Abstract Book of the 2nd International Management Conference
Year: 2025
[PDF]
Why Leadership Alone is Not Enough: Exploring Empowerment and Communication as Dual Mediators of Employee Commitment
Muhammad Shoaib
ABSTRACT:
This study challenges conventional opinions that leadership styles directly influence employee commitment by revealing the dual psychological mechanisms through which leadership exerts influence. Research comprises quantitative survey data of 170 employees across different work centers in Lithuania to evaluate a dual mediation model based on empowerment and communication effectiveness. Established on robust evidence, results contradict traditional assumptions by showing that neither transformational, transactional, nor laissez-faire leadership styles independently have a significant influence on employee commitment. Notably transformational leadership showed significant indirect influence through empowerment (B = 0.243, P = 0.031) and communication effectiveness (B = 0.302, P = 0.016). These findings reveal the shortcomings of traditional hierarchical models and emphasize that trust, autonomy and clarity rather than leadership alone are the primary drivers of employee commitment in contemporary organizational settings. The research mounts a verified dual mediation approach and provides evidence based insights for leadership development in hybrid and post-pandemic work environments and reenforces comprehensive people centered leadership frameworks.
Keywords: autonomy, clarity, communication effectiveness, empowerment, transformational leadership