Henky Lisan Suwarno

Type of the article: Research Article

Abstract
This study responds to the limited understanding of how transformational leadership is associated with lecturer performance through psychological and behavioral mechanisms in higher education. Focusing on private universities in Indonesia, it examines a sequential mediation model involving work motivation, affective commitment, and entrepreneurial orientation. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was conducted from March to June 2025 using a non-probability purposive sample of 174 full-time lecturers. Data were collected through structured questionnaires with validated scales and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with AMOS. The results indicate that transformational leadership is positively associated with work motivation (β = 0.417, p < 0.001) and affective commitment (β = 0.200, p < 0.001). Work motivation is positively associated with affective commitment (β = 0.705, p < 0.001), while affective commitment is positively associated with entrepreneurial orientation (β = 0.462, p = 0.015). Entrepreneurial orientation is also positively associated with lecturer performance (β = 0.171, p = 0.007). However, the results do not support a direct association between work motivation and entrepreneurial orientation (p = 0.251) or between affective commitment and lecturer performance (p = 0.374). The sequential mediation results suggest that transformational leadership is indirectly associated with entrepreneurial orientation through work motivation and affective commitment, and that work motivation is indirectly associated with lecturer performance through affective commitment and entrepreneurial orientation. These findings highlight the relevance of a sequence between psychological and behavioral aspects in explaining lecturer performance while avoiding causal claims beyond the cross-sectional research design.

Acknowledgment
This publication was supported by Maranatha Christian University (Grant number:017/REK/ UKM/SE/VII/2026).