Engaging Leadership and Work Engagement among Knowledge Workers: A Narrative Review of Theoretical Mechanisms

Knowledge workers have become central to contemporary organisations, particularly in settings where value creation depends less on routine execution than on expertise, judgement, problem-solving and continuous adaptation. Their work is often cognitively demanding and marked by ambiguity, which makes the question of work engagement especially important. This conceptual review examines how engaging leadership may help sustain work engagement among knowledge workers.
Building mainly on the Job Demands–Resources model and basic psychological needs theory, the article presents engaging leadership as a leadership style that generates resources rather than merely supervises performance. Through strengthening, connecting, empowering and inspiring behaviours, engaging leaders may support several mechanisms that are particularly relevant to knowledge-intensive work: autonomy support, competence development, relatedness and belonging, meaningful work, and personal resources. These mechanisms are discussed in relation to the three dimensions of work engagement: vigour, dedication and absorption.
The article contributes to the leadership and engagement literature by clarifying why engaging leadership is particularly relevant in knowledge-intensive work contexts and by proposing a mechanism-based conceptual framework. It also highlights the need for further empirical research, especially in underrepresented cultural, organisational and non-Western contexts. The review offers practical implications for managers seeking to sustain engagement among knowledge workers by moving beyond supervision and control toward leadership practices that develop people, connect them to others, grant meaningful autonomy and reinforce the purpose of work.

engaging leadership; work engagement; knowledge workers; Job Demands–Resources model; leadership; motivation; narrative review.

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