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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Organizational Psychology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1401574
This article is part of the Research Topic Emotional Resilience for Wellbeing and Employability: The Role of Learning and Training – Volume II View all 7 articles

Exploring the Positive Impact of Secure Base Leadership: Work Engagement as a Mediator in Fostering Organizational Identification and Resilience

Provisionally accepted
María C Navas-Jiménez María C Navas-Jiménez 1Ana Laguía Ana Laguía 1Patricia Recio Patricia Recio 1Carlos García-Guiu Carlos García-Guiu 2Alberto Pastor Alberto Pastor 3Sergio Edú-Valsania Sergio Edú-Valsania 4Fernando Molero Fernando Molero 1Mario Mikulincer Mario Mikulincer 5Juan Antonio Moriano Juan Antonio Moriano 1*
  • 1 National University of Distance Education (UNED), Madrid, Spain
  • 2 Defense University Center, ZARAGOZA, Spain
  • 3 Ministry of Defense, Madrid, Spain
  • 4 Miguel de Cervantes European University, Valladolid, Spain
  • 5 Reichman University, Herzliya, Tel Aviv District, Israel

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    This study applies the Job Demands-Resources model (JD-R) to the associations between Secure Base Leadership (SBL) and organizational identification and resilience and the potential mediating role of work engagement. Using a structural equation model with the partial least squares technique, data collected from 363 cadets of the General Military Academy of the Army in Zaragoza, Spain, were analyzed. Participants, belonging to the second (n = 170; 46.8%) and third (n = 193; 53.2%) years of training, with a gender distribution of 84% male and 16% female, evaluated their respective section chief captain and completed measures tapping work engagement, organizational identification, and resilience. Findings revealed a positive relationship between SBL and work engagement, with the latter acting as a significant mediator between SBL and organizational identification and resilience. These findings not only validate the JD-R model but also highlight the personal and organizational benefits of SBL in a military context and its relevance for the professional development and well-being of cadets.

    Keywords: JD-R, Secure Base Leadership, work engagement, resilience, organization identification, military leadership, Military School, Cadets

    Received: 15 Mar 2024; Accepted: 06 Sep 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Navas-Jiménez, Laguía, Recio, García-Guiu, Pastor, Edú-Valsania, Molero, Mikulincer and Moriano. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Juan Antonio Moriano, National University of Distance Education (UNED), Madrid, Spain

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.