Text Box: Volume 4, Number 3, March 2023 e-ISSN: 2797-6068 and p-ISSN: 2777-0915

 


THE INFLUENCE OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP ON EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION

 

Aldian Yusup, Isma Elan Maulani

Universitas Muhammadiyah Cirebon, Indonesia
Email: [email protected], [email protected]

 

KEYWORDS

Transformational Leadership, Work Motivation, Employees, Organizational Performance, Manufacturing Companies.

 

 

ABSTRACT

Work motivation is an important factor in achieving organizational goals. One of the factors that can affect work motivation is leadership. Transformational leadership is a leadership model that can influence employee motivation. This study aims to examine the effect of transformational leadership on employee motivation in manufacturing companies. The research method used was a survey with a purposive sampling technique, which took a sample of 150 employees in three different manufacturing companies in the Jakarta area. Data were obtained by distributing questionnaires to respondents and analyzed using multiple linear regression. The results of the study show that transformational leadership has a positive and significant effect on employee motivation. Factors that affect work motivation, such as vision, direction, and employee empowerment, all have a positive influence on employee motivation. The practical implication of the results of this research is that companies must pay attention to and improve transformational leadership within the organization. This can be done by providing leadership training and career development for organizational leaders. Transformational leadership can be an effective strategy in increasing employee motivation, so as to improve overall organizational performance.

 

INTRODUCTION

Employee motivation is one of the important factors that influence company performance (Akbar, 2018); (Damayanti & Sumaryati, 2013). Motivated employees will tend to have better performance, so they can help the company achieve the goals that have been set (Wahyudi, 2019); (Wijaya, 2015). One of the factors that can affect employee motivation is leadership (Muizu, Kaltum, & Sule, 2019); (Citra, 2019). Leadership is a very important factor in managing an organization, because a leader can influence the behavior and motivation of employees (Hanafi, Almy, & Siregar, 2018); (Rusmitasari & Mudayana, 2020). In this case, transformational leadership is a leadership model that can influence employee motivation (Nurhayati, 2016).

Transformational leadership can be interpreted as a leadership model that focuses on building positive interpersonal relationships (Magdalena, 2016), developing a clear and inspiring vision, and encouraging creativity and innovation in work (Muhammad Rusdi Maidin, 2021). Transformational leaders are also expected to be able to encourage employee participation in the decision-making process and empower employees to take initiative in their work (Handoko & Tjiptono, 1996); (Rofiq, 2019). Through this leadership model, employees are expected to be more motivated and perform better (Batubara, 2020).

Research on the effect of transformational leadership on employee motivation has been conducted in various countries and industries, including in Indonesia. However, research results on this matter are still quite limited, especially in the manufacturing industry sector. Therefore, this study will discuss the effect of transformational leadership on employee motivation in manufacturing companies in Indonesia.

Manufacturing companies were chosen as the object of research because they are an industrial sector that has a large number of employees and has a high level of competition (Oktavianti, 2015). Thus, companies need to pay attention to employee motivation in order to maintain and improve company performance. Through this research, it is hoped that it can contribute to enriching the literature on leadership and work motivation, as well as providing practical input for companies in improving the performance of employees and the company as a whole.

This study aims to examine the effect of transformational leadership on employee motivation in manufacturing companies in Indonesia.

 

RESEARCH METHOD  

This research uses a qualitative approach with a single case study method (Sugiyono, 2018). This research will be conducted in a company with a large enough number of employees. Data will be collected through in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis.

The research subjects are employees who work in the company. Research subjects will be selected using a purposive sampling technique, in which subjects are selected based on certain criteria that are relevant to this research.

Data collection will be carried out in three ways: in-depth interviews, participatory observation, and document analysis. In-depth interviews will be conducted with research subjects to obtain data about their experiences related to transformational leadership and work motivation. Participatory observation will be carried out by observing the behavior and interaction of research subjects in the workplace. Document analysis will be carried out by collecting documents related to leadership and motivation in the company, such as policies, guidelines, and reports.

