Leadership Styles in Participatory Ergonomics Programs: A Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Workplace participatory ergonomics (PE) programs may foster the prevention of injuries and illnesses as well as promote healthier behaviors and productivity among employees. Facilitating leadership has been identified as a critical component to the implementation of PE programs. Several contemporary leadership styles and theories have been proposed in the Industrial and Organizational (I/O) Psychology literature. A bibliometric mapping analysis was performed to assess the extent to which contemporary leadership styles have been studied in relation to PE programs in the ergonomics and public, environmental, and occupational health literature categories of the Clarivate Analytics Web of Science (WoS). Results indicated that while production in the collective areas of PE programs and leadership has increased significantly in recent decades, the study of contemporary leadership styles and/or theories in PE programs has been limited. The results highlight an opportunity for additional interdisciplinary research that may lead to more effective PE program implementation.