The mediating role of organizational culture and employee motivation in the relationship between transactional leadership and organizational commitment

This study examines the effect of transactional leadership on organizational commitment through the mediating roles of organizational culture and employee motivation in public universities in Somaliland. The methodology employed was a cross-sectional research design with data collected from 278 faculty and administrative staff employees across four universities located in Somaliland. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicate that transactional leadership has a positive relationship with organizational commitment both directly and indirectly through the mediating roles of organizational culture and employee motivation, highlighting the mechanisms through which structured leadership promotes employee attachment in resource-constrained higher education contexts. The study extends transactional leadership theory to a developing-country setting, demonstrating that exchange-based leadership can generate stronger psychological commitment when supported by a cohesive organizational culture and motivational practices. The study recommends for university administrators to institutionalize transactional leadership practices that emphasize clear role expectations, transparent reward systems, and consistent performance feedback and policymakers to leverage these insights to design leadership development programs, performance management frameworks, and incentive structures that promote employee commitment, retention, and stability across public universities.