Do transformational leaders enhance their followers' daily work engagement?

Author(s): Tims, Maria; Bakker, Arnold B. ; Xanthopoulou, Despoina

Source: LEADERSHIP QUARTERLY Volume: 22 Issue: 1 Pages: 121-131

Abstract: This diary study investigated whether and how supervisors' leadership style influences followers' daily work engagement. On the basis of leadership theories and the job demands-resources model, we predicted that a transformational leadership style enhances employees' work engagement through the mediation of self-efficacy and optimism, on a day-to-day basis. Forty-two employees first filled in a general questionnaire, and then a diary survey over five consecutive workdays. The results of multilevel analyses offered partial support for our hypotheses. Daily transformational leadership related positively to employees' daily engagement, and day-levels of optimism fully mediated this relationship. However, daily self-efficacy did not act as a mediator. These findings expand theory and previous research by illuminating the role of transformational leaders in fostering employee work engagement.