International Peer-Reviewed JournalOpen AccessISSN 2456-8880
irejournals@gmail.com+91-7433024337

Home / Current Issue / Paper 1713437

1713437 Vol 9 · Issue 7 Download Paper

Leadership Styles and Reduction of Quiet Qutting: A Sales and Marketing Department Perspective from SFH Access, Fidson and May and Baker Plc

Isawode Mayowa Daniel Omole Dr Ibrahim Alhassan

Subject area: Arts, Social Sciences and Humanities  ·  Area of research: Human Resource and Business Sustainability

DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I7-1713437

Abstract

Over the past few years, however, the trend referred to as quiet quitting, an approach taken by employees who want to retain their job but stop committing and applying effort to an organization mentally, has become especially problematic to employers, especially those operating in areas of high demand, like selling and marketing. This paper discusses how different types of leadership can affect a decrease in the quiet quitting trend among staff members within the sales and marketing units of SFH Access, Fidson Healthcare Plc, and May & Baker Nigeria Plc. The study combined both quantitative and qualitative forms of research methods since structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect structured data of purposive sample of employees and managers within identified organizations. The research was grounded in transformational and transactional leadership philosophy to find out how leadership practices influence employees or staff members motivation, engagement, and organizational citizenship behavior. The relationship between leadership styles (independent variable) and the minimization of quiet quitting (dependent variable) were determined using the descriptive and inferential statistical tools, such as the regressions and correlations of the scales. The results indicated that transformational leadership is quite effective to minimize the risk of quietly quitting due to open communication, appreciation, and a purposeful behaviour. On the contrary, autocratic and laissez-faire leadership were positively correlated to disengagement and the low levels of efforts. Quantitative research design was also employed whereby structured, questionnaires were administered to 150 sales and marketing experts in the 3 organizations. Correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to collect descriptive statistics in determining the correlation between leadership styles (independent variable) and reduction of quiet quitting behaviors (dependent variable). The binding shows that transformational leadership provides a positive impact on the reduction of quiet quitting by the greatest magnitude, and transactional leadership provides positive influence on it, followed by laissez-faire leadership that demonstrated no or even negative effect. This study adds to the literature of the workplace behavior due to the emphasis on the role of adaptive and employee-centered leadership in avoiding silent instances of disengagement. It provides also useful guidelines to organizational leaders particularly in the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria on how to adopt leadership practices that would lead to retention and performance of employees towards the success of organizations in the long-term.

Keywords

Leadership Behavior, Quiet Quitting, Transformational Leadership, Work Engagement, Sales and Marketing, SFH Access.

References

[1] Y. O. Akinwale and T. O. George, “Leadership styles and employee productivity in the Nigerian pharmaceutical sector,” African Journal of Management, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 55–68, 2021.https://

[2] B. M. Bass and R. E. Riggio, Transformational Leadership, 3rd ed. New York, NY: Routledge, 2020.https://

[3] S. Choudhury and M. Mishra, “Impact of transactional leadership on job performance in sales-driven industries,” International Journal of Business Performance Management, vol. 23, no. 2, pp. 141 –159,2022. https://

[4] E. Cohen and M. Kay, “From quiet quitting to active engagement: The power of authentic leadership,” Journal of Business Ethics, vol. 179, no. 3, pp. 643 –660, 2023. https://

[5] S. Dominique-Ferreira, R. Silva, and M. Oliveira, “Organizational happiness and leadership empathy: Impacts on employee disengagement,” European Management Review, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 112–130, 2023. https://

[6] E. Donkor and S. K. Boateng, “Laissez-faire leadership and workplace withdrawal: A Ghanaian perspective,” Journal of African Business, vol. 22, no. 4, pp. 467–483, 2021. https:// 234

[7] A. Folawewo and O. Omoniyi, “The moderating role of emotional intelligence on leadership style and job satisfaction in pharmaceutical marketing,” Nigerian Journal of Management Sciences, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 22–35, 2024.

[8] D. Ing and S. Nousala, “Systems thinking in leadership during crises: Lessons from logistics and pharmaceutical supply chains,” Systems Research and Behavioral Science, advance online publication, 2025. https://

[9] Y. Jibril and A. E. Okon, “Leadership influence on organizational citizenship behavior in Nigerian SMEs,” African Journal of Economic and Management Studies, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 158 –172, 2020. https:// 0125

[10] L. Johnson and D. Bright, “Strategic communication and quiet quitting: A leadership response,” Journal of Organizational Communication, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 89–106, 2023.

