Track: Operations Management

Abstract

Leadership has been viewed as a subdivision of management which focuses on individual influences within a group towards achieving a common goal, while productivity and sustainability is the capability to preserve a stability between the needs of the organization and those of the worker. The element of leadership, employee productivity and sustainability seem to share significant value within an organization, however the question that is left unanswered is how then leadership has an impact on employee productivity and sustainability. This paper seeks to explore the impact of leadership on employee productivity and sustainability within an organization. A quantitative methodological approach was selected for this study to comprehend the impact that leadership has on employee productivity and sustainability. A questionnaire consisting of three sections was distributed to middle and lower ranking workers at an organization in South Africa. The result from the study clearly indicates that leadership has a philosophical impact on employee productivity. The adaptation of a transformational leadership style by the leader with attributes such as intellectual inspiration, personalized consideration, idealized influence, and motivation stimulate positive outcomes from a worker, which results in achievement of desirable outcome. This leadership style effectively creates a positive working environment for workers to foster productivity and contribute to long-term success of the organization. In conclusion, the data collected with literature share the same reverence to say leadership does have an impact on employee productivity and sustainability through the implementation of a transformational leadership style by the leader. The outcome of the workers will always be predetermined by the type of leadership style that the leader adapts to. The study provides to the existing body of knowledge on leadership and employee productivity and sustainability through expansively discussing whether leadership has an impact on employee productivity and sustainability. The previous studies indicated multiple limitations on the role of a leader. This study goes further to look at the relationship and attributing factors that contribute to leaders having an impact on employee productivity and sustainability.