Exploring the psychology of transformational leadership: pathways to citizenship in higher education

Abstract Objective This study investigates the relationship between leadership behaviors and employees' organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) in government higher education institutions (HEIs) in Rawalpindi, Punjab. Methods The population consisted of approximately 3,000 employees across four HEIs and one sub-campus. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed to collect data in two phases: the first phase in February 2023 focused on employee perceptions of leadership attributes, while the second phase in April 2023 gathered responses from immediate leaders regarding employees' OCB. This dyadic approach aimed to minimize common method variance. After addressing missing values, the final sample size was 250. Findings The analysis revealed that leadership behaviors—specifically Inspirational Motivation, Intellectual Stimulation, Idealized Influence, and Individualized Consideration—significantly influenced organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) through the mediating factor of Trust in Management. Inspirational Motivation showed a substantial impact on Trust in Management, which further enhanced the prediction of OCB. Individualized Consideration exhibited the highest predictive ability for OCB. Conclusion These findings highlight the critical role of transformational leadership in fostering trust and motivating employees to exceed organizational expectations, aligning with prior research on leadership efficacy. The study underscores the importance of effective leadership behaviors in enhancing organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) within the context of higher education institutions.