Journal article
Integrating the Motivational Effects of Transformational Leadership on Follower Job Performance: A Personal Engagement Perspective
Journal of leadership & organizational studies
06/02/2026
DOI: 10.1177/15480518261451520
Abstract
Over forty years have passed since the introduction of transformational leadership theory with the proposition that such leaders inspire followers to perform beyond expectation. However, despite extensive research linking transformational leadership to follower performance, the literature has faced criticism for lacking definitional clarity and a coherent integrative theory, with over 30 motivational constructs claimed to serve as mediators. Responding to calls for parsimonious consolidation, we propose that personal engagement theory provides a robust framework to organize the psychological mechanisms underlying transformational leadership effects. We argue that the majority of the varied mediational explanations are best understood as manifestations of three core psychological conditions for followers—meaningfulness, safety, and availability. Using a mixed-methods approach, we first conduct a narrative review and content validation to demonstrate that most transformational leadership mechanisms studied to date align with these three employee experiences of self-in-role. We further test our consolidated model in a study of 194 U.S. Marines, supporting a two-stage process in which transformational leaders foster three psychological conditions that enhance engagement, in turn, driving higher job performance. Our research addresses critiques of theoretical fragmentation and overlapping mediators, offering a parsimonious, empirically supported model that could help reignite research aimed at advancing our theoretical and practical understanding of transformational leaders and their impacts.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Integrating the Motivational Effects of Transformational Leadership on Follower Job Performance: A Personal Engagement Perspective
- Creators
- Eean R. Crawford - University of IowaSoohyun Yoon - Hong Kong Baptist UniversityJeffery A. LePine - Arizona State UniversityBrooke R. Buckman - Florida International UniversityBruce Louis Rich - California State University, San Marcos
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of leadership & organizational studies
- DOI
- 10.1177/15480518261451520
- ISSN
- 1548-0518
- eISSN
- 1939-7089
- Publisher
- Sage
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 06/02/2026
- Academic Unit
- Management and Entrepreneurship
- Record Identifier
- 9985174495702771
Metrics
1 Record Views