Abstract

Summary: Leaders play a critical role in shaping workplace well-being, respect, and mental health in mining. This study examined the relational leadership capabilities underpinning the SIGNal program and explored the contextual factors that influence leadership development and the application of learning in mining workplaces. The quantitative findings showed that supportive, inclusive, growth-oriented, and adaptive leadership behaviours tend to co-exist and are strongly associated with positive worker outcomes. Workers who perceived their leaders as highly relational reported substantially higher levels of job satisfaction, work engagement, well-being, and respect at work. The findings also highlighted the importance of organisational factors, with psychosocial safety climate and organisational support for leadership development influencing how workers perceived their leaders. The qualitative findings reinforced the importance of relational leadership in the mining context. Participants described effective leaders as those who listen, genuinely consider workers' perspectives, respond to individual needs, communicate openly, act with authenticity, and help teams navigate workplace change. At the same time, participants emphasised that leadership alone cannot overcome organisational systems that prioritise production at the expense of people. Broader organisational support, alignment, and reinforcement are therefore essential for relational leadership to flourish. Participants strongly endorsed the overall focus of the SIGNal program and viewed the four leadership domains as highly relevant to contemporary mining workplaces. However, they highlighted the importance of ensuring that leadership development is practical, mining-specific, engaging, and supported through coaching, peer learning, and organisational commitment. Together, the findings suggest that SIGNal addresses leadership capabilities that matter for worker well-being and respectful workplace cultures, while also highlighting the organisational conditions required for these capabilities to be successfully developed and sustained in practice.

Keywords

relational leadership, leadership development, mining industry, workplace well-being, mental health, respectful workplaces, worker well-being, job satisfaction, work engagement, psychosocial safety climate, organisational support, workplace culture, inclusive leadership, supportive leadership

Document Type

Report

Date of Publication

2026

Type of File

PDF

Publisher

Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Centre

School

School of Business and Law

RAS ID

100601

Funding Information

This research was conducted as part of the ECU MARS Centre’s Digging Deeper Research Program. We would like to acknowledge and thank our funder The Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety (LGIRS)

Content Type

Full object

First Page

1

Last Page

9

Recommended Citation

Arian Kunzelmann , A, Shafaei, A., Franken , E. Blackwood , K, Bentley, T., Xia, R., & Deacon, L. (2026). Fostering relational leadership skills in mining: The SIGNal Online Program. Mental Awareness, Respect and Safety (MARS) Centre.

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