DOES LEADERSHIP MATTER FOR EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT? EXPLORATORY STUDY OF LEADERSHIP PRACTICES WITHIN THE QATAR POLICE DEPARTMENT

Abstract

Given the importance of employee engagement in workplace performance, there is ongoing interest among organisational leaders and scholars in the topics of leadership and employee engagement (Kahn, 1990; MacLeod & Clarke, 2009; Anitha, 2014; Popli & Rizvi, 2016; Saks, 2017). The aim of this study is to explore the role and relative importance of leadership in employee engagement or disengagement in the Qatar Rescue Police and to elucidate the drivers of engagement in an Islamic cultural context as well as the practices that can be implemented to improve employee engagement among employees. The research is based on a qualitative approach, employing interviews and observations in which leaders and subordinates’ views are expressed, and their actions are observed. The perspectives of each leader and subordinate were examined and cross-referenced against observations and existing literature, indicating highly variable approaches to leadership and a significant degree of consensus regarding the effects of these varying leadership practices on engagement among subordinates. A unique cultural and religious perspective on the relationship between leaders and subordinates in Qatar was revealed. The study revealed a need for greater sensitivity to context in the approach to leadership as well as a dearth of interaction between administrative leadership and operational personnel. The Islamic view of business hierarchies as being akin to family relationships and the concepts of “brotherhood” and “fatherhood” in leadersubordinate
interactions were of particular interest as drivers of engagement. In addition, various organisational limitations were identified, particularly with regard to staffing and financial constraints, highlighting the limitations of operational leadership in the Qatar Rescue Police in fostering engagement through material rewards and employee benefits. At
operational level, subordinates and leaders suggested specific non-monetary rewards and practices which could be used to promote engagement despite these organisational
constraints. However, a pressing need for improved communication between organisational leadership and operational personnel was identified. The study indicates evidence-based interventions that may be applied to improve leadership practice and employee engagement among subordinates working as first responders in the Qatar Rescue Police and examines attitudes towards accepted drivers of engagement including autonomy, training, supportiveness, even-handedness and personal recognition as suggested by authors such as Mani (2011), Anitha (2014), MacLeod & Clarke (2009) and Sundaray (2011). This research highlights the need to view accepted knowledge through the lens of organisational and cultural context as influenced by Leadership As Practice (LAP) approach which provides stronger emphasis on context where leadership practices are studied and investigated. Although its findings and recommendations are specific to the Qatar Rescue Police, its conclusions may have relevance to those seeking to understand the role of leadership practices in employee engagement in both private and governmental organisations in the Islamic world.