Unlocking project success: how proactive personality, transformational leadership and affective commitment drive outcomes in complex environments

Purpose The objective of this research is to assess the association between proactive personality and project success by examining the mediating role of affective commitment, the moderating impact of transformational leadership between proactive personality and affective commitment and the moderating role of project complexity between affective commitment and project success. Design/methodology/approach Data analysis and hypothesis testing were conducted using smartPLS 4, a partial least squares (PLS)-structural equation modeling tool. The data were collected through a questionnaire using convenience sampling from 288 employees of the informational technological sectors of Pakistan. Findings The findings of this study revealed that proactive personality has a positive and significant impact on project success directly and indirectly through the mediating mechanism of affective commitment. The moderating influence of transformational leadership between proactive personality and affective commitment is examined in such a way that high transformational leadership behavior will strengthen the relationship, and the moderating role of project complexity between affective commitment and project success will strengthen the relationship. Originality/value In this study, three unanswered research questions from the literature have been addressed. The first research question is how proactive personality can enhance project success? This research addressed the fact that proactive personality behavior can increase a project’s success. The second research question is: what are the suggested mechanisms for a proactive personality to increase project success? The current study proves that a proactive personality increases project success through a mediating mechanism of affective commitment. Finally, the third research question that is addressed by this study is: does the relationship between affective commitment and proactive personality get moderated by transformational leadership style? And does project complexity moderate the relationship between affective commitment and project success? This study reveals that both moderators strengthen their respective relationships.