Transformational leadership, organizational learning, and employee performance: the mediating role of affective commitment in Cement Company X, Rembang
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.20525/ijrbs.v14i4.4233Keywords:
Transformational leadership, Organizational learning, Affective commitment, Employee performance, PLS-SEM, Cement industryAbstract
This study examines the influence of transformational leadership and organizational learning on employee performance, mediated by affective commitment, in Cement Company X, Rembang Regency. Using a quantitative approach with 163 respondents, data were analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Partial Least Squares (PLS). The results indicate that both transformational leadership (? = 0.369, p < 0.001) and organizational learning (? = 0.265, p = 0.012) significantly enhance employee performance. Affective commitment partially mediates these relationships, with mediation effects of 0.129 (p = 0.035) for transformational leadership and 0.093 (p = 0.047) for organizational learning. Transformational leadership, measured through idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and individualized consideration (Bass & Avolio, 1994), fosters emotional bonds (? = 0.490, p < 0.001), while organizational learning (Watkins & Marsick, 1993) strengthens employee competencies and affective ties (? = 0.352, p < 0.001). Affective commitment itself significantly boosts performance (? = 0.263, p = 0.019). These findings align with prior research (Park et al., 2022; Naim & Lenka, 2020) and highlight the dual pathways—direct and mediated—through which leadership and learning culture drive performance in Indonesia’s competitive cement industry. The study underscores the importance of fostering transformational leadership practices and a robust learning environment to cultivate employee engagement and achieve organizational goals.
Keyowrd: Transformational leadership, Organizational learning, Affective commitment, Employee performance, PLS-SEM, Cement industry
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