Influence of Transformational Leadership on Millennial Workforce Engagement in Compliant International NGOs in Kenya

International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) wield significant influence in shaping global governance and policies through advocacy, research, and international engagement. However, INGO managers face challenges stemming from low workforce engagement, impacting operational efficiency and program delivery. The present study delved into the leadership dynamics of engaging the Millennial Workforce within Kenya's INGO sector. It aimed to investigate the challenge of Millennial Workforce engagement within Kenya's INGO sector as a leadership issue by exploring both the collective and individual contribution of each transformational leadership dimension to their engagement. Using a correlational research design aligned with the positivist paradigm, the study focused on Millennial employees in Nairobi-based NGOs, particularly those with international scope. Targeting ۲۵۱ registered INGOs, a sample of ۳۲ was selected, with ۳۸۴ Millennials surveyed using purposive sampling, resulting in ۲۳۰ respondents. Data collection involved the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire and Utrecht Work Engagement Scale. Hypotheses were tested by way of regression analysis using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. While inspirational motivation emerged as the highest-rated leadership practice, it exhibited the lowest explanatory power for Millennial Workforce engagement. Conversely, individualized consideration, despite its lower rating, demonstrated the second-highest explanatory power after intellectual stimulation which topped the rank. Although transformational leadership overall significantly predicted engagement, the effect sizes of individual dimensions were not statistically significant. This underscores the importance of recognizing the collective impact of various leadership dimensions rather than focusing solely on individual aspects. It suggests that the combined effect of transformational leadership behaviors is crucial in influencing Millennial Workforce engagement, despite certain dimensions appearing more salient.

Keywords:

International non-governmental organizations , Millennials , Transformational leadership , Workforce engagement