The Role of Leadership in Promoting Organizational Safety Culture in the Government Sector of Abu-Dhabi, the UAE

Abstract

The research problem identified was the lack of clarity in the role of leadership in promoting organizational safety culture in the government sector of Abu-Dhabi, the UAE. Although at the surface it appeared that the role was well performed, but in the process of the research there were gaps identified in the leadership role definition and discharge. It highlights that while the leadership role seemed effective initially, deeper investigation revealed inconsistencies in how leadership was defined and practiced. Theories such as transformational leadership and situational leadership could help clarify these gaps by emphasizing the dynamic nature of leadership roles and their impact on organizational effectiveness. This study aims to explore the role of leadership, significance, challenges faced by leaders and others related aspects in promoting a safety culture in organisations in the United Arab Emirates, specifically in the government sector in Abu Dhabi. The research seeks to understand leadership styles in the workplace, the significance of leadership in promoting a safety culture, the challenges leaders face, and ways to reduce these challenges. The researcher has employed a combination of strategies, Multiple case studies, qualitative method, interpretivism analysis and mono-method. Starting with a literature review, and complemented by multiple case studies of approximately ten organisations. Using multiple case studies can enhance the coherence and robustness of the research. Initially, the researcher considered using questionnaires, but it was decided to employ a qualitative approach for in-depth investigation. The research highlighted nine key areas essential for promoting safety leadership, including active and up-to-date policies, awareness and training, audit and compliance, and senior management responsibility. Additionally, effective communication, clarity of roles, stakeholder roles, continuous process improvement, and reward and recognition were identified as vital components. While the findings are valuable for understanding safety practices in the Abu Dhabi government sector, the study's scope is limited to this region and does not encompass the broader health implications or other Emirates in the UAE, with COVID-19 also impacting the study's focus. The interpretative methodology along with the qualitative survey method, a mono-method was adopted for data collection having 51 individual respondents. Based on data analysis, the researcher interpret data which has been analysed also demonstrate Literature linkages of the research. Here, the Importance/Implications, Limitations and Applications of the research topic also presented. The discussion of findings helps researcher in answering the research questions. The research identified nine key areas for promoting safety leadership: active and up-to-date policies, awareness and training, audit and compliance, senior management responsibility, effective communication, clarity of roles, stakeholder roles, continuous process improvement, and reward and recognition. The research identified the major challenges faced by leaders and provided suggestions for addressing these challenges. The study's outcomes benefit academics, policymakers, and stakeholders in understanding how the Abu Dhabi government ensures the safety of employees in their organisations. The study is limited in scope to the government sector in Abu Dhabi only not other Emirates in UAE. The study also did not cover the health scope due to the business workplace environment. While COVID-19 impacted the study regarding delays and changing interview times, it was not directly included as a topic of investigation. Additionally, due to the nature of the qualitative study, the researcher cannot claim that this study can be generalised. The study has several recommendations for implementation to be included in the leader’s role for promoting organizational safety culture especially in government sector organizations. This research study can be extended with a scope of future research studies that have been identified.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Aberystwyth University
Supervisor	David Ellis (Supervisor) & Charalampos Efstathopoulos (Supervisor)