Transformational Leadership and Employee Engagement in Cooperatives: The Mediating Role of Supervisor Support and Moderating Effect of Digital Communication Skills
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35870/jemsi.v11i4.4636Keywords:
Transformational Leadership, Supervisor Support, Employee Engagement, Digital Communication Skills, Cooperative OrganizationAbstract
This study investigates the relationship between transformational leadership, supervisor support, and employee engagement in the context of Koperasi Nuansa Perkasa, Indonesia, with a focus on the mediating role of supervisor support and the moderating role of digital communication skills. Motivated by inconsistencies in prior research and the need to understand leadership dynamics within collectivist and hierarchical cultures, this study responds to the limited empirical exploration in cooperative-based organizations. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected through a survey of 182 employees and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results confirm that transformational leadership has a significant positive effect on both supervisor support (β = 0.953; t = 145.563; p < 0.001) and employee engagement (β = 0.512; t = 11.465; p < 0.001). However, supervisor support shows a significant but negative direct effect on employee engagement (β = -0.252; t = 6.070; p < 0.001), and also negatively mediates the effect of transformational leadership on engagement (β = -0.240; t = 5.922; p < 0.001). These findings suggest the existence of a suppressor effect in the structural model, where perceived support may be interpreted as control in the Indonesian organizational context. Furthermore, digital communication skills significantly moderate the relationship between supervisor support and engagement (β = 0.111; t = 9.885; p < 0.001), indicating that high communication competence enhances the effectiveness of supervisory support. The study contributes to the leadership and organizational behavior literature by highlighting the cultural sensitivity of support mechanisms and the critical role of communication in digital work environments.
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