[11] A. Kobak, “Identifying enablers of quiet quitting: The role of leadership opacity and lack of recognition,” Workplace Psychology Review, vol. 9, no. 2, pp. 201–217, 2023.

[12] T. H. Le, H. T. Nguyen, and Y. Nakamura, “Cultural variations in leadership strategies and employee engagement in pharmaceutical sales teams,” Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 234–252, 2025. https://

[13] H. Lu, J. Qian, and X. Zhang, “Empowering leadership and psychological withdrawal in sales teams: Lessons from the COVID-19 era,” Frontiers in Psychology, vol. 14, Art. 1024571, 2023. https://

[14] A. Mamun, L. Xueyun, and Z. Yang, “Modeling quiet quitting in academic institutions: The role of leadership satisfaction,” Journal of Organizational Behavior, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 365– 383, 2025.

[15] R. Mohammed and B. Aluko, “Quiet quitting and managerial responses: Insights from Nigerian manufacturing firms,” Journal of Leadership Studies, vol. 18, no. 2, pp. 88–101, 2024.

[16] F. C. Nwankwo and A. D. Olamide, “Managerial neglect and silent disengagement: Understanding quiet quitting in Nigeria,” International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 34, no. 7, pp. 1211 –1227, 2023. https:// 883

[17] K. J. Obasi and N. O. Eze, “Leadership styles and employee turnover in Nigerian pharmaceutical companies,” Management Research Review, vol. 44, no. 5, pp. 768–784, 2021.

[18] D. A. Ogundipe, “Effects of transformational leadership on employee commitment in Nigerian service organizations,” West African Journal of Industrial Relations, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 45–60, 2019.

[19] A. Okonkwo and N. Ndubuisi, “Exploring disengagement in Nigerian pharmaceutical marketing teams,” African Journal of Business Research, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 221–238, 2022.

[20] S. Olajide and A. Kazeem, “Work stress, leadership style, and quiet quitting among marketing professionals,” African Review of Economics and Management, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 144–161, 2024.

[21] T. Oshagbemi and M. Olowu, “Transformational leadership in crisis settings: Implications for employee disengagement,” Global Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 13, no. 1, pp. 17–34, 2025.

[22] C. Prentice, X. Wang, and T. Chikritzhs, “Self- determination theory and quiet quitting: The moderating role of leader empathy,” International Journal of Hospitality Management, vol. 113, Art. 103004, 2023. https://

[23] S. Rahman and H. Yusuf, “Quiet quitting in dynamic work environments: Leadership responses,” Journal of Applied Management Research, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 101–118, 2022.

[24] T. Sewell, “Strategic leadership communication as a deterrent to disengagement: Insights from marketing teams,” Journal of Strategic Communication, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 65–83, 2025.

[25] R. Sharma and S. Kundu, “Servant leadership and employee well-being: A quiet quitting prevention strategy,” Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 42, no. 8, pp. 1123– 1140, 2021. https:// 2020-0171

[26] A. J. Taiwo and M. O. Ayeni, “The psychological effects of toxic leadership in Nigerian pharmaceutical sales teams,” Journal of African Psychology, vol. 6, no. 1, pp. 55–74, 2020.

[27] A. M. Talukder and L. C. Prieto, “Developing a quiet quitting scale and leadership effectiveness framework,” International Journal of Management and Organizational Research, vol. 21, no. 1, pp. 15–35, 2025.

[28] V. N. Trang and P. L. Trang, “Transformational leadership and burnout mitigation in Vietnamese banks,” Asia- Pacific Journal of Business Administration, vol. 16, no. 2, pp. 134–149, 2024.https:// 0144

[29] M. J. Uche and A. Danjuma, “Employee perception of leadership style and disengagement behaviors,” Nigerian Journal of Work Psychology, vol. 10, no. 1, pp. 22–39, 2022.

[30] N. Udoh and O. Adedayo, “Exploring the nexus between ethical leadership and employee engagement,” Journal of African Management Ethics, vol. 9, no. 3, pp. 97–111, 2024.

[31] P. Vezyridis and L. Georgiadou, “Transformational leadership, clarity of role, and psychological empowerment: Effects on quiet quitting,” Leadership & Organization Development Journal, vol. 46, no. 2, pp. 221– 239, 2025. https:// 0023

[32] Y. Wang and C. Li, “Emotional disengagement in digital marketing: Quiet quitting in remote settings,” Journal of Digital Workplace Psychology, vol. 5, no. 2, pp. 77–92, 2021.

