🧠 Journal Summary: Enhancing Employee Grit Through Leadership and Participation

Authors: Abun et al.

Published In: Divine Word International Journal of Management and Humanities

🔍 Study Summary

This study investigated how a transformational leadership style and an employee’s participation in decision-making influence their grit¹. The research was conducted in an educational context, specifically among the employees of the Divine Word College of Laoag, to understand if these management approaches could foster more passion and perseverance toward long-term goals. The goal was to provide guidance for management on how to motivate employees and enhance their commitment³.

💡 Key Concepts

• Transformational Leadership: A leadership approach where leaders inspire and motivate followers to achieve extraordinary outcomes by creating positive, valuable change⁴. It has four key dimensions:
  • Idealized Influence: The leader acts as a role model, earning trust and respect through their actions and values⁵.
  • Inspirational Motivation: The leader articulates a compelling vision for the future and inspires confidence and commitment to achieve goals⁶.
  • Intellectual Stimulation: The leader challenges assumptions, encourages creativity, and involves followers in problem-solving⁷⁷⁷⁷.
  • Individualized Consideration: The leader acts as a coach or mentor, showing genuine concern for the individual needs and development of each follower⁸⁸⁸⁸.
• Participation in Decision-Making: A management style that actively involves employees in the decision-making process, especially on matters related to their work^999999999. It’s a form of power-sharing that builds on the belief that employees have valuable knowledge and skills to contribute^10101010.
• Grit: A non-cognitive trait defined as the combination of passion and perseverance for long-term goals¹¹. It consists of two main components:
  • Consistency of Interest: The ability to maintain focus on a goal over a long period without getting distracted¹².
  • Persistence of Effort: The ability to continue striving toward a goal despite setbacks and challenges¹³.

📊 Key Insights

• The study found high levels of transformational leadership, employee participation in decision-making, and employee grit among the participants¹⁴.
• There is a significant positive correlation between transformational leadership style and employees’ grit. Specifically, the dimensions of idealized influence, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration were strong predictors of an employee’s consistency of interest^15151515.
• There is a highly significant positive relationship between allowing employees to participate in decision-making and their grit. As participation increases, both their consistency of interest and persistence of effort also increase^16161616.
• The findings strongly suggest that to enhance employee grit, management should focus on improving transformational leadership practices and increasing opportunities for employees to be involved in decision-making¹⁷.

📘 Example Application

Imagine a high school principal aiming to improve the school’s graduation rate over the next five years.

Instead of simply issuing new rules, the principal applies the study’s findings. She uses inspirational motivation to share a compelling vision of student success. She then implements participation in decision-making by creating a teacher-led committee to brainstorm and pilot new tutoring strategies. This also serves as intellectual stimulation, as teachers are encouraged to think creatively. Finally, she provides individualized consideration by meeting with departments to offer tailored resources.

Because the teachers were involved in the process and inspired by the vision, they develop higher grit. They are more persistent in helping struggling students and remain consistent with the new strategies, even when faced with initial challenges.

💬 Comment from Dr. Dwi Suryanto

This study provides solid evidence for something great leaders know intuitively: you don’t build a resilient, determined team through commands, but through inspiration and inclusion. The link between participative decision-making and ‘grit’ is particularly powerful. When people feel they have a voice in their work, their commitment to long-term goals deepens, turning challenges into opportunities for growth rather than reasons to give up. It shifts the mindset from “I have to do this” to “we want to achieve this.”

📌 Takeaway

To cultivate a team with true grit, leaders must do more than just set goals; they must actively involve their people in shaping the path to those goals and inspire them with passion and persistence.