Article Details
Vol. 6 No. 2 (2026): June
The Role of Transformational Leadership, High-Performance Work Systems, and Psychological Capital in Work Engagement
Abstract
Purpose: This study examines the direct and indirect effects of Transformational Leadership (TL), High-Performance Work Systems (HPWS), and Psychological Capital (PsyCap) on Job Involvement (JI), with Work Engagement (WE) as the mediating mechanism.
Research Methodology: This study used a quantitative method and survey design. All 300 active personnel of the 461st Pasgat Battalion of the Indonesian Air Force who met the minimum service requirements were included as respondents. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire and analyzed using SEM-PLS with bootstrapping.
Results: TL, HPWS, and PsyCap significantly and positively influenced WE. Work Engagement (WE) also had a significant positive effect on JI. TL, HPWS, and PsyCap had significant direct effects on JI. The indirect effect results show that WE partially mediate the relationships between TL, HPWS, PsyCap, and JI, indicating that stronger leadership, better HR systems, and stronger psychological resources improve job involvement more effectively when they first increase engagement.
Conclusions: Job involvement in the studied military unit is strengthened directly by leadership, high-performance work systems, and psychological capital, and indirectly through work engagement. Therefore, WE function as a key explanatory mechanism in the model.
Limitations: The study is limited to one military unit, uses self-reported cross-sectional data, and does not include other contextual predictors such as job demands, leadership climate, or perceived organizational support.
Contributions: This study reinforces the importance of integrating TL, HPWS, and PsyCap development to improve WE and JI in military settings. It also encourages future studies to adopt mixed-method approaches.
Keywords
How to Cite
Download Citation
References
- Al Basyir, L., Madhakomala, R., & Handaru, A. (2020). The effect of transformational leadership, organizational communication and job involvement toward withdrawal behavior. Management Science Letters, 10(7), 1623-1632. doi:https://doi.org/10.5267/j.msl.2019.12.004
- Alessandri, G., Consiglio, C., Luthans, F., & Borgogni, L. (2018). Testing a dynamic model of the impact of psychological capital on work engagement and job performance. Career Development International, 23(1), 33-47. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-11-2016-0210
- Arefin, M. S., Alam, M. S., Islam, M. R., & Rahaman, M. (2019). High-performance work systems and job engagement: The mediating role of psychological empowerment. Cogent Business & Management, 6(1), 1664204. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2019.1664204
- Bakker, A. B., & Albrecht, S. (2018). Work engagement: Current trends. Career Development International, 23(1), 4-11. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-11-2017-0207
- Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Sanz-Vergel, A. (2023). Job demands–resources theory: Ten years later. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 10(1), 25-53. doi:https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-120920-053933
- Breevaart, K., Bakker, A. B., Demerouti, E., & Derks, D. (2016). Who takes the lead? A multi?source diary study on leadership, work engagement, and job performance. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 37(3), 309-325. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2041
- Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2017). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. New York: Sage Publications.
- Daswati, D., Wirawan, H., Hattab, S., Salam, R., & Iskandar, A. S. (2022). The effect of psychological capital on performance through the role of career engagement: Evidence from Indonesian public organizations. Cogent Social Sciences, 8(1), 1-19. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.2012971
- Demir, S. (2018). The relationship between psychological capital and stress, anxiety, burnout, job satisfaction, and job involvement. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 75, 137-153. doi:https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2018.75.8
- Deng, C., Gulseren, D., Isola, C., Grocutt, K., & Turner, N. . (2023). Transformational leadership effectiveness: An evidence-based primer. Human Resource Development International, 26(5), 627–641. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2022.2135938
- Giancaspro, M. L., Callea, A., & Manuti, A. (2022). “I like it like that”: A study on the relationship between psychological capital, work engagement and extra-role behavior. Sustainability, 14(4), 1-17. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/su14042022
- Grover, S. L., Teo, S. T., Pick, D., Roche, M., & Newton, C. J. (2018). Psychological capital as a personal resource in the JD-R model. Personnel Review, 47(4), 968-984. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-08-2016-0213
- Haider, S., De-Pablos-Heredero, C., & De-Pablos-Heredero, M. (2020). A three-wave longitudinal study of moderated mediation between high-performance work systems and employee job satisfaction: The role of relational coordination and peer justice climate. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1-15. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00792
- Hansen, C., Usanova, K., & Geraudel, M. (2025). A meta-analysis on the effects of high-performance work practices in small and medium-sized enterprises: An exploration of organizational-and individual-level outcomes. Journal of Business Venturing Insights, 24, 1-16. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbvi.2025.e00572
- Harris, C., Jacobs, C., & Stindt, C. . (2025). Psychological capital as a predictor of work engagement in a training academy. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 23, 1-7. doi:https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v23i0.3207
- Hngoi, C. L., Abdullah, N.-A., Wan Sulaiman, W. S., & Zaiedy Nor, N. I. (2024). Examining job involvement and perceived organizational support toward organizational commitment: job insecurity as mediator. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1-20. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1290122
