Examining the Role of Idealized Influence and Inspirational Motivation in Shaping Employee Engagement and Commitment in Egypts Courier, Express, and Logistics Industry
Author(s)
Download Full PDF Pages: 73-119 | Views: 12 | Downloads: 4 | DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.16266523
Abstract
Employee engagement and commitment are essential for maintaining organizational performance and competitiveness, particularly within Egypt’s fast-growing Courier, Express, and Logistics (CEL) sector. This study examines the impact of two key leadership behaviors, idealized influence and inspirational motivation, on employee engagement and organizational commitment.
A quantitative research design was employed, utilizing a structured survey completed by 384 professionals in Egypt’s CEL industry. The collected data were analyzed using multiple regression and structural equation modeling to examine the proposed relationships.
The results demonstrate that both idealized influence and inspirational motivation significantly enhance employee engagement and commitment. Leaders who serve as ethical role models and who communicate a clear, inspiring vision contribute meaningfully to creating a workforce that is motivated, emotionally connected, and dedicated to the organization.
The study offers practical value for business leaders and HR professionals in Egypt’s service industries by highlighting the importance of adopting leadership behaviors that inspire trust and foster a shared sense of purpose. It also adds to the growing body of knowledge on employee engagement and commitment in emerging market environments.
Keywords
Idealized influence, inspirational motivation, employee engagement, organizational commitment, Courier Express and Logistics (CEL), Egypt.
References
i. Abdel-Basset, M., Mohamed, M., & Smarandache, F. (2020). A hybrid approach of neutrosophic sets and decision-making for COVID-19 response in logistics operations. Neutrosophic Sets and Systems, 34, 1–16.
ii. Abdelkader, A., & El-Anis, I. (2018). Policy challenges in Egypt’s logistics sector: Regulation, investment, and reform. Middle East Journal of Business, 13(2), 34–42.
iii. Alvesson, M., & Kärreman, D. (2020). Leadership and managerial work: Producing and consuming ambiguity. In M. Alvesson, L. Ashcraft, & R. Thomas (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Leadership and Organizations (pp. 91–112). Oxford University Press.
iv. Antonakis, J., & Day, D. V. (Eds.). (2018). The nature of leadership (3rd ed.). SAGE Publications. https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/the-nature-of-leadership/book257391
v. Antonakis, J., & House, R. J. (2014). Instrumental leadership: Measurement and extension of transformational–transactional leadership theory. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(4), 746–771. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2014.04.005
vi. Arab Academy for Science, Technology & Maritime Transport. (2024). Transformational leadership applications in Egypt’s industrial and service sectors. AASTMT Press.
vii. Avolio, B. J., & Bass, B. M. (2004). Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire: Manual and sampler set (3rd ed.). Mind Garden.
viii.Avolio, B. J., & Yammarino, F. J. (Eds.). (2017). Transformational and charismatic leadership: The road ahead 10th anniversary edition. Emerald Group Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1479-357120160000007014
ix. Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2008). Towards a model of work engagement. Career Development International, 13(3), 209–223. https://doi.org/10.1108/13620430810870476
x. Barney, J. B. (1991). Firm resources and sustained competitive advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108
xi. Bass, B. M. (1985). Leadership and performance beyond expectations. Free Press.
xii. Bass, B. M., & Avolio, B. J. (1994). Improving organizational effectiveness through transformational leadership. SAGE Publications.
xiii.Bass, B. M., & Riggio, R. E. (2006). Transformational leadership (2nd ed.). Psychology Press.
xiv.Birasnav, M. (2014). Knowledge management and organizational performance in the service industry: The role of transformational leadership beyond the effects of transactional leadership. Journal of Business Research, 67(8), 1622–1629. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2013.09.006
xv. Breevaart, K., Zacher, H., & Bakker, A. B. (2020). Daily transformational leadership and follower job crafting: The role of promotion focus. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 93(3), 555–580. https://doi.org/10.1111/joop.12299
xvi.CAPMAS. (2018). Labor force statistics quarterly bulletin. Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (Egypt). https://www.capmas.gov.eg/
xvii. Central Bank of Egypt. (2021). Annual Economic Review. https://www.cbe.org.eg/
xviii. Cheong, M., Yoon, H. J., & Kim, J. (2023). Visionary leadership and employee engagement: A meta-analysis in service organizations. Service Industries Journal, 43(2), 101–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/02642069.2022.2119054
xix.Comrey, A. L., & Lee, H. B. (1992). A first course in factor analysis (2nd ed.). Psychology Press.
