The Effects Of Leadership Behavior Towards Employee Engagement Among Civil Servants At Local Municipal Councils In Terengganu, Malaysia

Abstract

This study was conducted to identify the types of supervisor leadership behavior and employee engagement at three municipal councils in the state of Terengganu, Malaysia. The three city councils were the City Councils of Kuala Terengganu, Dungun and Marang, all placed under the state government. The objectives of this study were to find out the types of leadership behaviour that predicted employee engagement, as well as the effects of different leadership behaviors towards employee engagement. Three hundred and fifty city council employees took part in the study selected through convenient sampling technique. The findings revealed that there were significant, high and positive relationships among and between all dimensions of leadership behaviour (task oriented, relation oriented, change oriented) towards employee engagement (vigor, dedication, absorption). In addition, it was also discovered that all elements in leadership behavior (task oriented, relation oriented, change oriented) influenced employee engagement with the variable task oriented as the greatest predictor. It is recommended that employees in the government sector should be given tasks appropriate to their job duties and responsibilities to enhance their engagement. The study also revealed that civil servants preferred task oriented leaders because they provide clear guidance to perform job duties and responsibilities thus shaped highly engaged employees. However, both relation-oriented and change-oriented leaders also predicted employee engagement among civil servants at the city councils.