Abstract
Orientation: The positive organisation creates a framework in which its elements can be investigated in relation to the retention of talent.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate if leader empowering behaviour can positively impact on role clarity, psychological empowerment and work engagement, with the final outcome being the retention of talent.Motivation for the study: In the ever changing work environment organisations place great emphasis on their human capital. The positive organisation utilises specific elements to optimise human capital’s potential. It is therefore important to identify the elements contributing to a positive organisation as well as the elements which lead to the retention of talent.Research design, approach and method: A survey research design was used. A convenience sample (n = 179) was taken from a business unit in a chemical organisation. The Leader Empowering Behaviour Questionnaire, Measures of Role Clarity and Ambiguity Questionnaire, Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale and the Intention to Leave Scale were administered.Main findings: Leader empowering behaviour, role clarity and psychological empowerment predicted work engagement. Role clarity interacted with competence to affect employees’ dedication and interacted with the development of employees to affect absorption. Work engagement predicted employees’ intention to leave.Practical/managerial implications: Organisations should foster the elements of a positive organisation if they want to retain their talent.Contribution/value-add: The results of this research contribute to scientific knowledge about the effects of a positive organisation on retention.
Highlights
The current business environment has become unstable and is characterised by continuous change and renewal (Malone, 2004; Sellgren, Ekvall & Tomson, 2007)
Confirmatory factor analyses on Measuring Empowerment Questionnaire (MEQ) which were conducted with AMOS for the purposes of this study showed that a 4-factor model of psychological empowerment fitted the data best (χ2/df = 3.13; Comparative Fit Index (CFI) > 0.90; Root-Means-Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) < 0.08)
Confirmatory factor analyses on the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES) which were conducted with AMOS for the purposes of this study showed that a 3-factor model of work engagement fitted the data best (χ2/df = 3.53; CFI > 0.90; RMSEA < 0.08)
Summary
The current business environment has become unstable and is characterised by continuous change and renewal (Malone, 2004; Sellgren, Ekvall & Tomson, 2007). In order to be dominant in a global economy, organisations are forced to take an interest in more than mere profitability. These interests include the attraction, development and retention of talent (Boninelli & Meyer, 2004). The focus on talent is forcing organisations to adapt their business model in order to empower and engage their employees (Bakker & Demerouti, 2008). Organisations need to focus on both performance and health (Conley, 2007). Organisations need to consider two types of resources in order to be healthy: those that support performance and those that support health (Burke & Cooper, 2009). A healthy organisation is highly competitive in the war for talent, because it is aware of the tendency towards the information age which results in a greater demand for quality leadership and talent retention so as to avoid high staff turnover (Burke & Cooper, 2009)
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