Moderation role of transactional leadership on employee engagement: Recent challenges in Indian start-up companies-SmartPLS analysis

Abstract

This study is aimed at assessing the moderating effect of transactional leadership on the engagement level of employees (team members) working in start-up companies in metro cities in light of the recent increase in layoffs and resignations. This study incorporates quantitative methods, a questionnaire survey type has been carried out amongst employees (team members) across start-up companies. A sample size of 237 was finalised for this study. The respondents were among all levels in the organization. Simple random sampling technique was adopted for the study. Correlation and regression analyses were conducted using (PLS-SEM) PARTIAL. LEAST. SQUARE.–STRUCTURAL. EQUATION. MODELING. to obtain result of data-analysis. The outcomes indicate that there is relatively a positive and significant effect of the factors of perceived communication satisfaction (PCS), employee engagement (EE) (behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, physical engagement and Intrapreneurship (INT)). Also, the role of transactional leadership (TL) as a moderator facilitates the relationship of perceived communication satisfaction, employee engagement types (behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, physical engagement). However it dampens the relationship of intrapreneurship and employee engagement. The research paper makes substantial repository towards the literature and execution of the (intrapreneurship, perceived communication satisfaction & employeee engagement types (behavioural engagement, cognitive engagement, emotional engagement, physical engagement and transactional leadership literature). This study also supports the employees (team members) in the target start-ups to focus on the role of leadership to be adopted, which happens to be the major contribution towards productivity through engagement.