Mediating Role of Organisational Culture in the Relationship Between People Dimensions and Employee Engagement in the Telecom Sector in Abu Dhabi
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65080/ajbmss.v2i1.CM2621101023Keywords:
Customer centricity, managerial support, empowerment, organisational culture, employee engagement, telecom sector, Abu DhabiAbstract
Introduction: The following research has examined the impact of people dimension on employee engagement in the Abu Dhabi’s telecom sector. It also explored the mediating role of organisational culture in the relationship between people dimensions and employee engagement.
Methods: The research employed a quantitative design, collecting data from 385 employees at the largest telecom operators in Abu Dhabi. The data were collected using a self-developed questionnaire with purposive sampling, resulting in 385 valid responses. Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used as the analytical method to process the data.
Results & Discussion: The study revealed that Organisational Empowerment has the strongest positive impact on Employee Engagement (β= 0.310, p = 0.000). Customer Centricity presented a negative relationship with engagement (β= -0.162, p = 0.035), suggesting that focusing too much on customer needs may reduce engagement. The effect of Managerial Support on engagement is weak but positive (β = 0.126, p = 0.075). Organisational Culture has partial mediation effect, enhancing the relationship between Empowerment (β = 0.505, p = 0.000) and Employee Engagement (β = 0.267, p = 0.002), as well as between Customer Centricity and engagement (β = 0.189, p = 0.002).
Conclusion: This research provides valuable insights for telecom companies in Abu Dhabi, focusing on the significance of empowerment and positive organisation culture to increase employee engagement that ultimately drive improved performance and competitive advantage.
Downloads
References
Afram, J., Manresa, A., & Mas Machuca, M. (2022). The impact of employee empowerment on organisational performance: The mediating role of employee engagement and organisational citizenship behaviour. Intangible Capital, 18(1), 96–119.
https://doi.org/10.3926/ic.1781
Ahmad, R., Nawaz, M. R., Ishaq, M. I., Khan, M. M., & Ashraf, H. A. (2023). Social exchange theory: Systematic review and future directions. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1015921. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1015921
Ahmed, M., & Shafiq, S. (2014). The Impact of Organizational Culture on Organizational Performance: A Case Study of Telecom Sector. Global Journal of Management and Business Research: A Administration and Management, 14(3). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323799766_The_Impact_of_Organizational_Culture_on_Organizational_PerformanceA_Case_Study_on_Telecom_Sector
Al Kurdi, B., Alshurideh, M., & Alnaser, A. (2020). The impact of employee satisfaction on customer satisfaction: Theoretical and empirical underpinning. Management Science Letters, 10(15), 3561–3570. https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2020.6.038
Aldabbas, H., Pinnington, A., Lahrech, A., & Blaique, L. (2025). Extrinsic rewards for employee creativity? The role of perceived organisational support, work engagement and intrinsic motivation. International Journal of Innovation Science, 17(2), 237–260. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJIS-08-2022-0165
Atiku, S. O., Itembu-Naunyango, K. A., & Oladejo, O. M. (2024). Inclusive Leadership and Employee Engagement as Critical Drivers of Sustainability in Telecommunication Companies. Administrative Sciences, 14(6), 126.
https://doi.org/10.3390/admsci14060126
Baharum, H., Ismail, A., Awang, Z., McKenna, L., Ibrahim, R., Mohamed, Z., & Hassan, N. H. (2023). The study adapted instruments based on Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) to validate measurement models of latent constructs. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 2860. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20042860
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2007). The Job Demands‐Resources model: State of the art. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 22(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115
Banović-Ćurguz, N., & Ilišević, D. (2018). Customer-centric culture as enabler of digital transformation. 2018 41st International Convention on Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO), 0400–0404. https://doi.org/10.23919/mipro.2018.8400076
Celestin, M., Vasuki, M., Sujatha, S., & Kumar, A. D. (2024). Enhancing Employee Satisfaction and Engagement to Boost Productivity: The Role of Leadership, Culture, and Recognition Programs. International Journal of Computational Research and Development, 9(2), 67–74.
