from leaders tends to be more reactive and sporadic, rather than being a consistent and proactive approach. This study makes a unique contribution by examining the leadership- engagement relationship in under-researched African higher Education context, employing a rigorous explanatory sequential design that integrates statistical testing with contextual qualitative insights. The study concludes with evidence-based recommendations for institutional transformation, including structured leadership development programs focused on consistent skill application, distributed leadership model, systematic support and recognition systems, and institutionalized continuous monitoring of engagement metrics.
References
Abun, D., Ballesteros, J. V. A., Magallanes, T., & Encarnacion, M. J. (2020). Examining the Effect of School Administrators’ Leadership Skills on Employees’ Work Engagement. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147- 4478), 9(7), 32-45. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v9i7.940
Albrecht, Furlong, S., & Leiter, M. P. (2023). The Psychological Conditions for Employee Engagement in Organizational Change: Test of a Change Engagement Model. Front Psychol, 14, 1071924. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1071924
Albrecht, Green, & Marty. (2021). Meaningful Work, Job Resources, and Employee Engagement. Sustainability, 13(7). https://doi.org/10.3390/su13074045
Alharthi, F. B. (2024). Gender Differences in Perceptions of Leadership and their Influence on Motivation among Faculty Members of Taif University. Front Psychol, 15, 1476526. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1476526
Atiku, S. O., Itembu-Naunyango, K. A., & Oladejo, O. M. (2024). Inclusive Leadership and Employee Engagement as Critical Drivers of Sustainability in Telecommunication Companies. Administrative Sciences, 14(6). https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14060126
Atiku, S. O., & Van Wyk, E. (2024). Leadership Practices and Work Engagement in Higher Education: The Mediating Role of Job Demands-Resources. Sage Open, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241233378
Avolio, B. J., & Bass, B. M. (2004). Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire. (Vol. 3rd Edition). Mindgarden. https://doi.org/http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s1532754xjprr1602_2
Bakker. (2022). The Social Psychology of Work engagement: state of the Field. Career Development International, 27(1), 36-53. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-08-2021-0213
Bakker, & Albrecht, S. (2018). Work Engagement: Current Trends. Career Development International, 23(1), 4-11. https://doi.org/10.1108/cdi-11-2017-0207
Bakker, & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job Demands-Resources Theory: Taking Stock and Looking Forward. J Occup Health Psychol, 22(3), 273-285. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056
Bass, & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational Leadership (Vol. 2nd Edition). Psychology Press. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4324/9781410617095
Berkat, Setinawati, & Basrowi. (2025). The role of Educational Management in Enhancing Innovation and Problem Solving Competencies for Students towards Global Competitivenes :A literature Review.Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2025.101280
Boccoli, G., Gastaldi, L., & Corso, M. (2022). The Evolution of Employee Engagement: Towards a Social and Contextual Construct for Balancing Individual Performance and Wellbeing Dynamically.International Journal of Management Reviews, 25(1),75 98. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijmr.12304
Clark, L. A., & Watson, D. (2019). Constructing Validity: New Developments in Creating Objective Measuring Instruments.Psychol Assess, 31(12),1412 1427. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0000626
Cochran, W. (1977). Sampling Techniques (Vol. 3rd Edition). John Wiley & Sons.
Coronado-Maldonado, I., & Benitez-Marquez, M. D. (2023). Emotional Intelligence, Leadership, and Work Teams:A Hybrid Literature Review. Heliyon, 9(10), e20356. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e20356
Creswell, & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches (Vol. 5th Edition). SAGE.
Dahal, N., Neupane, B. P., Pant, B. P., Dhakal, R. K., Giri, D. R., Ghimire, P. R., & Bhandari, L. P. (2024). Participant Selection Procedures in Qualitative Research: Experiences and Some Points for Consideration.Front Res Metr Anal, 9, 1512747. https://doi.org/10.3389/frma.2024.1512747
Dawadi, S., Shrestha, S., & Giri, R. A. (2021). Mixed-Methods Research: A Discussion on its Types, Challenges, and Criticisms. Journal of Practical Studies in Education, 2(2), 25-36. https://doi.org/10.46809/jpse.v2i2.20
Dwyer, J., Karanikas, N., & Sav, A. (2023). Scoping Review of Peer-Reviewed Empirical Studies on Implementing High Reliability Organisation Theory. Safety Science, 164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2023.106178
Engward, H., Goldspink, S., Iancu, M., Kersey, T., & Wood, A. (2022). Togetherness in Separation: Practical Considerations for Doing Remote Qualitative Interviews Ethically. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 21. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069211073212
Ergun, E.,Tunca,S.,Cetinkaya,G.,&Balcıoğlu,Y.S. (2025). Exploring the Roles of Work Engagement, Psychological Empowerment, and Perceived Organizational Support in Innovative Work Behavior: A Latent Class Analysis for Sustainable Organizational Practices. Sustainability, 17(4). https://doi.org/10.3390/su17041663
Fennell, K. (2021). Conceptualisations of Leadership and Relevance to Health and Human Service Workforce Development:A Scoping Review.J Multidiscip Healthc, 14,3035 3051. https://doi.org/10.2147/JMDH.S329628
Gallup, I. (2023). State of the Global Workplace.
