Date of Conferral

8-26-2026

Date of Award

August 2026

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Management

Advisor

David Goodman

Abstract

Ineffective leadership continues to engender disengaged employees whose work ethics contribute to inefficient and ineffective public service delivery across several African countries. The specific research problem is the inadequacy of knowledge about leadership behaviors that foster a sense of being valued among employees of different generational cohorts, leading to intellectual, social, and emotional engagement at work. The purpose of this quantitative correlational cross-sectional study was to investigate the influence of inclusive leadership (openness, availability, and accessibility) on employee engagement (intellectual, social, and affective) in the multigenerational Nigerian public sector. The theoretical framework included the constructs of inclusive leadership, employee engagement, and a multigenerational workforce, and is underpinned by social exchange theory and conservation of resources theory. Data were collected from 202 respondents, comprising non-management public-sector full-time employees aged 18–60 in Abuja. Using correlation analysis, multiple regression, MANOVA, and ANOVA, it was found that inclusive leadership had a weak but positive correlation with employee engagement (r = .251, p < 0.01, R2 = .063). However, only accessibility (β = .265, p = .008, R² = .082) had a significant effect on employee engagement. There were no significant differences in intellectual, social, and affective engagements, but there was minimal variation in intellectual engagement between Generations X and Y. The implications for tangible social impact include the potential for public sector leaders to facilitate policy-making that is targeted at dismantling systemic discrimination, unfair treatment, and inequalities that may arise from age-related diversity and foster equitable and supportive workplaces.

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