Analysis of the Impact of Leadership Change Utilizing Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) Initiatives on Employee Engagement

Diska Asri Anggraini

Abstract


This study investigates how a leadership transition affects employee engagement at PT XY Indonesia, with a focus on the quality of leader–employee relationships during periods of organizational change. Leadership transitions often bring uncertainty, which can influence how employees connect with and adapt to new leadership approaches. The research applies the Leader–Member Exchange (LMX) theory, which highlights the role of trust, respect, and mutual obligation in leader–follower relationships. Adopting a qualitative case study approach, this study aims to capture in-depth employee perspectives and experiences following a change in top leadership. The findings are expected to provide practical insights into how relational leadership can sustain or enhance employee engagement during change. This research is particularly relevant for human resource professionals and leaders seeking to support workforce morale, commitment, and motivation in the face of transitions, and to understand the relational strategies that can help employees remain engaged throughout periods of organizational adjustment.


Full Text:

PDF

References


Agarwal, U. A., Datta, S., Blake-Beard, S., & Bhargava, S. (2012). Linking LMX, innovative work behavior and turnover intentions: The mediating role of work engagement. Career Development International, 17(3), 208–230. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620431211241063

Albrecht, S. L., Bakker, A. B., Gruman, J. A., Macey, W. H., & Saks, A. M. (2015). Employee engagement, human resource management practices and competitive advantage: An integrated approach. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 2(1), 7–35. https://doi.org/10.1108/JOEPP-08-2014-0042

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2021). Thematic analysis: A practical guide. SAGE Publications.

Breevaart, K., & Bakker, A. B. (2018). Daily job demands and employee engagement: The role of daily transformational leadership behavior. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 23(3), 338–349. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000082

Burnes, B., & Bargal, D. (2017). Kurt Lewin: 70 years on. Journal of Change Management, 17(2), 91–100. https://doi.org/10.1080/14697017.2017.1299371

Chaurasia, S., & Shukla, A. (2016). The influence of leader–member exchange relations on employee engagement and work role performance. International Journal of Organization Theory & Behavior, 19(4), 476–493 https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOTB-16-04-2013-B002

Cummings, S., Bridgman, T., & Brown, K. G. (2016). Unfreezing change as three steps: Rethinking Kurt Lewin’s legacy for change management. Human Relations, 69(1), 33–60. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726715577707

Effendy, M., & Arquisola, M. (2022). Do transformational leadership traits influence Indonesian employees’ digital maturity? International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science, 11(8), 128–140. https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v11i8.2167

Essel, J.T. (2025). Managing transitional change: Staff perspectives from technical universities in Ghana. International Online Journal of Education and Teaching (IOJET), 12(2), 233-255.

Fadli, A. (2024). The Influence of Safety Leadership and Work Engagement on Job Satisfaction. Journal of Business Integration Competitive, 1(1), 21-30. https://doi.org/10.64276/jobic.v1i1.4

Farmanesh, P., & Zargar, P. (2021). Trust in leader as a psychological factor on employee and organizational outcome. In The Psychology of Trust. IntechOpen. https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.100372

Jaqua, E., & Jaqua, T. (2021). Transactional leadership. American Journal of Biomedical Science and Research, 14(5), 399-400. http://dx.doi.org/10.34297/AJBSR.2021.14.002021

Jiang, Y., & Chen, C. C. (2020). Integrating knowledge activities for team innovation: Effects of transformational leadership. Journal of Management, 46(4), 755–780. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316628641

Lewa, P. M., Mburu, M. M., & Murigi, R. M. M. (2022). Transformational leadership and change management in dynamic contexts. In Leading with diversity, equity and inclusion: Approaches, practices and cases for integral leadership strategy (pp. 47-65). Cham: Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95652-3_4

Martin, R., Guillaume, Y., Thomas, G., Lee, A., & Epitropaki, O. (2016). Leader–member exchange (LMX) and performance: A meta-analytic review. Personnel Psychology, 69(1), 67–121. https://doi.org/10.1111/peps.12100

Olley, R. (2023). Hear me, see me, trust you–job burnout and disengagement of Australian aged care workers. Leadership in Health Services, 36(1), 111-124. https://doi.org/10.1108/LHS-07-2022-0080

Prakasa, Y., Raharjo, K., & Wiratama, I. D. (2020, November). Transformational leadership and digital maturity. In 2nd Annual International Conference on Business and Public Administration (AICoBPA 2019) (pp. 224-229). Atlantis Press. https://doi.org/10.2991/aebmr.k.201116.045

Ravani, A. (2025). Empowered resilience: The role of leadership in fostering resilience through effective communication. In The Palgrave encyclopedia of leadership and organizational change (pp. 1–12). Cham, Switzerland: Springer Nature. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51650-4_239-1

Schaufeli, W. B. (2021). Engaging leadership in the job demands–resources model. Career Development International, 26(5), 580–591. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-02-2015-0025

Schaufeli, W. B., Shimazu, A., & Taris, T. W. (2019). Being driven to work excessively hard: The evaluation of a two-factor measure of workaholism in the Netherlands and Japan. Industrial Health, 57(3), 343–351. https://doi.org/10.1177/1069397109337239

Wagner, B., & Koob, C. (2022). The relationship between leader-member exchange and work engagement in social work: A mediation analysis of job resources. Heliyon, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2022.e08793

Yin, R. K. (2018). Case study research and applications: Design and methods (6th ed.). SAGE Publications.




DOI: https://doi.org/10.32535/jicp.v8i4.4249

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2026 Diska Asri Anggraini

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Flag Counter

Published by:

AIBPM Publisher

Editorial Office:

JL. Kahuripan No. 9 Hotel Sahid Montana, Malang, Indonesia
Phone:
+62 341 366222
Email: journal.jicp@gmail.com
Website:http://ejournal.aibpmjournals.com/index.php/JICP

Supported by: Association of International Business & Professional Management

If you are interested to get the journal subscription you can contact us at admin@aibpm.org.

ISSN 2622-0989 (Print)
ISSN 2621-993X (Online)

DOI:Prefix 10.32535 by CrossREF

Journal of International Conference Proceedings (JICP) INDEXED:

 

In Process


This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.