Research

My Current Research

Exploring the Science Behind Human Behavior

Research tells a story that I get so excited to read and follow along with on my journey to discovering the “why” in things. Throughout my career, I've witnessed extraordinary leaders who inspired people to grow, and I've also seen leadership behaviors that created fear, disengagement, and turnover. Those experiences led me to ask a question that continues to shape my research:

How do employees experience leadership, and how do those experiences influence the way they engage with their work?

As I continued studying psychology, I realized that leadership isn't simply about organizational outcomes—it is fundamentally about human behavior. My research seeks to better understand the relationships between leadership behaviors, employee experiences, and organizational success through evidence-based inquiry.

The exploration begins….

Current/What - Leadership has a profound influence on how employees experience their work. While positive leadership behaviors have been associated with greater engagement and organizational commitment, destructive leadership behaviors can contribute to employee dissatisfaction, disengagement, and turnover. As organizations continue to navigate remote, hybrid, and onsite work environments, understanding how employees perceive different leadership styles has become increasingly important.

Purpose/Why? - The purpose of this quantitative study is to examine the relationship between employees' perceptions of servant and toxic leadership styles and two important workplace outcomes: work engagement and turnover intention. Additionally, this research investigates whether work arrangement (remote, hybrid, or onsite) influences these relationships. By examining leadership through the lens of employee perception, this study seeks to provide practical insights that organizations can use to strengthen leadership development, improve employee experiences, and foster more productive workplace cultures.

Design/How? - This study is grounded in Social Exchange Theory, which suggests that workplace relationships are built upon reciprocal exchanges between leaders and employees. Employees who perceive supportive, ethical, and servant-oriented leadership may be more likely to demonstrate higher levels of engagement and commitment. Conversely, perceptions of toxic leadership may weaken these relationships, contributing to disengagement and increased intentions to leave an organization. This study utilizes a quantitative, cross-sectional research design to examine relationships among leadership perceptions and employee outcomes. Data will be collected through an online survey administered to employed adults working in remote, hybrid, and onsite environments. Participants will report their perceptions of their direct supervisor's leadership behaviors as well as their own levels of work engagement and turnover intention. Validated measurement instruments will be used to assess servant leadership, toxic leadership, work engagement, and turnover intention.

To Understand/Research that asks - How do employees perceive servant leadership and toxic leadership in today's workplace? How do these perceptions influence their level of work engagement and their intention to remain with or leave an organization? As organizations continue to evolve through remote, hybrid, and onsite work arrangements, do these relationships differ depending on where employees work? More broadly, how interested would it be to understand how leadership behaviors influence the human experience at work? What characteristics encourage employees to feel valued, supported, and motivated? Conversely, what leadership behaviors contribute to disengagement, diminished trust, and turnover? These questions extend beyond organizational outcomes, they seek to better understand the relationship between leadership, human behavior, and workplace well-being.

Why does it matter?/Significance- Healthy leadership extends beyond organizational performance, it influences employee well-being, workplace culture, retention, and long-term organizational success. As organizations continue adapting to evolving work environments, this research seeks to provide evidence-based insights that help leaders better understand how their behaviors influence employee experiences. The findings can support leadership development initiatives, organizational decision-making, and future research within the workplace and industrial and organizational psychology.

I will add more information on this journey as it unfolds… Stay tuned as there is more to uncover.