Transformational leadership, work-family conflict and enrichment, and commitment

By Nicolas Gillet, Evelyne Fouquereau, Tiphaine Huyghebaert, Christian Vandenberghe
English

Leadership transformationnel, conflit et enrichissement travail-famille, et attachement

Leadership transformationnel, conflit et enrichissement travail-famille, et attachement

Although a number of investigations have examined the direct effect of transformational leadership on organizational commitment, few studies to date have investigated the mechanisms that explain such relationship. In the present research, we propose that work-family conflict and work-family enrichment can mediate the relationship between transformational leadership and organizational commitment. A survey questionnaire was distributed to 600 employees (225 men and 375 women) from a variety of organizations located in France. Results from structural equation modelling analyses revealed that the relationships between transformational leadership and four components of organizational commitment (i.e., affective, normative, perceived sacrifice, and few alternatives commitment) were partly mediated by work-family conflict and work-family enrichment. By adopting transformational leadership behaviors, managers can enhance work-family interaction and indirectly act upon the emergence of positive forms of commitment, namely affective, normative, and perceived sacrifice commitment, and reduce work-family conflict and few alternatives commitment.

Keywords

  • transformational leadership
  • work-home interaction
  • work-family conflict
  • work-family enrichment
  • organizational commitment