xx. Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
xxi.Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE Publications.
xxii. Day, D. V., & Antonakis, J. (2012). The nature of leadership (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
xxiii. DeVellis, R. F. (2016). Scale development: Theory and applications (4th ed.). SAGE Publications.
xxiv. Dinh, J. E., Lord, R. G., Gardner, W. L., Meuser, J. D., Liden, R. C., & Hu, J. (2014). Leadership theory and research in the new millennium: Current theoretical trends and changing perspectives. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 36–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.11.005
xxv. Eisenberger, R., Huntington, R., Hutchison, S., & Sowa, D. (1986). Perceived organizational support. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(3), 500–507. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.71.3.500
xxvi. Eisenbach, R., Watson, K., & Pillai, R. (1999). Transformational leadership in the context of organizational change. Journal of Organizational Change Management, 12(2), 80–88. https://doi.org/10.1108/09534819910263631
xxvii. El-Din, H., & Abdelkader, A. (2021). Logistics innovation and competitive advantage: An Egyptian perspective. International Journal of Supply Chain Management, 10(3), 241–251.
xxviii. El-Said, H., & Zaki, C. (2021). Enhancing Egypt’s logistics competitiveness: Policy reform and technology investment. Economic Policy Research Center.
xxix. El-Sayed, M., Abdel Fattah, M., & Hegazy, M. (2020). Cultural dynamics in Egyptian logistics companies: Implications for leadership. Arab Management Review, 6(1), 77–95.
xxx. Eliyana, A., Ma’arif, S., & Muzakki. (2019). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment effect in the transformational leadership towards employee performance. European Research on Management and Business Economics, 25(3), 144–150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2019.05.001
xxxi. Felin, T., & Powell, T. C. (2016). Designing organizations for dynamic capabilities. California Management Review, 58(4), 78–96. https://doi.org/10.1525/cmr.2016.58.4.78
xxxii. Field, A. (2005). Discovering statistics using SPSS (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
xxxiii. Garcia, L., & Martinez, P. (2022). Transformational leadership and engagement: Aligning people with purpose. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 43(6), 785–798.
xxxiv. Ghoneim, A., & Helmy, O. (2021). The impact of macroeconomic instability on logistics sector development in Egypt. Egyptian Journal of Economic Studies, 68(2), 13–30.
xxxv. Gupta, V., & Shukla, A. (2022). Transformational leadership and employee engagement: Exploring the mediating role of organizational trust. Journal of Management Development, 41(4), 297–312. https://doi.org/10.1108/JMD-08-2021-0216
xxxvi. Gupta, V., & Verma, P. (2024). Leadership in emerging economies: Understanding the cultural and contextual factors. International Journal of Leadership Studies, 18(1), 22–39.
xxxvii. Harter, J. K., Schmidt, F. L., & Hayes, T. L. (2002). Business-unit-level relationship between employee satisfaction, employee engagement, and business outcomes: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 87(2), 268–279.
xxxviii. Hassan, M., & El-Dorghamy, A. (2019). Regulatory obstacles to logistics competitiveness in Egypt. Journal of Logistics and Sustainable Transport, 10(1), 15–29.
xxxix. Hassan, M., & El-Dorghamy, A. (2020). Exchange rate volatility and logistics performance in Egypt. Global Logistics Review, 5(4), 65–81.
xl. Heikal, M., Kholeif, A., & Soliman, M. (2020). Strategic leadership in Egypt: Navigating institutional complexity. Middle East Journal of Management, 7(2), 99–117.
