Agile Leadership and Workforce Productivity in Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development: The Mediating Role of Employee Engagement

Abstract

This study examines how Agile Leadership relates to Workforce Productivity through Employee Engagement within Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development (MHRSD). Drawing on Job Demands-Resources Theory and Social Exchange Theory, the paper tests a coherent mediation model in which Agile Leadership is associated with productivity directly and indirectly through engagement. A quantitative cross-sectional design was used, with questionnaire data from 390 MHRSD employees analyzed through SPSS and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling. The measurement model showed strong reliability and convergent validity, while discriminant validity was satisfactory. Hypothesis testing supported positive relationships between Agile Leadership and Workforce Productivity, Agile Leadership and Employee Engagement, and Employee Engagement and Workforce Productivity. The indirect effect of Agile Leadership on Workforce Productivity through Employee Engagement was 0.584, with Z = 11.35 and a confidence interval of [0.468, 0.663], supporting an indirect-effect-dominant mediation pattern. The findings position engagement as an important psychological mechanism connecting adaptive leadership practices with employee productivity in a transforming public-sector institution. The paper offers evidence for leadership development and engagement-focused workforce strategies within MHRSD while recognizing the limits of cross-sectional, self-reported data.