Purpose This study aims to examine the effect of organisational culture on engagement levels and whether this relationship was mediated by shared leadership and delegation. In this manuscript, a minimal team is defined as a small, functionally complete group typically comprising 3–10 employees. This definition aligns with the operational realities of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), ensuring a focused analysis of team dynamics within such organisations. Design/methodology/approach The sample consisted of 368 participants working in minimal teams in Portugal. A quantitative methodology was used to test the formulated hypotheses. Findings The results indicate that organisational culture has a positive and significant effect on engagement and shared leadership. Shared leadership and delegation have a positive and significant effect on engagement levels. Shared leadership has a positive and significant effect on delegation. Finally, shared leadership and delegation had a serial mediation effect on the relationship between organisational culture and engagement. Originality/value These results indicate that organisational culture is fundamental to promoting shared leadership, which leads to increased participation in decision-making and higher levels of engagement.

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Organisational culture,Shared leadership,Delegation,Engagement,Quantitative study,Minimal teams

• Economics and Business - Social Sciences
• Educational Sciences - Social Sciences