The Mediating Role of Job Autonomy and Organizational Identity in the Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Work Engagement (Case Study: Employees of Kurdistan Cement Factory)
Keywords:
Transformational leadership, Job autonomy, Organizational identity, Work engagement, Structural equation modeling, Kurdistan Cement FactoryAbstract
This study aimed to investigate the mediating effects of job autonomy and organizational identity on the relationship between transformational leadership and work engagement among employees of Kurdistan Cement Factory. The research was applied in purpose and descriptive–correlational in design, employing a field study approach using a structured questionnaire. The statistical population consisted of 350 employees of Kurdistan Cement Factory, from which a sample of 183 participants was selected through simple random sampling based on Cochran’s formula. Standardized instruments were used to measure the variables: the 7-item Global Transformational Leadership Scale (Carless et al., 2000), the 3-item Job Autonomy Scale (Schapers et al., 2012), the 5-item Organizational Identity Scale (Mael & Ashforth, 1992), and the 9-item Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2010). Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling (SEM) through AMOS software to test the hypothesized direct and indirect relationships. The results demonstrated that transformational leadership had significant positive effects on organizational identity (β = 0.89, t = 9.243, p < .001), job autonomy (β = 0.93, t = 11.029, p < .001), and work engagement (β = 0.28, t = 2.59, p < .01). Moreover, both organizational identity (β = 0.45, t = 3.797, p < .001) and job autonomy (β = 0.60, t = 5.002, p < .001) exerted significant positive influences on work engagement. The model fit indices indicated an acceptable fit (χ²/df = 2.282, RMSEA = 0.077, CFI = 0.911), confirming the adequacy of the structural model. Transformational leadership enhances employee engagement both directly and indirectly through job autonomy and organizational identity, suggesting that empowering leadership and fostering identification with the organization are critical for sustaining employee motivation and performance.
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