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13871930
Connolly, L. Y., Lang, M., Gathegi, J., & Tygar, D. J. (2017). Organisational culture, procedural countermeasures, and employee security behaviour: A qualitative study. Information & Computer Security, 25(2), 118–136.
https://doi.org/10.1108/ICS-03-2017-0013
Deepalakshmi, N., Tiwari, D., Baruah, R., Seth, A., & Bisht, R. (2024). Employee Engagement And Organizational Performance: A Human Resource Perspective. Educational Administration: Theory and Practice, 30(4), 5941–5948. https://doi.org/10.53555/kuey.v30i4.2323
Dennerlein, T., & Kirkman, B. L. (2022). The hidden dark side of empowering leadership: The moderating role of hindrance stressors in explaining when empowering employees can promote moral disengagement and unethical pro-organizational behavior. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107(12), 2220. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.13871930
Elidemir, S. N., Ozturen, A., & Bayighomog, S. W. (2020). Innovative Behaviors, Employee Creativity, and Sustainable Competitive Advantage: A Moderated Mediation. Sustainability, 12(8), 3295. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083295
Gallup. (2021). State of the Global Workplace: 2021 Report. Available from: https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=3552998
Ghlichlee, B., & Bayat, F. (2021). Frontline employees’ engagement and business performance: The mediating role of customer-oriented behaviors. Management Research Review, 44(2), 290–317. https://doi.org/10.1108/MRR-11-2019-0482
Gillet, N., Morin, A. J. S., & Blais, A.-R. (2024). A Multilevel Person-Centered Perspective on the Role of Job Demands and Resources for Employees’ Job Engagement and Burnout Profiles. Group & Organization Management, 49(3), 621–672. https://doi.org/10.1177/10596011221100893
Gupta, S., & Ramachandran, D. (2021). Emerging market retail: Transitioning from a product-centric to a customer-centric approach. Journal of Retailing, 97(4), 597–620. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2021.01.008
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24.
https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
He, J., Morrison, A. M., & Zhang, H. (2021). How high-performance HR practices and LMX affect employee engagement and creativity in hospitality. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 45(8), 1360–1382.
https://doi.org/10.1177/1096348021996800
Kadim, N. H. (2018). Determinant factors of service oriented organizational citizenship behavior among employees in a telecommunication company [Universiti Utara Malaysia]. Available from: https://etd.uum.edu.my/id/eprint/7388
Kilroy, J., Dundon, T., & Townsend, K. (2023). Embedding reciprocity in human resource management: A social exchange theory of the role of frontline managers. Human Resource Management Journal, 33(2), 511–531.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1748-8583.12468
Kithae, P. P. (2023). Interplay between Technology and Culture in Driving Change for Employee Satisfaction. Organizational Culture-Cultural Change and Technology.
https://doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.112905
Lai, F.-Y., Tang, H.-C., Lu, S.-C., Lee, Y.-C., & Lin, C.-C. (2020). Transformational leadership and job performance: The mediating role of work engagement. Sage Open, 10(1), 2158244019899085. https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019899085
Ljubica, J., Littrell, R. F., Warner-Søderholm, G., & Minelgaite, I. (2022). Empower me or not? Influence of societal culture. Cross Cultural & Strategic Management, 29(1), 114–146. https://doi.org/10.1108/CCSM-05-2021-0091
MacGillavry, K., & Sinyan, P. (2016). Focusing on the Critical Link Between Employee Engagement and Customer Centricity at DHL Freight. Global Business and Organizational Excellence, 35(4), 6–16. https://doi.org/10.1002/joe.21680
Modor Intelligence. (2025). Telecom Industry in UAE Size—Industry Report on Share, Growth Trends & Forecasts Analysis (2025—2030). Available from: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/analysis-of-the-telecom-sector-in-the-united-arab-emirates-industry
Nwachukwu, C., Chládková, H., Agboga, R. S., & Vu, H., M. (2021). Religiosity, employee empowerment and employee engagement: An empirical analysis. International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, 41(11), 1195–1209.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-03-2021-0060
Okochi, K., & Ateke, B. W. (2020). Employee empowerment: A strategy for optimizing employee performance. Nigerian Journal of Business and Social Review, 11(2), 125–137. Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368449588_Employee_Empowerment_A_Strategy_for_Optimizing_Employee_Performance
Oxford Business Group. (2023). The Report: Abu Dhabi 2023. Available from: https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/reports/uae-abu-dhabi/2023-report/
Parent, J. D., & Lovelace, K. J. (2018). Employee engagement, positive organizational culture and individual adaptability. On the Horizon, 26(3), 206–214.
