Purpose This study aims to explore how institutions can move beyond traditional leadership approaches to effectively engage their employees. Drawing upon social exchange theory, the research seeks to elucidate the mechanism linking shared leadership with employee work engagement, specifically focusing on the dimensions of vigor and dedication. The study further investigates the mediating relationship of knowledge sharing between shared leadership and work engagement along with the conditional variable of self-efficacy. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire-based survey was conducted to gather data from 462 employees working in the public sector higher educational institutes at two different times. Further, structural equational modeling was used for data analysis. Findings The findings revealed a positive relationship between employees’ perception of shared leadership and their levels of vigor and dedication in work engagement. Moreover, the study identifies knowledge sharing as a mediator in the association between shared leadership and both dimensions of work engagement. However, the moderating effect of self-efficacy on the relationship between shared leadership and knowledge sharing was found to be insignificant. Practical implications Discussion around improved employee work engagement through shared leadership practices can foster a more collaborative and productive environment in institutions. Originality/value This research breaks new ground by investigating the interplay between shared leadership and faculty work engagement, shedding light on unexplored mechanisms in developing countries.
Jabbar et al. (2025) studied this question.