Galsanjigmed, E., & Sekiguchi, T. (2023). Challenges Women Experience in Leadership Careers: An Integrative Review. Merits, 3(2), 366-389. https://doi.org/10.3390/merits3020021
Gede, D. U., & Huluka, A. T. (2024). Effects of Employee Engagement on Organizational Performance: Case of Public Universities in Ethiopia. Future Business Journal, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-024-00315-7
Gemeda, H. K., & Lee, J. (2020). Leadership Styles, Work Engagement and Outcomes among Information and Communications Technology Professionals: A Cross-National Study. Heliyon, 6(4), e03699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e03699
Ghani, B., Hyder, S. I., Yoo, S., & Han, H. (2023). Does Employee Engagement Promote Innovation? The Facilitators of Innovative Workplace Behavior via Mediation and Moderation. Heliyon, 9(11), e21817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21817
Hair, J. F., Black, W.C., Babin, B.J, & Anderson, R. E. (2010). Multivariate Data Analysis (Vol. 7th Edition). Pearson.
Hallo, L., Nguyen, T., Gorod, A., & Tran, P. (2020). Effectiveness of Leadership Decision-Making in Complex Systems. Systems, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.3390/systems8010005
Heinen, M., van Oostveen, C., Peters, J., Vermeulen, H., & Huis, A. (2019). An Integrative Review of Leadership Competencies and Attributes in Advanced Nursing Practice. J Adv Nurs, 75(11), 2378-2392. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14092
Hojeij, Z. (2024). Educational Leadership's Role in Fostering Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Education: A Narrative Literature Review. Social Sciences & Humanities Open, 10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssaho.2024.101173
Huang, Z., Sindakis, S., Aggarwa, S., & Thomas, L. (2022). The Role of Leadership in Collective Creativity and Innovation: Examining Academic Research and Development Environments. Front Psychol, 13, 1060412. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1060412
Jo, H., & Shin, D. (2025). The Impact of Recognition, Fairness, and Leadership on Employee Outcomes:A Large Scale Multi Group Analysis.PLoS One,20(1), e0312951. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0312951
Juengst, S. B., Terhorst, L., Dicianno, B. E., Niemeier, J. P., & Wagner, A. K. (2019). Development and Content Validity of the Behavioral Assessment Screening Tool (BAST(Beta)). Disabil Rehabil, 41(10), 1200-1206. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2017.1423403
Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological Conditions of Personal Engagement and Disengagement at Work. Academy of Management Journal,Vol.33,No.4. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.5465/256287
Kassahun, Z. W., & Raman, D. M. S. (2021). Antecedents of Employees Work Engagement: A Study on an Ethiopian Universities in Case of Amhara Regional State. Revista Gestão Inovaçãoe Tecnologias,11(4), 4426-4439. https://doi.org/10.47059/revistageintec.v11i4.2470
Katz, L. (1974). Skills of an Effective Administrator. Harvard Business Review.
Kaushik, V., & Walsh, C. A. (2019). Pragmatism as a Research Paradigm and Its Implications for Social Work Research. Social Sciences, 8(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8090255
Kossyva, D., Theriou, G., Aggelidis, V., & Sarigiannidis, L. (2023). Outcomes of Engagement: A Sstematic Literature Review and Future Research Directions. Heliyon, 9(6), e17565. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e17565
Kragt, D., & Day, D. V. (2020). Predicting Leadership Competency Development and Promotion Among High-Potential Executives: The Role of Leader Identity. Front Psychol, 11, 1816. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01816
Kulachai, W. (2024). Evaluating the Employee Engagement Scale through Confirmatory Factor Analysis in Thai local Administration Settings. Cogent Social Sciences, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2024.2414883
Liden, R. C., Wang, X., & Wang, Y. (2025). The Evolution of Leadership: Past Insights, Present Trends, and Future Directions.Journal of Business Research, 186. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.115036
Lim, W. M. (2024). A Typology of Validity: Content, Face, Convergent, Discriminant, nNmological and Predictive Validity.Journal of Trade Science, 12(3), 155-179. https://doi.org/10.1108/jts-03-2024-0016
Ly, B. (2024). Inclusion Leadership and Employee Work engagement: The Role of Organizational Commitment in Cambodian Public Organization. Asia Pacific Management Review, 29(1), 44-52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmrv.2023.06.003
Mazzetti, G., Robledo, E., Vignoli, M., Topa, G., Guglielmi, D., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2023). Work Engagement: A meta-Analysis Using the Job Demands-Resources Model. Psychol Rep, 126(3), 1069-1107. https://doi.org/10.1177/00332941211051988
Mazzetti, G., & Schaufeli, W. B. (2022). The Impact of Engaging Leadership on Employee Engagement and Team Effectiveness: A Longitudinal, Multi-Level Study on the Mediating Role of Personal and Team Resources.PLoS One,17(6),e0269433. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269433
Memon, K. R., Ghani, B., Hyder, S. I., Han, H., Zada, M., Ariza-Montes, A., & Arrano-Munoz, M. (2022). Management of Knowledge and Competence through Human Resource Information System A Structured Review. Front Psychol, 13, 944276. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.944276
Merino-Soto, C., Lozano-Huaman, M., Lima-Mendoza, S., Calderon de la Cruz, G., Juarez-Garcia, A., & Toledano-Toledano, F. (2022). Ultrashort Version of the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-3): A Psychometric Assessment. Int J Environ Res Public Health, 19(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19020890
MoE.(2023).Federal Minister of Education Annual statistics: Annual Abstract. https://moe.gov.et/storage/Books/ESAA/.
