Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.56321/ijmbs.11.17.27
HOW IMPORTANT IS A MANAGER? THE ROLE OF LMX IN ENCOURAGING WORK ENGAGEMENT
MAJA DARABOŠ LONGIN
orcid.org/0000-0002-2100-118X
; University of Zagreb Faculty of Economics & Business, Zagreb, Croatia
DOMAGOJ HRUŠKA
; University of Zagreb Faculty of Economics & Business, Zagreb, Croatia
DINO KRPAN
Abstract
The relationship between a leader and his subordinates is one of the most fundamental and influential dynamics in any organizational environment. Leader-subordinate exchange (LMX) theory assumes that leaders develop unique, individual relationships with each member of their team, and the quality of these individual exchanges is a key determinant of organizational outcomes. The quality of LMX relationships is a key determinant of both individual and organizational outcomes, highlighting the importance of nurturing strong, high-quality exchanges by leaders to foster positive workplace dynamics and achieve strategic goals. This paper examines and explores the relationship between the quality of leader-employee relationships and employee work engagement. Additionally, the importance of measuring work engagement is explained, key factors that influence work engagement are analyzed, and the role of the quality of the relationship between the leader and the employee in encouraging work engagement is explored. The empirical part of the paper explores the role of the quality of the relationship between the leader and the employee in encouraging work engagement in the pharmaceutical industry in the Republic of Croatia. Data were collected through a questionnaire to investigate the direction and intensity of the relationship between the dimensions of reciprocity in the relationship between superior and subordinate and the dimensions of work engagement. The results show that there is a positive relationship between the quality of the relationship between the leader and the employee and the employee's work engagement in Croatian pharmaceutical industry.
Keywords
employee work engagement; LMX theory; relationship quality
Hrčak ID:
342135
URI
Publication date:
23.12.2025.
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