The impact of engaging leadership on performance, attitudes to work and wellbeing at work : A longitudinal study

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationship between quality of leadership and attitudes to work and a sense of wellbeing at work, and organizational performance. Design/methodology/approach – This is a longitudinal empirical investigation, using quantitative methods. Findings – The findings were fourfold: the leadership instrument used was demonstrated to have convergent, discriminant and predictive validity; differential relationships were found between three aspects of quality of leadership and attitudes to work and a sense of wellbeing at work; one leadership quality – “engaging with others” – was shown to be a significant predictor of organizational performance; leadership quality as assessed by competencies or “capabilities” did not predict performance. Originality/value – The paper presents evidence of: the validity of a new leadership instrument; the differential relationship between leadership quality and staff attitudes to work and their sense of wellbeing at work; and a predictive relationship between leadership quality and organizational performance.