Driving workplace alignment and adaptability in Jordanian service industry: A cultural examination of managerial influence and staff engagement

This study aims to examine the impact of transformational leadership on employees’ emotional commitment to organizational change and their intention to support change while evaluating the mediating role of innovative behavior. The analysis was conducted in the Jordanian tourism and hospitality sector between January and February 2025. A structured questionnaire was distributed to employees working in hotels, travel agencies, and tourist attractions across various regions of the country. Stratified random sampling ensured balanced representation by organization type and location. Out of 300 distributed questionnaires, 230 valid responses were collected, yielding a response rate of 76.7%. Participants had at least one year of experience and prior exposure to organizational change efforts, such as digital transformation or environmental sustainability programs. Relationships among the constructs were analyzed using structural equation modeling.The findings show that transformational leadership significantly influences emotional commitment to change (standardized coefficient = 0.65, significance level = 0.001), intention to support change (standardized coefficient = 0.58, significance level = 0.003), and innovative behavior (standardized coefficient = 0.62, significance level = 0.002). Innovative behavior partially mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and both emotional commitment (indirect effect = 0.25) and support for change (indirect effect = 0.21). These results indicate that transformational leadership enhances employee adaptability when supported by creativity and psychological safety. The study concludes that culturally aligned leadership practices promoting innovation and trust are essential for improving organizational resilience and managing change in high-context service environments.