Transformational leadership, engagement, and performance: a new perspective

Abstract

The transformational leadership style has long been shown to elicit above average performance in followers; however, the reasoning behind why this process occurs is unclear. The present study investigates whether follower engagement mediates the relationship between perceived transformational leadership and performance on a task. Although the relationships between transformational leadership, employee engagement, and job performance have been studied before, they have been studied at a macro level that seems to go against the original conceptualization of engagement as being task-related. Therefore, the present laboratory study explores these relationships at a micro task-related level, in a specific interaction between leader and follower in which the leader delegates a task to the follower. Results provide evidence that follower task engagement mediates the relationship between perceived transformational leadership and task performance. By better understanding how leaders build engagement and drive performance in regard to a specific task, organizations can take advantage of the influence that leaders have on everyday interactions with their followers.

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