Meaningful Work as a Psychological Mechanism Linking Servant Leadership and Employee Engagement

Abstract

Employee engagement has become a critical determinant of organizational effectiveness, particularly in knowledge-intensive and service-oriented environments where employees’ psychological involvement significantly influences performance outcomes. Leadership behaviour plays an important role in shaping employees’ perceptions of purpose, motivation, and attachment to work. The present study examines the relationship between servant leadership and employee engagement and investigates the mediating role of work meaningfulness. Drawing upon social exchange theory and meaningful work theory, the study proposes that servant leadership enhances employees’ perception of meaningful work, which subsequently strengthens employee engagement. Data were collected from 392 employees across multiple service-sector organizations using a structured survey design. Hierarchical regression and mediation analyses were employed to test the proposed relationships. The findings indicate that servant leadership positively influences employee engagement both directly and indirectly through work meaningfulness, confirming the mediating role of meaningful work as a key psychological mechanism. The study contributes to organizational behaviour literature by integrating leadership and motivational perspectives to explain engagement outcomes and offers practical implications for organizations seeking to enhance engagement through purpose-driven leadership practices and meaningful work design.