Business Results and Well-Being: An Engaging Leadership Intervention Study

Lars van Tuin, Wilmar B. Schaufeli, Willem van Rhenen and Rebecca M. Kuiper
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Lars van Tuin: Social, Health and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
Wilmar B. Schaufeli: Social, Health and Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, 3584 CS Utrecht, The Netherlands
Willem van Rhenen: Engagement & Productivity, Nyenrode Business Universiteit, 3621 BG Breukelen, The Netherlands
Rebecca M. Kuiper: Department of Methodology and Statistics, Utrecht University, 3584 CH Utrecht, The Netherlands

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: The present quasi-experimental study tested the business impact of a leadership development program focusing on psychological well-being through the satisfaction of basic psychological needs. Based on the concept of engaging leadership and self-determination theory, the 8-month program targeted midlevel team leaders of the customer fulfilment center of a health systems multinational organization. The program was designed in co-creation between senior leadership and the team leaders that participated in the program. Outcomes showed positive business results through significant increases in a preselected key performance indicator and decreased employee absenteeism. Through changes in autonomy satisfaction and intrinsic motivation, the team leaders ( N = 14) benefitted in a moderate to very large extent relative to a similar control group ( N = 52). In contrast, team members ( N = 148) displayed no such benefits. Specifically, higher levels of autonomy satisfaction are said to lead to higher levels of psychological well-being and motivation. Still, the link with business performance is absent in most organizational studies within self-determination theory, making the present study one of the first to fill this gap. The study discloses the program design, compares the effects to a relevant control group, evaluates the lessons learned, and provides practical suggestions.

Keywords: co-creation; leadership development; self-determination theory; engaging leadership; intrinsic motivation; absenteeism; well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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