The Interplay of Transformational Leadership, Organizational Support, and Employee Engagement in Driving Performance: A Moderated Mediation Perspective from Indian Higher Education

This study examines the impact of transformational leadership (TL) on employee engagement (EE) and employee performance (EP) within the Indian higher education sector, while also exploring the moderating role of perceived organizational support (POS). As the higher education landscape in India undergoes rapid expansion and commercialization, faculty members face high workloads, administrative pressures, and job insecurity. Consequently, leadership effectiveness now stands as an essential factor for improving faculty engagement along with their performance. This research uses structural equation modeling (SEM) to analyze a sample of 398 educators from public and private educational institutions to test a moderated mediation model. The findings indicate that transformational leadership positively influences faculty engagement and performance, with engagement partially mediating the TL-EP relationship. Perceived organizational support strengthens the TL-EE relationship but does not significantly moderate the direct TL-EP link. Instead, perceived organizational support plays a key role in amplifying the indirect influence of transformational leadership on performance through its effect on employee engagement. These findings demonstrate that leadership development combined with institutional support practices must be implemented to enhance faculty engagement and performance. This research validates a moderated mediation framework within Indian academic settings, which typically receives limited attention in such studies. The research provides specific recommendations for academic leaders and policymakers who want to enhance faculty outcomes by implementing effective leadership and support structures.