| Abstract [eng] |
Leadership is recognised as a long-term approach and activity aimed at managing, supporting, and motivating employees in a socially responsible and cost-effective manner. Employees play a crucial role in achieving sustainability objectives through their daily activities, responsible behaviour, and commitment to the organisation's values and strategies. Based on this foundation, sustainable leadership emerges as a pivotal element in building more sustainable business models. However, while these concepts are theoretically linked, the question arises: what are the links between sustainable leadership and employees' socially responsible behaviour within organisations? The subject of the paper is sustainable leadership in the development of socially responsible behaviour. The aim of the paper is to show the links between sustainable leadership and employees' socially responsible behaviour. The objectives of the thesis are: to analyse the concept of sustainable leadership, highlighting its features; to analyse the concept of socially responsible behaviour of employees and the features of its expression at work; to identify the links between sustainable leadership and socially responsible behaviour of employees. The literature highlights that socially responsible behaviour involves employees' conscious engagement in voluntary initiatives, community projects, and sustainability strategies both within and beyond the organisation. Sustainable leadership, on the other hand, is defined as an integrated management approach, implemented through collaborative efforts to shape organisational culture, enhance performance, and reconfigure work systems to align with emerging sustainability goals. The findings of this study indicate that sustainable leadership is significantly correlated with employees' engagement in environmentally friendly tasks and initiatives. However, the research also reveals a weaker correlation between sustainable leadership and employees' active participation in socially responsible activities initiated by the organisation. This suggests that while sustainable leadership effectively encourages responsible behaviour, its impact is limited, particularly in activities outside the organisation. These findings point to a gap in perceived support from managers and a lack of sufficient incentives and opportunities for employees' ideas to be valued and implemented. To address these challenges and strengthen the connection between sustainable leadership and socially responsible behaviour, several recommendations are proposed. Organisations should actively involve employees in the development of sustainability plans. Regular meetings and discussions should be organised to foster the sharing of ideas, exchange of experiences, and provision of feedback. Empowerment strategies are crucial to enable employees to independently pursue environmentally friendly initiatives, complemented by robust support systems that motivate participation in social and environmental activities. Leadership training, particularly in emotional intelligence, is also vital to enhance leaders' ability to understand and positively influence employee engagement. Finally, managers should be encouraged to engage directly with communities to better understand societal needs and foster stronger connections between the organisation and its external environment. |