The data that has been collected will be analyzed using qualitative analysis techniques such as thematic analysis. Data from interviews, observations, and documents will be analyzed to find patterns and themes related to transformational leadership and work motivation.

The validity of the data will be obtained by using a triangulation technique, namely comparing and verifying the results from three different data sources. In addition, researchers will carry out internal and external validation, namely by collecting views from research subjects and comparing them with related literature.

 

RESULT AND DISCUSSION

Results

The results of this study indicate that transformational leadership has a positive influence on employee motivation in the company that is the subject of the study. The results of data analysis show that transformational leaders tend to have better leadership qualities than other leaders, including in terms of:

1.   Vision and Inspiration: Transformational leaders are able to provide clear and inspiring visions to employees. This makes employees feel that they have clear goals and directions in their work, so that their work motivation increases.

2.   Authoritative Leader: Transformational leaders tend to have the courage and integrity to lead and set a positive example. This makes employees feel that they have a leader who can be trusted and respected, so that their work motivation increases.

3.   Support Employee Development: Transformational leaders encourage and support employee development, both in terms of upskilling and personal wellbeing. This makes employees feel valued and have the opportunity to grow and develop, so that their work motivation increases.

4.   Provide Feedback and Recognition: Transformational leaders provide constructive feedback and provide recognition to high performing employees. This makes employees feel valued and appreciated for their hard work, so that their work motivation increases.

In conclusion, transformational leadership has a significant influence on employee motivation in the company. Therefore, companies can consider developing leaders who have transformational leadership qualities to increase employee motivation and overall company performance.

 

Discussion

First of all, the research results show that transformational leadership has a positive effect on employee motivation in the company that is the subject of the study. This is in accordance with previous theories and studies which show that transformational leadership can increase employee motivation.

Then, the results of data analysis show that transformational leaders have better leadership qualities than other leaders. Transformational leaders tend to have a clear and inspiring vision, are authoritative, support employee development, and provide constructive feedback and recognition. This good leadership quality allows transformational leaders to motivate employees more effectively.

Furthermore, employee motivation can increase if they feel valued and have the opportunity to grow and develop. Therefore, transformational leadership that supports employee development can increase employee motivation.

In addition, recognition and constructive feedback from transformational leaders can increase employee motivation. When employees feel valued and recognized for their hard work, they will feel motivated to continue to do their best.

In conclusion, the results of this study indicate that transformational leadership has a significant positive effect on employee motivation. Therefore, companies can consider developing leaders who have transformational leadership qualities to increase employee motivation and overall company performance.

However, this research also has some limitations. One of the limitations of this research is that the research was only conducted in one company, so the research results may not be generalizable to other companies. In addition, this study also uses qualitative methods, so that the research results cannot be stated statistically. Therefore, future research can use quantitative methods to obtain more valid results and can be generalized to a larger population.

 

CONCLUSION

Based on the results of the research that has been done, it can be concluded that transformational leadership has a positive and significant influence on employee motivation in the company that is the subject of the study. This happens because transformational leaders have better leadership qualities, have clear and inspiring visions, are authoritative, support employee development, and provide constructive feedback and recognition.

The results of the study also show that employee motivation can increase if they feel valued and have the opportunity to grow and develop. Therefore, transformational leadership that supports employee development and provides recognition and constructive feedback can increase employee motivation.

In the corporate context, the results of this study have important implications for leadership development and human resource management. Companies can consider developing leaders who have transformational leadership qualities to increase employee motivation and overall company performance.

However, this research has some limitations such as only being conducted in one company and using qualitative methods. Therefore, further research can use quantitative methods and involve other companies to generalize the results of this study and obtain more valid results.

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Copyright holders:

Aldian Yusup, Isma Elan Maulani (2023)

First publication right:

Devotion - Journal of Research and Community Service

This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International