Authentic Leadership, Motivating Language, Psychological Empowerment, and Work Engagement: A Serial Mediation Model

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and test a model to investigate the serial mediating roles of motivating language and psychological empowerment in the relationship between authentic leadership and work engagement. Using a sample of Turkish public hospital nurses, the findings indicate that authentic leadership positively affects work engagement directly and indirectly through motivating language and psychological empowerment. These results suggest that authentic leadership plays a pivotal role in creating working conditions that encourage motivating language and psychological empowerment, thus enhancing work engagement. This study is crucial given the growing exodus of Turkish healthcare workers as a result of increasing demands and a lack of job satisfaction. By integrating multiple theories (i.e., social exchange theory, motivating language theory, self-determination theory, and JD-R theory), the current study advances our knowledge of how authentic leadership influences employee work engagement.