Public Administration Perspective

Leadership and Employee Engagement: An Integrative Synthesis

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

1 Ph.D. Student in Public Administration, Faculty of Accounting and Management, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran, Iran

2 Professor, Public Administration, Faculty of Management and Accounting, Shahid Beheshti University, Tehran. Iran

3 Professor, Faculty of Intelligent Systems, Iran University of Science and Technology, Tehran, Iran

10.48308/jpap.2026.242607.1531

Abstract

Purpose: Leadership is a crucial organizational component significantly impacting employee work engagement. While numerous studies have investigated various leadership styles and their effects on employee engagement, no single research has comprehensively examined all styles together, providing a holistic view for both research and practical application. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate all leadership styles and their mechanisms of influence on employee work engagement.
Design/ methodology/ approach:  This applied research utilizes an integrative synthesis method to synthesize and consolidate studies in the fields of leadership and work engagement. The integrative synthesis method was employed to systematically integrate quantitative and qualitative findings, aiming to achieve a comprehensive understanding of the relationship between leadership styles and work engagement. Through this method, quantitative and qualitative findings were transformed into a unified format to enable interpretive integration. To implement the standard process of this method, the keywords "Leadership" and all equivalents of work engagement used in the literature of the field were searched in the Scopus and WOS databases. These keywords included: Employee, Job, Work, Staff, which were each combined with "Engagement" using the AND operator, and then all combinations were connected using the OR operator. The review period spanned a 10-year trend from 2015 to 2025. Initially, 2917 articles were found in Scopus and 1314 in WOS. Through successive filtering steps outlined in the standard PRISMA chart—including restriction to English language, abstract review, followed by introduction and full-text review, application of the CASP and JBI methods for assessing study quality, and finally, consideration of journal quartiles limited to Q1 journals—64 articles were selected for final analysis.
Research Findings: The review of the 64 articles identified 26 leadership styles, whose relationships with employee work engagement and the associated mediating/moderating variables were thoroughly examined and scrutinized. Transformational leadership accounted for the largest share of studies (17 articles), followed by ethical leadership (6 articles) in second place; other styles had fewer associated articles. Among the leadership styles, all had a positive impact on employee work engagement, and numerous mediating and moderating variables were identified for each. However, three styles—toxic leadership, narcissistic leadership, and laissez-faire leadership—had negative effects.
Limitations & Consequences: Among the limitations of the present study is the 10-year time constraint of the reviewed articles, restricting the search from 2015 to 2025. The reason for this was the evolving perspective in recent years and the developments in articles written in this area in newer years. However, given the long-standing presence of the leadership concept in management and the concept of work engagement since 1992, the review scope could be expanded. Furthermore, the review focused on higher-quality articles, assessed in two stages using CASP and JBI methods for qualitative and quantitative articles, and finally limited to Q1 journals, resulting in 64 articles. Future research could examine a larger number of articles from other quartiles.
Practical Consequences: Since leadership style is a significant variable influencing employee work engagement, and engagement is a crucial component for job satisfaction, employee retention, productivity enhancement, and consequently organizational success, this study—by compiling and comprehensively examining all leadership styles and their impact on employee work engagement—can not only guide researchers regarding effectiveness in future studies but also provide a comprehensive guide for practitioners in the field. By selecting the correct, effective leadership style and applying it optimally, they can achieve the maximum level of work engagement among their employees.
Innovation or value of the Article: Previous studies typically examined only one specific leadership style and its impact on employee work engagement. However, the present study makes it possible to view all leadership styles together, providing a comprehensive overview for others. No such study of this kind has been recorded to date.
Paper Type: Original Paper
 

Keywords

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Public Administration Perspective
Volume 17, Issue 1 - Serial Number 65
March 2026
Pages 15-44