IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jadmsc/v14y2024i6p126-d1415815.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Inclusive Leadership and Employee Engagement as Critical Drivers of Sustainability in Telecommunication Companies

Author

Listed:
  • Sulaiman Olusegun Atiku

    (Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek 13388, Namibia
    Department of Economic and Business Sciences, Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha 5100, South Africa)

  • Kristofine Aili Itembu-Naunyango

    (Harold Pupkewitz Graduate School of Business, Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek 13388, Namibia)

  • Olufemi Michael Oladejo

    (Department of Management Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041, South Africa)

Abstract

There has been a growing concern about the influence of inclusive leadership on employee engagement in the telecommunications industry. The telecommunications industry is undergoing rapid technological advancements, leading to increased competition and pressure on employees. Creating an inclusive workplace in such a dynamic environment is essential to attracting and retaining talented professionals and driving eco-innovation for sustainable development in Industry 4.0. Despite the importance of inclusive leadership, there is dearth of studies exploring the influence of inclusive leadership on employee engagement in the telecommunications industry. Hence, this study sought to examine the influence of inclusive leadership on employee engagement in selected telecommunication companies in Namibia. A qualitative approach was adopted, where face-to-face interviews were conducted using a semi-structured interview guide. The participants (22 executives) were selected for interviews from two telecommunication companies in Namibia using a purposive sampling method. Data collection involved recording and transcribing participant interviews using Microsoft Word. Thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo 20 software. Results show the importance of empathy and non-hierarchical leadership behaviour as the most critical factor influencing team engagement and discretionary effort in the telecommunications industry in Namibia. Meanwhile, clear career advancement pathways, work autonomy, cross-departmental collaboration, and supervisory support are major contributors to employee engagement for innovative performance and sustainability in the telecommunications industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Sulaiman Olusegun Atiku & Kristofine Aili Itembu-Naunyango & Olufemi Michael Oladejo, 2024. "Inclusive Leadership and Employee Engagement as Critical Drivers of Sustainability in Telecommunication Companies," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 14(6), pages 1-14, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:14:y:2024:i:6:p:126-:d:1415815
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/14/6/126/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3387/14/6/126/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Blomme, Robert J. & Kodden, Bas & Beasley-Suffolk, Annamaria, 2015. "Leadership theories and the concept of work engagement: Creating a conceptual framework for management implications and research," Journal of Management & Organization, Cambridge University Press, vol. 21(2), pages 125-144, March.
    2. Manjot Singh Bhatia & Saurabh Kumar, 2022. "Linking stakeholder and competitive pressure to Industry 4.0 and performance: Mediating effect of environmental commitment and green process innovation," Business Strategy and the Environment, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(5), pages 1905-1918, July.
    3. Stewart Kaupa & Sulaiman Olusegun Atiku, 2020. "Challenges in the Implementation of Performance Management System in Namibian Public Sector," International Journal of Innovation and Economic Development, Inovatus Services Ltd., vol. 6(2), pages 25-34, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Behl, Abhishek & Jayawardena, Nirma & Ishizaka, Alessio & Gupta, Manish & Shankar, Amit, 2022. "Gamification and gigification: A multidimensional theoretical approach," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 139(C), pages 1378-1393.
    2. Efthymia Iliopoulou & Aspasia Vlachvei & Eirini Koronaki, 2024. "Environmental Drivers, Environmental Practices, and Business Performance: A Systematic Literature Review and Future Research Directions," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(11), pages 1-27, June.
    3. Vishal Gupta & Shailendra Singh & Abhijit Bhattacharya, 2017. "The Relationships Between Leadership, Work Engagement And Employee Innovative Performance: Empirical Evidence From The Indian R&D Context," International Journal of Innovation Management (ijim), World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd., vol. 21(07), pages 1-30, October.
    4. Muhammad Asif & Miao Qing & Jinsoo Hwang & Hao Shi, 2019. "Ethical Leadership, Affective Commitment, Work Engagement, and Creativity: Testing a Multiple Mediation Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-16, August.
    5. Sulaiman Olusegun Atiku & Collen Mulife Kurana & Idris Olayiwola Ganiyu, 2023. "Leadership and Service Delivery in Times of Change," Administrative Sciences, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-15, May.
    6. Han, Myat Su & Ma, Shuang (Sara) & Wang, Yonggui & Tian, Qinghong, 2023. "Impact of technology-enabled product eco-innovation: Empirical evidence from the Chinese manufacturing industry," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    7. Cannavacciuolo, Lorella & Ferraro, Giovanna & Ponsiglione, Cristina & Primario, Simonetta & Quinto, Ivana, 2023. "Technological innovation-enabling industry 4.0 paradigm: A systematic literature review," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 124(C).
    8. Panagiota Xanthopoulou & Ioannis Dimitrios Karampelas, 2020. "The Impact of Leadership on Employees’ Loyalty and on Organizational Success: Do Transformational and Transactional Leadership Ensure Organizational and Work Commitment?," International Journal of Sciences, Office ijSciences, vol. 9(10), pages 45-63, October.
    9. Irina Nikolova & Karen van Dam & Joris Van Ruysseveldt & Hans De Witte, 2019. "Feeling Weary? Feeling Insecure? Are All Workplace Changes Bad News?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(10), pages 1-22, May.
    10. Gontse Thobejane & Hendry van der Heever & Mathildah Mokgatle, 2022. "Knowledge, Understanding and Satisfaction with the Implementation of the Performance Management System at a District Hospital in the Madibeng Subdistrict, South Africa," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-12, November.
    11. Cristina López-Cózar-Navarro & Tiziana Priede-Bergamini & Diego Cuello-de-Oro-Celestino, 2024. "Sustainable Practices in Manufacturing SMEs: The Importance of Technological Collaboration between Supply Chain Partners," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(12), pages 1-16, June.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jadmsc:v:14:y:2024:i:6:p:126-:d:1415815. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.