Leading with Humility in Technology-intensive work Environments: Building Engagement through Satisfaction in Indonesia’s Gaming Sector
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55681/armada.v4i6.2409Keywords:
Work Engagement, Job Satisfaction, Leadership Humility, Psychological EmpowermentAbstract
The dynamic and technology-intensive gaming industry is frequently challenged by high work pressure, heavy mental workloads, and employee turnover risks that may undermine work engagement. This study examines the mediating role of job satisfaction in the relationship between leadership humility, psychological empowerment, and work engagement among 218 office-based employees in the Indonesian gaming industry. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected through a five-point Likert scale questionnaire and analyzed using PLS-SEM. The findings reveal that leadership humility (β = 0.235, t = 4.423, p < 0.001) and psychological empowerment (β = 0.559, t = 10.661, p < 0.001) significantly enhance job satisfaction, which in turn positively influences work engagement (β = 0.658, t = 10.671, p < 0.001). Interestingly, neither leadership humility (β = -0.080, p = 0.260) nor psychological empowerment (β = -0.005, p = 0.957) exerts a significant direct effect on work engagement, indicating a full mediating role of job satisfaction (indirect effects: β = 0.154 and β = 0.368, respectively; p < 0.001). Grounded in Self-Determination Theory (SDT) and Social Exchange Theory (SET), this study highlights the importance of human-centered leadership and humane organizational practices in addressing the intense pressures of technology-driven work environments.
Downloads
References
Aboramadan, M., Dahleez, K., & Hamad, M. H. (2021). Servant leadership and academics outcomes in higher education: the role of job satisfaction. International Journal of Organizational Analysis, 29(3), 562–584. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOA-11-2019-1923
Ahmad, I., & Gao, Y. (2018). Ethical leadership and work engagement: The roles of psychological empowerment and power distance orientation. Management Decision, 56(9), 1991–2005. https://doi.org/10.1108/MD-02-2017-0107
Ali, M., Zhang, L., Shah, S. J., Khan, S., & Shah, A. M. (2020). Impact of humble leadership on project success: the mediating role of psychological empowerment and innovative work behavior. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 41(3), 349–367. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-05-2019-0230
Almotawa, A., & Shaari, R. B. (2020). Validation of Employee Engagement Framework. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, 961, 435–447. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20154-8_40
Ancarani, A., Di Mauro, C., Giammanco, M. D., & Giammanco, G. (2018). Work engagement in public hospitals: a social exchange approach. International Review of Public Administration, 23(1), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/12294659.2017.1412046
Bakker, A. B., Schaufeli, W. B., Leiter, M. P., & Taris, T. W. (2008). Work engagement: An emerging concept in occupational health psychology. Work and Stress, 22(3), 187–200. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370802393649
Benitez, J., Henseler, J., Castillo, A., & Schuberth, F. (2020). How to perform and report an impactful analysis using partial least squares: Guidelines for confirmatory and explanatory IS research. Information & Management, 57(2), 103168. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2019.05.003
Blau, P. M. (2017). Exchange and power in social life. Exchange and Power in Social Life, 1–352. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203792643/EXCHANGE-POWER-SOCIAL-LIFE-PETER-BLAU/RIGHTS-AND-PERMISSIONS
Champion, D. J. . (1981). Basic statistics for social research. 452.
Chiu, C. Y. C., Owens, B. P., & Tesluk, P. E. (2016). Initiating and utilizing shared leadership in teams: The role of leader humility, team proactive personality, and team performance capability. Journal of Applied Psychology, 101(12), 1705–1720. https://doi.org/10.1037/APL0000159
Choi, S. L., Goh, C. F., Adam, M. B. H., & Tan, O. K. (2016). Transformational leadership, empowerment, and job satisfaction: the mediating role of employee empowerment. Human Resources for Health, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/S12960-016-0171-2
Crevoshay, E., Sawyer, S., Kowert, R., Boccamazzo, R., Dunlap, K., Cocks, J., Sikmmons, R., Kocurek, C., VanDenBogaard, J., & Rogers, L. (2019). State of the Industry 2019: Mental Health in the Game Industry. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/336208930_State_of_the_Industry_2019_Mental_Health_in_the_Game_Industry
E.Spector, P. (1997). Job Satisfaction: Application, Assessment, Causes, and Consequences. Job Satisfaction: Application, Assessment, Causes, and Consequences. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452231549
Etikan, I. (2016). Comparison of Convenience Sampling and Purposive Sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.11648/J.AJTAS.20160501.11
Fahreza, M. Y., & Harjanah, T. W. (2024). Work Is Fun, Isn’t It? Bibliometrics Of Fun Work. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 26(3), 371–402. https://doi.org/10.22146/gamaijb.76200
Fernet, C., Trépanier, S. G., Austin, S., Gagné, M., & Forest, J. (2015). Transformational leadership and optimal functioning at work: On the mediating role of employees’ perceived job characteristics and motivation. Work and Stress, 29(1), 11–31. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678373.2014.1003998
