Date of Award

2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Organizational Leadership

First Advisor

Cheryl Osborne

Second Advisor

George Sziraki

Third Advisor

Herbert Callahan

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this phenomenological study was to identify and describe the leadership practices used to foster employee engagement among teleworkers in the Veterans Health Administration’s Workforce Management and Consulting division and to examine why leaders believe those practices are important to sustaining employee engagement. The study was guided by the job demands–resources (JD-R) model, which proposes that employee engagement is strengthened when job resources buffer job demands and support motivational processes. As telework continues to expand across organizations, understanding how leadership practices influence engagement in remote environments has become increasingly important.

Methodology: A qualitative phenomenological research design was used to explore the lived experiences of leaders who supervise teleworking employees. Eight leaders from the Workforce Management and Consulting division participated in semi-structured interviews. The interview protocol explored how leaders address mental, emotional, and physical job demands while providing job resources such as social support, autonomy, and organizational resources. Interview transcripts were analyzed using thematic coding aligned with JD-R domains, and cross-participant analysis identified recurring themes and shared leadership practices influencing teleworker engagement.

Findings: Telework engagement is shaped by leadership practices that intentionally balance job demands and job resources. Communication emerged as the central mechanism through which leaders reduce cognitive strain, clarify expectations, and strengthen relational trust. Structured autonomy supported employee motivation by providing decision latitude while maintaining accountability. Leaders also emphasized psychological safety, fairness, professional development, and access to technology and organizational resources as critical supports sustaining engagement. Participants reported that telework environments intensify the consequences of leadership behaviors, making clarity, consistency, and relational support particularly important.

Conclusions: Telework engagement functions as a leadership-influenced organizational condition shaped by leaders’ ability to establish communication systems, empower employees through structured autonomy, and provide visible organizational support that balances job demands and resources.

Recommendations: Organizations should invest in telework-focused leadership development that emphasizes communication systems, autonomy with accountability, psychological safety, and equitable access to professional development and technological resources to sustain engagement in remote work environments.

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