The influence of participative leadership on agricultural extension officers’ engagement

Abstract

Employee engagement has garnered a great deal of interest because of its positive effect on employee performance, but the interest has not resulted in in-depth studies on how variables such as participative leadership determine employee engagement. In this study, the role of participative leadership on the three dimensions of engagement experienced by agricultural extension officers is examined. Data from a cross-sectional survey of 189 agricultural extension officers from four provinces in South Africa are analyzed using regression analysis. As hypothesized, results show that participative leadership influences the three dimensions of engagement. The implications of the results are discussed, emphasizing possible ways participative leadership practices could be used to facilitate the engagement of agricultural extension officers.