xli. Heracleous, L. (2000). The role of strategy implementation in organizational development. Organization Development Journal, 18(3), 75–86.
xlii.Hitt, M. A., Ireland, R. D., & Hoskisson, R. E. (2021). Strategic management: Competitiveness and globalization (14th ed.). Cengage Learning.
xliii. Hoch, J. E., Bommer, W. H., Dulebohn, J. H., & Wu, D. (2018). Do ethical, authentic, and servant leadership explain variance above and beyond transformational leadership? A meta-analysis. Journal of Management, 44(2), 501–529. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206316665461
xliv. Hughes, R. L., & Beatty, K. C. (2019). Becoming a strategic leader: Your role in your organization's enduring success (2nd ed.). Wiley.
xlv.International Labour Organization (ILO). (2019). Decent work in Egypt: Employment trends and sectoral insights. https://www.ilo.org
xlvi. International Labour Organization (ILO). (2023). Logistics and employment in the Arab region: Trends and policy gaps. https://www.ilo.org
xlvii. Judge, T. A., & Piccolo, R. F. (2004). Transformational and transactional leadership: A meta-analytic test of their relative validity. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89(5), 755–768. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.89.5.755
xlviii. Kahn, W. A. (1990). Psychological conditions of personal engagement and disengagement at work. Academy of Management Journal, 33(4), 692–724. https://doi.org/10.5465/256287
xlix. Kotter, J. P. (2012). Leading change. Harvard Business Review Press.
l. Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (6th ed.). Wiley.
li. Lee, H., & Kim, J. (2022). Role clarity and employee performance: Mediating role of engagement. Employee Relations, 44(3), 421–438.
lii. Macey, W. H., & Schneider, B. (2008). The meaning of employee engagement. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1(1), 3–30. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1754-9434.2007.0002.x
liii. Maxwell, J. C. (1998). The 21 irrefutable laws of leadership: Follow them and people will follow you. Thomas Nelson.
liv. McCauley, C. D. (2024). Leadership development for uncertain times: Cultivating character and courage. Center for Creative Leadership Press.
lv. McKinsey & Company. (2020). Future of logistics: Adapting to the rise of e-commerce and digital supply chains. https://www.mckinsey.com
lvi. McKinsey & Company. (2020). Emerging markets logistics: Digitization and competitive edge. https://www.mckinsey.com
lvii.Mentzer, J. T., Myers, M. B., & Cheung, M. S. (2004). Toward a theory of customer value in supply chain management. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 34(5), 377–392. https://doi.org/10.1108/09600030410539567
lviii. Meyer, J. P., & Allen, N. J. (1991). A three-component conceptualization of organizational commitment. Human Resource Management Review, 1(1), 61–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/1053-4822(91)90011-Z
lix. Mowday, R. T., Porter, L. W., & Steers, R. M. (1982). Employee–organization linkages: The psychology of commitment, absenteeism, and turnover. Academic Press.
lx. Ng, K. Y. (2022). Transformational leadership and organizational commitment: A moderated mediation model. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 43(4), 512–527. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-09-2021-0419
lxi. Nguyen, P. T., Mia, L., Winata, L., & Chong, V. K. (2021). Effect of transformational-leadership style and management control system on managerial performance. Journal of Business Research, 124, 650–661. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2020.01.038
lxii.Northouse, P. G. (2019). Leadership: Theory and practice (8th ed.). SAGE Publications.
