The Mediating Effects of Work Characteristics on the Relationship between Transformational Leadership and Employee Well-Being: A Meta-Analytic Investigation

Friederike Teetzen, Paul-Christian Bürkner, Sabine Gregersen and Sylvie Vincent-Höper
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Friederike Teetzen: Department of Work & Organizational Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany
Paul-Christian Bürkner: Stuttgart Center for Simulation Science, 70569 Stuttgart, Germany
Sabine Gregersen: Institution for Statutory Accident Insurance and Prevention in the Health and Welfare Services, 22089 Hamburg, Germany
Sylvie Vincent-Höper: Department of Work & Organizational Psychology, University of Hamburg, 20146 Hamburg, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 5, 1-26

Abstract: Evidence points to an indirect relationship between transformational leadership (TFL) and employee well-being, and numerous work characteristics have been identified as mediators. However, the relative mediating effect of different types of job resources and job demands on the TFL–well-being relationship remains unclear, rendering it impossible to determine which ones are the most influential. This study aims to provide a comprehensive analysis of the relative mediation potential of different work characteristics in the TFL–well-being relationship in multiple three-level meta-analytical structural equation models of 243 samples. Based on the JD–R Model, this study extends this theoretical framework by suggesting TFL as a predisposing variable that influences both job resources and job demands, leading to changes in indicators of both positive and negative employee well-being. The results show that, while all the examined job resources and demands mediated the TFL–well-being relationship, organizational resources were identified as the strongest mediators. Furthermore, job demands had a strong mediating effect on the relationship between TFL and negative well-being, while job resources more strongly mediated TFL and positive well-being. We present a differentiated picture of how transformational leaders can influence their employees’ well-being at the workplace, providing valuable knowledge for future research and practice.

Keywords: transformational leadership; work characteristics; job demands; job resources; meta-analysis; employee well-being (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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