Abstract

GRANT, Jacqueline  and  PROCHES, Cecile Gerwel. An examination of the role of leadership in fostering employee engagement: A case study of the commercial property sector in KwaZulu-Natal. JCMAN [online]. 2025, vol.22, n.spe, pp.32-65. ISSN 1815-7440.  https://doi.org/10.35683/jcm24.045.291.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY: This study investigated the role of leadership in fostering employee engagement during times of crises in the commercial property sector in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Using a qualitative approach within the interpretivist tradition, semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven leaders across executive, senior, and middle management levels in a property management company FINDINGS: The findings revealed that these crises caused severe economic disruption to the commercial property sector, with small businesses being the most affected. The study found that leaders faced considerable challenges in balancing business continuity with employee wellbeing while managing increased workloads and remote working arrangements. It was discovered that effective crisis leadership requires a foundation of strong employee relationships, transparent communication, and collaborative approaches. The role of leadership to foster engagement during crises emerged from the thematic analysis of the data collected. These included the need for a leader to demonstrate both decisiveness and empathy, while encouraging team resilience through empowerment and support RECOMMENDATIONS/VALUE: The research contributes to understanding how leadership practices influence employee engagement during unprecedented crises and provides insights for developing more resilient organisational leadership approaches. The findings suggest that organisational survival during crises depends significantly on leaders' ability to maintain employee engagement through compassionate leadership, clear communication, and adaptive management strategies MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS: Given the significance of small businesses and that of the commercial property sector in general to the economy, together with the interrelationship of leadership and employee engagement and that of employee engagement and organisational performance, this study attempts to offer leaders strategies to improve leadership during crises JEL CLASSIFICATION: M10, M19

Keywords : Crises; commercial property sector; disruption; engagement; leadership.

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