From Influence to Impact: How Transformational Leadership Shapes Employee Behavior Through Psychological Activation

Abstract

This study investigates how transformational leadership impacts pro-environmental and proactive work behaviors through key employee psychological states: self-efficacy, change orientation, and positive affect. We argue that transformational leadership significantly enhances these psychological states, which can drive proactive and pro-environmental workplace behaviors. We used survey data collected via Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk) from 542 full-time employees in the United States. Data analysis used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results confirm that transformational leadership significantly enhances self-efficacy, change orientation, and positive affect, factors that in turn promote pro-environmental work behavior. Moreover, change orientation and positive affect (but not self-efficacy) favor proactive work behavior. These findings emphasize the role of employee psychological mechanisms in translating leadership into sustainable workplace behavior. The study contributes to the leadership and sustainability literature by clarifying how internal psychological resources act as behavioral catalysts. Leaders can formulate strategies focusing on emotional and cognitive empowerment. Limitations and future research directions are also discussed.