lxiii. Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
lxiv. O’Reilly, C. A., & Chatman, J. A. (1986). Organizational commitment and psychological attachment: The effects of compliance, identification, and internalization on prosocial behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71(3), 492–499. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.71.3.492
lxv.Oxford Business Group. (2021). Egypt logistics and infrastructure 2021. https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com
lxvi. PMC (PubMed Central). (2024). Leadership influence on employee engagement: A psychological safety perspective. Journal of Organizational Psychology, 19(1), 77–93. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
lxvii. Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., Moorman, R. H., & Fetter, R. (1990). Transformational leader behaviors and their effects on followers’ trust in leader, satisfaction, and organizational citizenship behaviors. The Leadership Quarterly, 1(2), 107–142. https://doi.org/10.1016/1048-9843(90)90009-7
lxviii. Rafferty, A. E., & Griffin, M. A. (2004). Dimensions of transformational leadership: Conceptual and empirical extensions. The Leadership Quarterly, 15(3), 329–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2004.02.009
lxix. Rahman, W., Nas, Z., & Tan, C. S. (2020). Transformational leadership and employee performance: A perspective from a developing country. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 10(9), 155–172. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v10-i9/7680
lxx.Rajasekar, J. (2014). Factors affecting effective strategy implementation in a service industry: A study of electricity distribution companies in the Sultanate of Oman. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 5(9), 169–183.
lxxi. Rigby, D. K., Sutherland, J., & Noble, A. (2019). Agile at Scale. Harvard Business Review, 97(2), 88–96.
lxxii. Saks, A. M. (2006). Antecedents and consequences of employee engagement. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 21(7), 600–619. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940610690169
lxxiii. Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2019). Research methods for business students (8th ed.). Pearson Education.
lxxiv. Schaufeli, W. B., & Bakker, A. B. (2004). Job demands, job resources, and their relationship with burnout and engagement: A multi-sample study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 25(3), 293–315. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.248
lxxv. Schaufeli, W. B., Salanova, M., González-Romá, V., & Bakker, A. B. (2002). The measurement of engagement and burnout: A two-sample confirmatory factor analytic approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3(1), 71–92. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015630930326
lxxvi. Soliman, H., Fathy, M., & El Beltagi, I. (2020). Digital transformation in logistics and supply chain in Egypt: Challenges and opportunities. International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management, 37(3), 353–372. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJLSM.2020.109052
lxxvii. Statista. (2021). E-commerce logistics in Egypt – Statistics & facts. https://www.statista.com
lxxviii. Sull, D., Homkes, R., & Sull, C. (2015). Why strategy execution unravels—and what to do about it. Harvard Business Review, 93(3), 57–66.
lxxix. Taherdoost, H. (2016). Validity and reliability of the research instrument: How to test the validity of a questionnaire/survey in research. International Journal of Academic Research in Management (IJARM), 5(3), 28–36.
lxxx. Uhl-Bien, M., Riggio, R. E., Lowe, K. B., & Carsten, M. K. (2014). Followership theory: A review and research agenda. The Leadership Quarterly, 25(1), 83–104. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2013.11.007
lxxxi. United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). (2020). World Investment Report: International production beyond the pandemic. https://unctad.org
lxxxii. Van Knippenberg, D., & Sitkin, S. B. (2013). A critical assessment of charismatic–transformational leadership research: Back to the drawing board? Academy of Management Annals, 7(1), 1–60. https://doi.org/10.5465/19416520.2013.759433
lxxxiii. Waldman, D. A., Siegel, D. S., & Javidan, M. (2011). Components of CEO transformational leadership and corporate social responsibility. Journal of Management Studies, 43(8), 1703–1725. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-6486.2006.00642.x
lxxxiv. Wang, H., Tsai, C. Y., & Tseng, M. (2020). Linking transformational leadership and employee creativity: The influences of psychological empowerment and work engagement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17218031
lxxxv. World Bank. (2020). Logistics performance index report. https://www.worldbank.org
lxxxvi. World Bank. (2021). Egypt Economic Monitor: Navigating through the crisis. https://www.worldbank.org
lxxxvii. World Bank. (2021). World development indicators: Services sector contribution to GDP. https://data.worldbank.org
lxxxviii. World Bank. (2023). World development indicators: Egypt data. https://data.worldbank.org/country/egypt-arab-republic
lxxxix. Yukl, G. (2013). Leadership in organizations (8th ed.). Pearson.
xc. Zaki, C. (2019). Logistics regulation and trade facilitation in Egypt: Toward an inclusive policy framework. Economic Research Forum Working Paper Series, No. 1324. https://erf.org.eg
Cite this Article: