In South Africa\u2019s tough economic climate and competitive business environment, progressive companies are compelled to focus on the engagement and retention of highly skilled and productive employees.<\/p>\n
A recent study undertaken by Dr Rose Mathafena, a post-doctoral fellow in the department of leadership and organisational behaviour within Unisa’s Graduate School of Business (SBL), has sought to explore how line managers’ leadership styles influence employee well-being on an emotional, mental, physical and spiritual level.<\/p>\n
Mathafena explains that management \u2013 and the way managers lead – plays a significant role in determining employee wellbeing.<\/p>\n
“Interpersonal leadership is about relating to others in a healthy and conducive manner in order to build and maintain healthy relationships. It is important to understand those functional leadership behaviours that can lead to heightened effectiveness,” she said.<\/p>\n
“As managers have different personalities and outlooks, there different types of leadership styles and practices.”<\/p>\n
Those styles that have been found to have strong links with employee wellbeing outcomes include transformational, empowering, ethical, servant and authentic leadership.<\/p>\n
Encouraging rich, purposeful and meaning work with transformational leadership<\/strong><\/p>\n Transformational leaders are sometimes called quiet leaders and tend to lead by example.\u00a0 They use rapport, inspiration, or empathy to engage followers.<\/p>\n The more employees feel psychologically safe in the organisation, the more freely and positively they will communicate, participate, contribute and identify with the organisation.<\/p>\n These leaders contribute significantly towards enhancing employee innovation, creativity and problem solving, which are the key qualities required in employees in order to drive organisational competitiveness and market positioning.<\/p>\n Empowering leadership to develop creative employees<\/strong><\/p>\n Empowering leaders foster a positive working environment by equipping employees to perform their roles successfully.<\/p>\n They delegate responsibility and authority and provide the necessary resources and support for employee success.<\/p>\n In addition, empowering leaders provide employees with opportunities to grow their decision-making skills, experience and knowledge which in turn enhances employee creativity.<\/p>\n Communication, coaching and feedback \u2013 the stamp of ethical leadership<\/strong><\/p>\n As well as being honest, truthful, faithful, caring and respectful towards employees, ethical leaders allow employees to contribute to decision-making and problem-solving.<\/p>\n The leader\u2019s ethics are demonstrated through behaviour, action and interpersonal relations, which practically guide employees where ethics are concerned.<\/p>\n This guidance is provided through communication, coaching and feedback. In addition, ethical leaders are fair, consistent, and demonstrate integrity in their actions.<\/p>\n Serving to guide and lead<\/strong><\/p>\n Servant leadership is characterised in line managers and leaders who, while empowering, also display humility and authenticity.<\/p>\n They are focused on development, mentorship, guidance and engendering healthy interpersonal exchanges.<\/p>\n Servant leadership acts as a countermeasure and antidote to the challenges of employee burnout, high employee turnover and unethical corporate corruption and behaviours faced by organisations today.<\/p>\n Servant leaders fairly apply power which promotes healthy and trusting work relationships.<\/p>\n Engaging employees through self-actualisation and authentic leadership<\/strong><\/p>\n Authentic leaders hold high moral values, have a strong sense of self-awareness, and act upon their values and beliefs.<\/p>\n In leading staff members, they display high levels of honesty, goodwill and care.<\/p>\n Through genuine and unselfish motives, authentic leaders are able to develop, motivate, grow and engage employees. Authentic leaders are self-actualised individuals with highly developed self-leadership qualities.<\/p>\n Their strong moral code, integrity and truthfulness make them effective in building credible and trustworthy relations with others. Moreover, authentic leaders promote hope, confidence, optimism and overall wellbeing.<\/p>\n
\n