Impact of individual-focused transformational leadership on individual work performance: mediating role of work engagement and moderating role of regulatory focus

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate how the individual-focused transformational leadership effect of transformational leadership impacts the team member’s individual work performance through the intermediary mechanisms of work engagement and regulatory focus.

Design/methodology/approach

A moderated mediation model was analyzed through PLS-SEM by using a sample of 462 team members across diverse work teams in Sri Lankan organizations.

Findings

Results revealed that individual-focused transformational leadership positively impacts the team member’s individual work performance through the mediation of the team member’s work engagement. The direct relationship between individual-focused transformational leadership and the team member’s work engagement was found to be positively moderated by the team member’s promotion regulatory focus.

Practical implications

This paper demonstrates implications for team designing and leadership development and highlights the importance of team leaders utilizing individual-focused transformational leadership to gain improved work performance from each team member.

Originality/value

This study provides empirical evidence for the mediating role of work engagement and the moderating role of promotion regulatory focus in deriving the team member’s work performance, which contributes to constructing a more refined profile of individual-focused transformational leadership.