Influence of inspirational motivation on employee engagement in parastatals in the energy sector in Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of inspirational motivation on employee engagement in parastatals in the energy sector in Kenya. The article was guided by three objectives: the influence of visionary leadership on employee engagement, the influence of communication on employee engagement, and the influence of job autonomy on employee engagement. The target of the study was the 10 parastatals based within the energy sector in Kenya having a population of 315 middle-level managers. The study adopted a positivist research philosophy to examine the influence of inspirational motivation on employee engagement. The data was collected by using structured questionnaires. This study conducted correlational research to determine the strength of the relationship between the parameters of inspirational motivation and employee engagement. The findings of this study showed that employee engagement has a significant statistical relationship with visionary leadership, r(166) = 0.360, p < 0.01; communication, r(166) = 0.387, p < 0.01 and job autonomy, r(166) = 0.439, p < 0.01. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that inspirational motivation positively and significantly influences employee engagement, R2= .258, F(3, 162) = 18.804, p < .01; ? = 0.428, p < .01. The findings concluded that visionary leadership, communication, and job autonomy positively and significantly influence employee engagement