Mohammed, I. S., Wuni, A., Nyarko, B. A., Ibrahim, M. M., & Chanayireh, L. (2025). Work Engagement: The Key Driver in Transforming Organizational Commitment into Enhanced Work Performance among Midwives in Ghana - A Structural Equation Modelling Approach. BMC Health Serv Res, 25(1), 840. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-025-13062-4
Northouse. (2018). Leadership Theory and Practice (Vol. 8). SAGE Publications.
Northouse. (2021). Leadership: Theory and Practice (9 ed.). SAGE Publications.
Rahmadani, V. G., Schaufeli, W. B., & Stouten, J. (2020). How Engaging Leaders Foster Employees' Work Engagement. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 41(8), 1155-1169. https://doi.org/10.1108/lodj-01-2020-0014
Rahman, M. M., Tabash, M. I., Salamzadeh, A., Abduli, S., & Rahaman, M. S. (2022). Sampling Techniques (Probability) for Quantitative Social Science Researchers: A Conceptual Guidelines with Examples. SEEU Review, 17(1), 42-51. https://doi.org/10.2478/seeur-2022-0023
Rich, B. L., Lepine, J. A., & Crawford, E. R. (2010). Job Engagement: Antecednts and Effects on Job Performance Academy ofManagement Journal, 53(3).
Rony, Z. T., Lestari, T. S., Ismaniah, Yasin, M., & Lubis, F. M. (2023). The Complexity of Leadership Competence in Universities in the 21st Century. Cogent Social Sciences, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2023.2276986
Sacavém, A., de Bem Machado, A., dos Santos, J. R., Palma-Moreira, A., Belchior-Rocha, H., & Au-Yong-Oliveira, M. (2025). Leading in the Digital Age: The Role of Leadership in Organizational Digital Transformation.Administrative Sciences,15(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci15020043
Sallam, M., Barakat, M., & Sallam, M. (2023). Pilot Testing of a Tool to Standardize the Assessment of the Quality of Health Information Generated by Artificial Intelligence-Based Models. Cureus, 15(11), e49373. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.49373
Sánchez, I. D., Ospina, S. M., & Salgado, E. (2020). Advancing Constructionist Leadership Research Through Paradigm Interplay: An Application in the Leadership–Trust Domain. Leadership, 16(6), 683-711. https://doi.org/10.1177/1742715020919226
Schaufeli. (2021). Engaging Leadership: How to Promote Work Engagement? Front Psychol, 12, 754556. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.754556
Serenko,A.(2024). Practical Wisdom in the Workplace: Conceptualization, Instrument Development, and Predictive Power. Journal of Knowledge Management, 28(7),2092 2119. https://doi.org/10.1108/jkm-08-2023-0713
Valencia, A. M. M. (2022). Principles, Scope, and Limitations of the Methodological Triangulation. Invest Educ Enferm, 40(2). https://doi.org/10.17533/udea.iee.v40n2e03
Wang, Jin, X., & Yoo, J. J. (2024). The Process of Visionary Leadership Increases Innovative Performance among IT Industry 4.0 for SMEs for Organizational Sustainability: Testing the Moderated Mediation Model. Sustainability, 16(19). https://doi.org/10.3390/su16198690
Wang, Woerkom, Breevaart, Bakker, & Xu. (2023). Strengths-Based Leadership and Employee Work Engagement: A Multi-Source Study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2023.103859
Wasti, S. P., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. R., Sathian, B., & Banerjee, I. (2022). The Growing Importance of Mixed-Methods Research in Health. Nepal J Epidemiol, 12(1), 1175-1178. https://doi.org/10.3126/nje.v12i1.43633
Zamiri, M., & Esmaeili, A. (2024). Strategies, Methods, and Supports for Developing Skills within Learning Communities: A Systematic Review of the Literature. Administrative Sciences, 14(9). https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14090231
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yenew Dagnew, Melaku Mengistu Gebremeskel
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
