Toxic Engagement: Identifying Toxic Leadership Through Employee Engagement to Benefit the SDGs

Objective: This paper critically examines the pervasive issue of toxic leadership, focusing on its detrimental effects on both organizations and individuals. It aims to establish the direct link between toxic leadership and diminished employee engagement, underscoring the importance of addressing these challenges to drive positive organizational outcomes. By identifying and mitigating toxic leadership behaviors, organizations can not only foster healthier workplace environments but also contribute meaningfully to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 8, which emphasizes the creation of decent work and sustainable economic growth. The paper argues that toxic leadership undermines organizational stability and growth by eroding employee well-being, productivity, and morale, ultimately impeding the achievement of global goals centered on inclusivity, equality, and sustainable development. Theoretical Framework: The theoretical framework is based in the very practical reality that toxic leadership has been widely acknowledged for its damaging effects, yet there remains a deep gap in understanding how these behaviors manifest themselves in real-world settings. Drawing on the construct of employee or follower engagement, the methodology of this study highlights engagement as a critical tool for identifying and mitigating the presence of toxic leadership within organizations. Results: The results and discussion demonstrate how to use employee engagement to understand if toxic leadership is present within an organization. Implications: The research implications of this study underscore the urgency of implementing checks and balances in leadership to foster healthier organizational cultures concluding with insights for further research, the paper calls for continued discourse and actionable strategies to eliminate toxic leadership and promote organizational well-being. Through a comprehensive review of healthy versus toxic leadership traits, the originality and unique value of this study is the introduction of a new term, "toxic engagement." Conclusions: A proposed framework for detecting early signs of toxic leadership by evaluating follower engagement metrics. This framework aims to offer organizations practical means to detect, recognize, and address toxic behaviors before irreversible damage occurs.