This diary study investigated whether and howsupervisors' leadership style influences followers' daily work engagement. On the basis of leadership theories and the job demands–resources model, we predicted that a transformational leadership style enhances employees' work engagement through the mediation of self-efficacy and optimism, on a day-to-day basis. Fortytwo employees first filled in a general questionnaire, and then a diary survey over five consecutive workdays. The results of multilevel analyses offered partial support for our hypotheses. Daily transformational leadership related positively to employees' daily engagement, and day-levels of optimism fully mediated this relationship. However, daily self-efficacy did not act as a mediator. These findings expand theory and previous research by illuminating the role of transformational leaders in fostering employee work engagement.

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doi.org/10.1016/j.leaqua.2010.12.011, hdl.handle.net/1765/22740
The Leadership Quarterly
Department of Psychology

Tims, M., Bakker, A., & Xanthopoulou, D. (2011). Do transformational leaders enhance their followers' daily work engagement?. The Leadership Quarterly, 22(1), 121–131. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2010.12.011