Empowering leadership, playful work design, and work engagement

This study investigated the mediating role of playful work design in the relationship between empowering leadership and work engagement among a diverse sample of employees ( N = 261). A quantitative, cross-sectional design was employed, and correlation and mediation analyses were conducted to test the research hypotheses. The findings revealed that empowering leadership indirectly influences work engagement through playful work design as a mediator. Specifically, when leaders grant employees autonomy and decision-making authority, employees are more likely to incorporate elements of fun and competition into their work, resulting in higher levels of engagement. The results highlight the importance of organisations promoting empowering leadership practices to foster environments that promote proactive employee behaviour in designing their work and enhancing well-being. The study further contributes to the limited research exploring the mechanisms through which empowering leadership influences work engagement, particularly through playful work design as a mediator. The study’s limitations include its limited consideration of contextual factors that may shape the effects of empowering leadership and playful work design on work engagement. Future research should examine environmental moderators to better understand the dynamics and boundary conditions of these relationships.