https://doi.org/10.1108/OTH-01-2018-0003
Pougajendy, S., Mathiazhagan, A., & Karunamurthy, A. (2024). The Role of Organizational Culture in Driving Employee Engagement: Insights and Implications. Quing: International Journal of Multidisciplinary Scientific Research and Development, 3(3), 26–32. https://doi.org/10.54368/qijmsrd.3.3.0009
PWC. (2023). The Leadership Agenda. Available from: https://www.pwc.com/gx/en/issues/c-suite-insights/the-leadership-agenda.html
Rajagopal, A. (2020). Transforming entrepreneurial business design: Converging leadership and customer-centric approach. Journal of Transnational Management, 25(2), 128–153. https://doi.org/10.1080/15475778.2020.1734418
Saeed, S. (2023). A customer-centric view of E-commerce security and privacy. Applied Sciences, 13(2), 1020.
https://doi.org/10.3390/app13021020
Schein, E. H. (2010). Organizational culture and leadership (Vol. 2). John Wiley & Sons. Available from: https://www.scirp.org/reference/referencespapers?referenceid=2404590
Schwarzburg, D. (2024). Five Strategies To Drive Innovation In A Fast-Paced Market. Forbes. Available from: https://www.forbes.com/councils/forbesbusinesscouncil/2024/12/04/five-strategies-to-drive-innovation-in-a-fast-paced-market/
Setrojoyo, S. M., Rony, Z. T., Sutrisno, S., Naim, S., Manap, A., & Sakti, B. P. (2023). The effect of intrinsic motivation, organizational culture on employee performance with organizational commitment as an intervening variable. International Journal of Professional Business Review: Int. J. Prof. Bus. Rev., 8(7), 52. https://doi.org/10.26668/businessreview/2023.v8i7.2436
Shkoler, O., & Kimura, T. (2020). How does work motivation impact employees’ investment at work and their job engagement? A moderated-moderation perspective through an international lens. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 487698. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00038
Slabbert, H. (2018). The Influence of Employee Engagement on Customer Experience in a Customer Centric Climate and Culture. University of Johannesburg (South Africa). Available from: https://hdl.handle.net/10210/292386
Sparrow, P., Hird, M., & Cooper, C. L. (2015). Customer Centricity and People Management. In Do We Need HR? Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137313775_3
Turner, P. (2020). Employee Engagement in Contemporary Organizations Maintaining High Productivity and Sustained Competitiveness. Palgrave Macmillan. https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-030-36387-1.pdf
Tyagi, N. (2021). Aligning organizational culture to enhance managerial effectiveness of academic leaders: An interface for employee engagement and retention. International Journal of Educational Management, 35(7), 1387–1404.
https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-10-2020-0447
Yadav, A., Pandita, D., & Singh, S. (2022). Work-life integration, job contentment, employee engagement and its impact on organizational effectiveness: A systematic literature review. Industrial and Commercial Training, 54(3), 509–527.
https://doi.org/10.1108/ICT-12-2021-0083
Yousif Ali, M. S., & Hasaballah, A. H. A. (2020). Assessing the effect of organizational cultural values and employee’s engagement on performance excellence. International Journal of Management, 11(4), 108-126. Available from: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3600700
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Syed Farhan Alvi (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.