Hair, J. F., Singh, S., Kaur, R., & Dana, L. P. (2022). A Primer on Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). SAGE Publication, 1–352. https://uk.sagepub.com/en-gb/eur/a-primer-on-partial-least-squares-structural-equation-modeling-pls-sem/book270548
Hakanen, J. J., Ropponen, A., Schaufeli, W. B., & De Witte, H. (2019). Who is Engaged at Work?: A Large-Scale Study in 30 European Countries. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 61(5), 373–381. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0000000000001528
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sinkovics, R. R. (2009). The use of partial least squares path modeling in international marketing. Advances in International Marketing, 20, 277–319. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1474-7979(2009)0000020014
Iqbal, S., Hongyun, T., Akhtar, S., Ahmad, U., & Nyarko Ankomah, F. (2020). Impacts of Supervisor Support on Turnover Intentions: Mediating Role of Job Satisfaction. Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies, 1–9. https://doi.org/10.9734/AJESS/2020/V6I330174
Joo, B. K., Lim, D. H., & Kim, S. (2016). Enhancing work engagement: The roles of psychological capital, authentic leadership, and work empowerment. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 37(8), 1117–1134. https://doi.org/10.1108/LODJ-01-2015-0005
Khan, A. Y., Bilal, A., Daud, N., Daniyal, M., Ahmed, B., & Ishaq, A. (2024). Factors Affecting Early Retirement Intentions With the Mediating Mechanism of Job Engagement. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 26(1), 55–82. https://doi.org/10.22146/gamaijb.72284
Mauno, S., Kinnunen, U., & Ruokolainen, M. (2007). Job demands and resources as antecedents of work engagement: A longitudinal study. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 70(1), 149–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.JVB.2006.09.002
McAnally, K., & Hagger, M. S. (2024). Self-Determination Theory and Workplace Outcomes: A Conceptual Review and Future Research Directions. Behavioral Sciences, 14(6), 428. https://doi.org/10.3390/BS14060428
Menon, S. T. (2001). Employee empowerment: An integrative psychological approach. Applied Psychology, 50(1), 153–180. https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00052
Noe, R. A., Clarke, A. D. M., & Klein, H. J. (2014). Learning in the Twenty-First-Century Workplace. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1, 245–275. https://doi.org/10.1146/ANNUREV-ORGPSYCH-031413-091321
Noreen, S., Nisar, Q. A., Haider, S., & Yean, T. F. (2021). Role of Leaders’ Emotional Labor toward Leader’s Job Satisfaction and Emotional Exhaustion: Moderating Role of Psychological Capital. Gadjah Mada International Journal of Business, 23(1), 36–54. https://doi.org/10.22146/gamaijb.53996
Organ, D. W. (1988). Organizational citizenship behavior: The good soldier syndrome. https://psycnet.apa.org/record/1988-97376-000
Owens, B. P., & Hekman, D. R. (2012). Modeling how to grow: An inductive examination of humble leader behaviors, contingencies, and outcomes. Academy of Management Journal, 55(4), 787–818. https://doi.org/10.5465/AMJ.2010.0441
Owens, B. P., Johnson, M. D., & Mitchell, T. R. (2013). Expressed humility in organizations: Implications for performance, teams, and leadership. Organization Science, 24(5), 1517–1538. https://doi.org/10.1287/ORSC.1120.0795
Pradhan, R. K., Panda, P., & Jena, L. K. (2017). Purpose, Passion, and Performance at the Workplace: Exploring the Nature, Structure, and Relationship. Psychologist-Manager Journal, 20(4), 222–245. https://doi.org/10.1037/MGR0000059
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (1985). Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being Self-Determination Theory.
Schaufeli, W. B. (2018). Work engagement in Europe: Relations with national economy, governance and culture. Organizational Dynamics, 47(2), 99–106. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2018.01.003
Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). Educational and Psychological Measurement Schaufeli et al. / Measurement of W ork Engagement The Measurement of Work Engagement With a Short Questionnaire A Cross-National Study. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405282471
Schaufeli, W. B., Salanova, M., González-romá, V., & Bakker, A. B. (2002). The Measurement of Engagement and Burnout: A Two Sample Confirmatory Factor Analytic Approach. Journal of Happiness Studies, 3(1), 71–92. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1015630930326
Seibert, S. E., Wang, G., & Courtright, S. H. (2011). Antecedents and Consequences of Psychological and Team Empowerment in Organizations: A Meta-Analytic Review. Journal of Applied Psychology, 96(5), 981–1003. https://doi.org/10.1037/A0022676
Spreitzer, G. M. (1995). PSYCHOLOGICAL, EMPOWERMENT IN THE WORKPLACE: DIMENSIONS, MEASUREMENT AND VALIDATION. Academy of Management Journal, 38(5), 1442–1465. https://doi.org/10.2307/256865
Wang, Y., Liu, J., & Zhu, Y. (2018). Humble Leadership, Psychological Safety, Knowledge Sharing, and Follower Creativity: A Cross-Level Investigation. Frontiers in Psychology, 9(SEP), 1727. https://doi.org/10.3389/FPSYG.2018.01727
Wushe, T., & Shenje, J. (2019). The antecedents of employee engagement and their effect on public sector service delivery: The case study of government departments in harare. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 17. https://doi.org/10.4102/SAJHRM.V17I0.1082
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 ARMADA : Jurnal Penelitian Multidisiplin

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





