An examination of the impact of leadership style on DRA Global’s talent retention and employee development in remote copper mining projects in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Abstract

The increased demand for copper has resulted in a global uptake in copper mining projects. Subsequently, mining project houses must prioritise talent retention strategies to ensure competitive advantage and sustainable delivery of projects in this environment. In this study, DRA Global’s workforce was investigated to assess the influence of leadership styles on talent retention in remote copper mining projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The research followed a descriptive, quantitative approach and data was collected via Likert scale questionnaires distributed to project professionals in the research environment. The perceived importance and actual experience of leadership styles were assessed, along with the actual experience of their leader’s talent retention behaviours. The transformational leadership style was found to positively correlate with talent retention while laissez-faire and management-by-exception leadership behaviours were found to correlate with high attrition rates. Recommendations are made to further enhance leadership effectiveness by tailoring bespoke leadership programmes to address the unique challenges of remote mining projects. These leadership development initiatives offer opportunities to improve workforce stability in remote, copper mining projects in the DRC.