Exploring Emiratisation through Sustainable Leadership in UAE Banking Institutions

Sustainable leadership is widely discussed in the literature as a long-term leadership approach that integrates organisational performance, employee development, and workforce sustainability. In the UAE banking institutions, this approach is closely linked to Emiratisation efforts aimed at increasing the recruitment and retention of Emirati nationals in the private sector. Despite these initiatives, organisations continue to experience challenges related to Emirati employee turnover, psychological empowerment, and engagement. Against this background, this study explores sustainable leadership in UAE banking institutions to examine its relationship with Emirati employee turnover, psychological empowerment, and employee engagement.A qualitative grounded theory approach was adopted to explore the relationships between sustainable leadership, Emirati employee turnover, psychological empowerment, and employee engagement. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 18 Emirati employees across six banking organisations in the UAE. Data were analysed using open, axial, and selective coding to generate categories and theoretical prepositions grounded in participants’ experiences.Ǐhe findings reveal that Emirati employee turnover is mainly driven by limited psychological empowerment and weak engagement. Ǐhe study identifies four key themes: limited continuous learning opportunities, restricted career progression leading to job dissatisfaction, cultural and organisational misalignment affecting engagement, and limited leadership commitment to Emiratisation and empowerment. Ǐhe study concludes that sustainable leadership plays a key role in improving Emiratisation outcomes within UAE banking institutions. Strengthening leadership commitment, enhancing career development opportunities, and improving empowerment and engagement practices are essential for reducing turnover and supporting long-term workforce sustainability.