• Rajiha Salim Said Al Abrawi

Employee engagement is highly significant in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) where limited managerial capacity and close interaction between leaders and employees increase the impact of daily leadership behavior. This exploratory study examines perceived relationships between leadership practices and employee engagement in selected organizations in Muscat, Sultanate of Oman, and whether managers and employees have similar perceptions of such practices. The study used an exploratory cross-sectional survey design incorporating employee and manager perspectives. It combined structured Likert-type questionnaires with open-ended answers from managers. The final sample consisted of 37 respondents, including 26 employees and 11 managers across three organizations. Descriptive plus thematic analyses were performed. Employees reported relatively high awareness of the mission (69.2%), frequent feedback on performance (74.4%), and enjoyment and engagement in their duties (65.4%). The comparison of the two perspectives reveals a gap in implementation: Leaders tend to evaluate supportive practices more positively than employees perceive concrete results, specifically development support and recognition. Qualitative evidence suggests five perceived mechanisms through which leadership failures may weaken engagement: poor communication, lack of support, failure to model expected conduct, micromanagement, and lack of empathy. The study adds to the context-specific evidence from Oman and redefines engagement as an operational leadership system rather than a periodic survey outcome. It details structured listening cycles, role clarity, development plans, recognition standards, and leader accountability. The small purposively bounded sample limits the statistical generalizability of the results to the participating organizations, and these are therefore presented as exploratory.

employee engagement; leadership failure; leadership behavior; small and medium-sized enterprises; Oman; communication; recognition

"LEADERSHIP FAILURES AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN SELECTED OMANI ORGANIZATION", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 9, page no.b601-b609, September-2026, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2609168.pdf

"LEADERSHIP FAILURES AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT IN SELECTED OMANI ORGANIZATION", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.13, Issue 9, page no. ppb601-b609, September-2026, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR2609168.pdf