Transformational leadership and employee performance in Zimbabwe’s Public e-Procurement Sector

Procurement Management Units (PMUs) form the operational backbone of Zimbabwe’s public sector procurement system and play a crucial role in fostering efficiency, accountability, and value for money. In a time when the Second Republic has prioritised institutional performance to achieve the goals of Vision 2030, improving employee performance within PMUs has become essential. This study investigates the influence of transformational leadership on employee performance in Zimbabwe’s public-sector PMUs, with electronic government procurement (e-GP) as a mediating variable. A cross-sectional research design was used to target PMU professionals across Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in major provincial centres, including Harare, Bulawayo, Gweru, Masvingo, Mutare, and Chinhoyi. Data were collected between April and May 2025 through structured questionnaires covering demographic details and constructs on leadership style, task performance, contextual performance, and e-GP utilisation. A systematic sampling method was employed, and data were analysed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM). Reliability and validity were evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha and correlation analyses, and mediation effects were tested using bootstrapping procedures. Results show that transformational leadership has a statistically significant positive influence on employee performance and that e-GP partly mediates this relationship. The study highlights the vital role of leadership behaviour and digital transformation in shaping procurement performance outcomes in Zimbabwe’s public sector. It further integrates theoretical insights from the Path–Goal Theory, Stewardship Theory, Diffusion of Innovation Theory, Institutional Theory, and Situational Leadership Theory to explain the observed dynamics. The findings contribute to both leadership and e-governance literature by demonstrating how digital mediation enhances transformational leadership outcomes in public procurement contexts within developing economies.