How Positive Relationships Build Commitment in Public Sector Workplaces

By Esther Kim

What makes a leader truly effective? Is it their strategic vision, their ability to inspire, or something less tangible but equally powerful such as the trust and connection they build with their team?

In today’s workplaces, these questions matter more than ever. Public sector organizations face mounting pressures, from workforce shortages to the need for equitable and inclusive leadership. Retaining skilled employees requires more than offering competitive pay or benefits. It requires creating environments where employees feel valued, supported, and committed to the mission of the organization.

A new study by the Center for Women in Government & Civil Society (CWGCS) explores the following question: How do employees’ perceptions of their supervisors’ leadership influence their commitment to their organization, and how do positive relationships with supervisors strengthen that connection especially for women?

Rethinking Leadership: Looking Beyond the Leader

When we talk about leadership, the spotlight almost always lands on the leader such as their vision, their skills, and their personality. This leader-focused view has shaped decades of research, but it only tells half the story. Leadership is not a solo act. Without followers, there is no leader.

In fact, the research suggests that leadership success depends on three things: a) the environment or context, b) the relationship between the leader and their team, and c) the leaders’ ability to motivate and inspire.

The relationship is often the one that often gets overlooked. Most studies focus on the leader’s behavior while ignoring how employees see and respond to that behavior. Part of the problem is that the term “follower” hasn’t always had the best reputation. It’s often been unfairly associated with words like “passive” or “weak” (Bjugstad et al., 20061). But, as many researchers agree, followers are not just bystanders. They shape the leadership dynamic just as much as leaders do.

This study shifts the lens to look at leadership through the eyes of employees. It asks: How do workers view their supervisors’ leadership? Do positive and respectful relationships with supervisors make employees feel more loyal and connected to their workplace? And does gender play a role in this dynamic?

Why This Study Matters

The research focused on a central question: What keeps public employees committed to their organizations? That sense of commitment is a key part of organizational success. When employees are committed, they’re more productive, more likely to stay, and more engaged with their work. But this commitment doesn’t come out of nowhere. It’s shaped by leadership, but also by everyday relationships. Feeling respected, supported, and trusted at work can make a world of difference.

Leadership is a big part of the equation but it’s not the whole picture. The relationships employees have with their supervisors and colleagues can make or break their experience. Feeling trusted, heard, and treated with dignity on a day-to-day basis often makes the difference between staying engaged or looking for ways to leave.

This study also tackles an important question: Do these experiences play out differently for women? Women often face unique challenges at work, such as being left out of decision-making circles, lacking mentorship opportunities, or navigating workplace cultures that don’t always value their voices. These factors can influence how connected they feel to their organization. Understanding the role that relationships play, especially for women, is crucial for building truly inclusive workplaces.

To explore these questions, 8,776 employees across New York State public agencies were surveyed. Three key areas were being focused:

Leadership perception: How do employees view their supervisors’ ability to lead, communicate and support their teams?
Positive interpersonal relationships: do employees feel respected and trusted by their supervisors? Are these relationships grounded in open-communication and mutual support?
Organizational commitment: how emotionally connected do employees feel to their organization? Do they want to stay and grow within it?

Findings

The results showed that good leadership matters. But it becomes more effective when paired with positive, respectful relationships. Employees who felt their supervisors were strong leaders reported higher levels of commitment to their organization. But leadership alone wasn’t enough. Real power came from the combination of good leadership and trust-based, supportive relationships.

And for women, this connection was especially strong. Women who had positive relationships with their supervisors were far more likely to feel loyal and connected to their workplace. For men, the relationship still matters, but it didn’t play as central role in shaping their commitment.

Why Relationships Matter More Than We Think

This study reinforces that how employees are treated at work matters just as much as they do. For women, especially in environments where they may feel overlooked or excluded, strong relationships with supervisors can be game-changing. These relationships provide trust, encouragement, and validation that are key to both professional growth and long-term commitment.

This study also sheds light on why some leadership efforts fail. A supervisor might be technically competent or efficient, but if they don’t take the time to connect with their team, their impact is limited especially when it comes to retaining women and other underrepresented groups.

Implications

Public agencies and other employers can take several steps to put these findings into action. First, training leaders to build relationships, not just managing tasks is important. Any leadership programs should teach empathy, active listening, and communication skills which are important skills to build that positive relationship with others. As this study shows, leadership becomes more effective when the leaders build trust and inspire confidence, instead of just giving instructions to their followers.

Second, creating more spaces for connections is important. Mentorship programs, peer support groups, and regular team check-ins can help build community. Small but consistent gestures like asking others for their input or recognizing others’ efforts do make a great impact on building trust and positive relationships within the team.

Third, it is important to recognize that men and women may experience leadership and workplace relationships differently. As results showed from the study, having the positive relationship with supervisors is important for women while its impact is not as significant for men. Therefore, it is important for organizations to recognize the difference and collecting feedback and tailoring strategies can improve retention of employees especially women and underrepresented groups.

Conclusions

Leadership isn’t just about titles or strategic plans. It’s about creating a culture where people feel seen, valued and supported. This study reminds that positive relationships between supervisors and employees are not just something nice to have. They are essential for commitment and retention of employees especially for women. As organizations look to the future, they will need more than technical skills or visionary leadership. They will need leaders who connect, who listen, and who build trust every day. In the end, people won’t stay for the job. Instead, they would stay for the relationships that they built.