[33] A. White and M. Benton, “Measuring quiet quitting in Gen Z employees: Leadership implications,” Journal of Youth Workforce Studies, vol. 4, no. 1, pp. 33–50, 2022.

[34] L. Xueyun, A. Mamun, and Z. Yang, “Quiet quitting in academia: A structural equation modeling approach,” Journal of Educational Leadership Research, vol. 28, no. 3, pp. 187–205, 2025.

[35] M. A. Yusuf and J. O. Bello, “The impact of leadership transparency on employee engagement: A Nigerian perspective,” Journal of Business Ethics and Management, vol. 17, no. 4, pp. 290–309, 2023.

How to cite this paper

Isawode Mayowa, Daniel Omole, Dr Ibrahim Alhassan "Leadership Styles and Reduction of Quiet Qutting: A Sales and Marketing Department Perspective from SFH Access, Fidson and May and Baker Plc" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 9 Issue 7 2026 Page 811-830 https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I7-1713437
Isawode Mayowa, Daniel Omole, Dr Ibrahim Alhassan "Leadership Styles and Reduction of Quiet Qutting: A Sales and Marketing Department Perspective from SFH Access, Fidson and May and Baker Plc" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, vol. 9, no. 7, Jan. 2026, doi: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I7-1713437
Isawode Mayowa, Daniel Omole, Dr Ibrahim Alhassan (2026). Leadership Styles and Reduction of Quiet Qutting: A Sales and Marketing Department Perspective from SFH Access, Fidson and May and Baker Plc. Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 9(7). doi: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I7-1713437
Isawode Mayowa, Daniel Omole, Dr Ibrahim Alhassan "Leadership Styles and Reduction of Quiet Qutting: A Sales and Marketing Department Perspective from SFH Access, Fidson and May and Baker Plc" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, vol. 9, no. 7, Jan. 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I7-1713437
@article{1713437,
      author = {Isawode Mayowa, Daniel Omole, Dr Ibrahim Alhassan},
      title = {Leadership Styles and Reduction of Quiet Qutting: A Sales and Marketing Department Perspective from SFH Access, Fidson and May and Baker Plc},
      journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
      year = {2026},
      volume = {9},
      number = {7},
      pages = {811-830},
      issn = {2456-8880},
      url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1713437.pdf},
      abstract = {Over the past few years, however, the trend referred to as quiet quitting, an approach taken by employees who want to retain their job but stop committing and applying effort to an organization mentally, has become especially problematic to employers, especially those operating in areas of high demand, like selling and marketing. This paper discusses how different types of leadership can affect a decrease in the quiet quitting trend among staff members within the sales and marketing units of SFH Access, Fidson Healthcare Plc, and May & Baker Nigeria Plc. The study combined both quantitative and qualitative forms of research methods since structured questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect structured data of purposive sample of employees and managers within identified organizations. The research was grounded in transformational and transactional leadership philosophy to find out how leadership practices influence employees or staff members motivation, engagement, and organizational citizenship behavior. The relationship between leadership styles (independent variable) and the minimization of quiet quitting (dependent variable) were determined using the descriptive and inferential statistical tools, such as the regressions and correlations of the scales. The results indicated that transformational leadership is quite effective to minimize the risk of quietly quitting due to open communication, appreciation, and a purposeful behaviour. On the contrary, autocratic and laissez-faire leadership were positively correlated to disengagement and the low levels of efforts. Quantitative research design was also employed whereby structured, questionnaires were administered to 150 sales and marketing experts in the 3 organizations. Correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to collect descriptive statistics in determining the correlation between leadership styles (independent variable) and reduction of quiet quitting behaviors (dependent variable). The binding shows that transformational leadership provides a positive impact on the reduction of quiet quitting by the greatest magnitude, and transactional leadership provides positive influence on it, followed by laissez-faire leadership that demonstrated no or even negative effect. This study adds to the literature of the workplace behavior due to the emphasis on the role of adaptive and employee-centered leadership in avoiding silent instances of disengagement. It provides also useful guidelines to organizational leaders particularly in the pharmaceutical industry in Nigeria on how to adopt leadership practices that would lead to retention and performance of employees towards the success of organizations in the long-term.},
      keywords = {Leadership Behavior, Quiet Quitting, Transformational Leadership, Work Engagement, Sales and Marketing, SFH Access.},
      month = {January},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV9I7-1713437}
  }