The Impact of Leadership on the Perception of Organizational Belonging and the Mediating Effect of Job Crafting on IT Workers in Portugal

Paiva, Cláudia Sofia de Sousa e

http://hdl.handle.net/10400.8/15165

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Authors

Paiva, Cláudia Sofia de Sousa e

Advisor(s)

Ribeiro, Neuza Manuel Pereira

Gomes, Daniel Jorge Roque Martins

Abstract(s)

This study investigates the impact of leadership on organizational belonging among IT workers in Portugal, focusing on the mediating effect of job crafting. Using validated scales, a questionnaire was applied to measure these constructs, collecting data from IT workers from various organizations operating in Portugal, working full or partially remote. Despite growing interest in leadership and employee engagement, limited research has explored how leadership styles influence organizational belonging through job crafting, particularly in the IT sector. To address this gap, our work was arranged in the form of two studies where we intend to measure the direct effect of different styles of leadership on job crafting and organizational belonging, the direct effect of job crafting on organizational belonging and the mediating effect of job crafting between leadership and organizational belonging. Study 1 examined the direct and indirect effects of empowering leadership on job crafting and organizational belonging. Study 2 expanded the model to include five leadership behavioural types (aversive, directive, transactional, transformational and empowering), assessing their individual impacts on job crafting and organizational belonging. For study 1, a crosssectional study design was followed, delivering a sample of 213 participants of IT workers. For study 2, a time-lagged research design was implemented across a two-wave questionnaire to reduce common method bias and strengthen causal inference, with a total of 121 participants working on an IT company in Portugal. Results show that empowering leadership significantly enhances both job crafting and organizational belonging, with job crafting partially mediating this relationship. By understanding these dynamics, organizations can better design leadership development programs and job structures that enhance employee well-being and organizational performance.