An Investigation of the Relationship Among Honesty-Humility, Authentic Leadership and Employee Engagement

Despite management’s growing awareness of the issue, low levels of engagement remain a critical problem for organizations around the world. Addressing employee engagement requires a comprehensive approach that acknowledges both individual and organizational factors as antecedents. This dissertation examines the positive impact of personality traits (individual factors) and leadership style (organizational factor), on employee engagement. This study extends the understanding of the role of individual differences beyond the established Big Five model. Specifically, this study investigates the impact of trait honesty-humility on employee engagement and the moderating effects of authentic leadership. The research was conducted through a field study involving participants from Brazil and U.S. Findings show that honesty-humility impacts employee engagement and that authentic leadership functions as a substitute for honesty-humility. Results also suggest that a combination of high levels of honesty-humility, extraversion, and conscientiousness may represent an engaged personality