The role of transformational leadership and motivation in enhancing meaningful employee performance

Marsudi Lestariningsih, Suhermin Suhermin, Emeralda Ayu Kusuma — Thu, 04 Dec 2025 00:00:00 -0600

Studies on transformational leadership and employee performance, with motivation as a key mediator, have been extensively investigated because inspiring leadership can enhance employees' intrinsic motivation, which in turn positively impacts their performance. Understanding motivation's role as a mediator enables organizations to design more effective leadership strategies that optimize employee productivity and engagement. The orientation of this study is to investigate the relationship between motivation and the effect of transformational leadership on employee performance within the Indonesian manufacturing sector. An explanatory research design was employed, involving a sample of 170 employees chosen using an incidental sampling technique. Data were obtained through a structured questionnaire and evaluated using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) software to test the hypothesized relationships among variables and perform Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The findings indicate that both transformational leadership and motivation have a significant impact on employee performance. Furthermore, motivation is found to mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and employee performance, highlighting its pivotal role in enhancing individual outcomes. This study contributes to the growing body of literature by emphasizing the importance of motivation as a mechanism through which transformational leadership can drive optimized performance. The results underscore the need for organizations to cultivate transformational leadership practices that not only inspire but also strengthen employees’ self-esteem and self-confidence. Such strategies facilitate behavioral transformation and the development of employee potential, ultimately leading to maximized organizational performance and reinforcing the effectiveness of transformational leaders.

International Journal of Management and Sustainability

The role of transformational leadership and motivation in enhancing meaningful employee performance