The impact of trust in the leader as a mediating variable between the moral integrity of the leader and job engagement: A field study in public sector institutions in Sultanate of Oman

Abstract

This study aims to examine the impact of trust in the leader (TIL) as a mediating variable between the moral integrity (MI) of the leader and job engagement (JE) and to identify the consequent results that benefit officials in the surveyed institutions. The study population consisted of the employees of two public institutions (The Financial Supervisory Authority in the Governorate of Dhofar and the Directorate of Municipal Affairs in the Governorate of Dhofar). Primary data was collected from a convenient sample of 145 via an electronic questionnaire due to the directives related to social distancing in light of the global health crisis (COVID 19). The data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Smart Partial Least Squares (Smart PLS). The findings of the study reveal that there is a statistically significant impact of the MI of the leader on the levels of JE on one hand and MI of the leader on the TIL, on the other hand. Moreover, it was also found that TIL partially mediates the relationships between the MI of the leader and JE.