Leadership practices, organizational climate, and faculty engagement in higher education: a multinational study

Although there is extensive research in organizational psychology on leadership, there remains a gap in our integrated understanding of the mechanisms by which leaders' behaviors are perceived across organizational levels and how these perceptions, through organizational climate, shape engagement in multinational higher education contexts. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the relationships among leadership practices, engagement, and organizational climate in higher education institutions, focusing on the explanatory pathways that link these variables at the organizational level. A quantitative approach was adopted, with a sample of 404 university faculty members from the United States, Paraguay, Peru, and the Dominican Republic. The Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI-Self), the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9), and the FOCUS Organizational Climate Questionnaire were employed. The findings revealed positive and significant relationships between leadership and organizational climate ( β = 0.342), organizational climate and engagement ( β = 0.575), and leadership and engagement ( β = 0.260). Additionally, an indirect pathway from leadership to engagement through organizational climate was identified, yielding a high total effect ( β = 0.457). Organizational climate is thus positioned as a central explanatory mechanism for understanding how leadership practices translate into higher levels of faculty engagement across contexts. Practical, policy, and institutional implications for evidence-based leadership development are discussed.