Defining Organizational Humanness and Contributing Behavioral Attributes of Leadership: Qualitative Research Using a Grounded Theory Approach

Abstract

This study examined how employees experience humanness in organizations related to leadership behavior. More specifically, it was aimed to define what experienced humanness is from the perspective of employees, and which leadership behaviors employees perceive to contribute to these experiences of organizational humanness. To fulfill this aim, an exploratory grounded theory study was conducted, in which 13 employees were interviewed until saturation was attained, investigating their experiences in organizations that relate to humanness and examples of leadership behavior that influence it. Three overarching categories of experienced humanness were identified in organizations i.e., bounded space, attentive care, and human connection. Furthermore, eight specific sets of leadership behaviors appear to contribute to the experience of humanness. The findings were compared to the scientific literature and led to the conclusion that the findings yield unique elements, (e.g., fostering human connection within a team) that have not been covered in previous conceptualizations.