Leadership Styles and Their Transformative Impact on Employee Performance: Insights into Motivation, Collaboration, and Productivity

Abstract

This study investigates the impact of leadership styles—transformational, transactional, and laissez-faire—on employee performance, focusing on dimensions such as task completion, quality of work, and interpersonal collaboration. Drawing on a quantitative research design, data were collected through a survey distributed to 500 employees across diverse industries. The results revealed that transformational leadership had the most significant positive effect on all performance dimensions, emphasizing the role of visionary and supportive leadership behaviors in fostering motivation and innovation. Transactional leadership demonstrated moderate positive effects, particularly in structured and compliance-driven environments. In contrast, laissez-faire leadership was negatively associated with performance outcomes, high- lighting the risks of disengaged and passive leadership practices. These findings underscore the importance of adaptive and proactive leadership strategies in enhancing organizational success. The study concludes with practical recommendations for leadership development and future research directions to further explore the interplay between leadership styles and emerging workplace trends