Sustaining Academic Staff’s Engagement Through Leader’s Motivating Language In Universiti Selangor

Abstract

Lack of job satisfaction and low motivation level lead to an increasing rate of turnover intention among academic staff in higher learning institutions. With the growing number of private institutions, it increases the choices for voluntary turnover among academicians who seek for better institutions. The best approach in retaining quality workforce is to maintain staff's engagement to the institution, which can be achieved with the establishment of job satisfaction. The Leader's Motivating Language (LML) specifically focuses on the three main aspects of leader's communication which can elevate employees' job satisfaction. This study investigated the use of LML by faculty's academic administrators and examined the relationship between the use of LML and academic staff's job satisfaction level. A quantitative approach was employed, with 185 academic staff from Universiti Selangor (UNISEL) recruited through purposive sampling to provide the required data for this study through a questionnaire. The findings revealed that the LML is practiced at a moderately high level within the faculties of UNISEL. It was also found that there is a strong, significant and positive relationship between the use of LML by the academic administrators and academic staff's job satisfaction. This study has theoretical implications for understanding how the use of LML strongly relates to the level of job satisfaction which can help sustain UNISEL academic staff's engagement in the institution hence reducing staff turnover intention and increasing talent retention.