- Hossain, A., Khatun, M., & Shanjabin, S. (2024). Impact of person-job fit and person-organization fit on employee engagement: Moderating role of supervisor support. Annals of Human Resource Management Research, 3(2), 97-114. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v3i2.1885
- Huang, L.-C., Ahlstrom, D., Lee, A. Y.-P., Chen, S.-Y., & Hsieh, M.-J. (2016). High performance work systems, employee well-being, and job involvement: An empirical study. Personnel Review, 45(2), 296-314. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-09-2014-0201
- Huang, Y., Ma, Z., & Meng, Y. (2018). High?performance work systems and employee engagement: empirical evidence from China. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 56(3), 341-359. doi:https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7941.12140
- Jiang, Z., Wu, C.-H., Xu, A. J., & Van De Voorde, K. (2026). Thriving at work: A synthesis of human resource management perspectives and a future research agenda. Human Resource Management, 65(1), 133–149. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/hrm.70017
- Karatepe, O. M., & Olugbade, O. A. (2016). The mediating role of work engagement in the relationship between high-performance work practices and job outcomes of employees in Nigeria. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 28(10), 2350-2371. doi:https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2015-0145
- Kloutsiniotis, P. V., & Mihail, D. M. (2020). The effects of high performance work systems in employees’ service-oriented OCB. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 90, 1-12. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102610
- Kotzé, M. (2018). How job resources and personal resources influence work engagement and burnout. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 44, 148-164. doi:Khttps://doi.org/10.1177/0081246317705812
- Kuroki, M., & Shirinashihama, Y. (2025). Target difficulty, psychological capital, and work engagement. European Accounting Review, 34(5), 2077-2099. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/09638180.2025.2451153
- Lai, F.-Y., Tang, H.-C., Lu, S.-C., Lee, Y.-C., & Lin, C.-C. (2020). Transformational leadership and job performance: The mediating role of work engagement. Sage Open, 10(1), 1-11. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244019899085
- Lailla, N., Rao, D. G., Hakim, L., & Nugroho, W. S. . (2025). The role of grit and self-efficacy in teacher engagement and burnout. Annals of Human Resource Management Research. Annals of Human Resource Management Research, 5(4), 15–26. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v5i4.3177
- Lee, M. C. C., Idris, M. A., & Tuckey, M. . (2019). Supervisory coaching and performance feedback as mediators of the relationships between leadership styles, work engagement, and turnover intention. Human Resource Development International, 22(3), 257–282. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2018.1530170
- Mustajab, D., & Darmayanti, N. (2024). Psychological Capital, Leader-member Exchange, and Job Involvement in Shaping Innovative Behavior and Work Habits: Evidence From A Non-banking Financial Entity in Jawa and Papua. Annals of Human Resource Management Research, 4(2), 193-212. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/ahrmr.v4i2.3003
- Nawaz, N., Gajenderan, V., Manoharan, M., & Parayitam, S. (2024). Disentangling the relationship between transformational leadership and work engagement: Employee empowerment as a mediator and work experience and gender as moderators. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1), 1-27. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2023.2291851
- Neuber, L., Englitz, C., Schulte, N., Forthmann, B., & Holling, H. (2022). How work engagement relates to performance and absenteeism: a meta-analysis. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 31(2), 292-315. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2021.1953989
- Saleem, M. S., Isha, A. S. N., Yusop, Y. M., Awan, M. I., & Naji, G. M. A. (2022). The role of psychological capital and work engagement in enhancing construction workers' safety behavior. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1-19. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2022.810145
- Srivastava, S., Rao, M. K., & Ganesh, P. . (2026). Impact of high-performance work systems on employee performance in knowledge-based service organizations: A moderated mediation model. Global Business Review. doi:https://doi.org/10.1177/09721509251415305
- Tripathi, A., & Kumar, A. (2023). Demystifying the effect of high-performance work systems on job involvement based on dual-path mediation model. American Business Review, 26(1), 226-224. doi:https://doi.org/10.37625/abr.26.1.226-244
- Trisnawati, A. A., Sianto, K., Seansyah, L. A., & Saputra, N. (2021). Holistic work engagement pada tenaga kesehatan di kota Jakarta Barat: Pengaruh digital quotient, authentic leadership, dan perceived organizational support selama Covid-19. Jurnal Akuntansi, Keuangan dan Manajemen, 2(4), 255-278. doi:https://doi.org/10.35912/jakman.v2i4.425
- Trung, C. T. T., Teh, C. J., & Tee, P. K. . (2026). The impact of psychological capital on employee work engagement in Vietnam’s securities firms: The mediating role of psychological well-being and the moderating role of perceived organizational support. Cogent Business & Management, 13(1), 1-21. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2026.2654115
- Van Tuin, L., Schaufeli, W. B., & Van den Broeck, A. (2021). Engaging leadership: Enhancing work engagement through intrinsic values and need satisfaction. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 32(4), 483-505. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.21430
- Wu, W.-L., & Lee, Y.-C. (2020). Do work engagement and transformational leadership facilitate knowledge sharing? A perspective of conservation of resources theory. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(7), 1-17. doi:https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17072615
- Yu, X., Xiong, Z., Li, W., Zhang, H., Li, X., & Xiao, W. . (2025). Teacher professional identity on work engagement: The moderating roles of ego-resilience and perceived organizational support. Frontiers in Psychology 16, 1-6. doi: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1657911
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.