Mediation-Moderation Analysis of Transactional Leadership on Organizational Commitment in Somaliland Public Universities

This study investigates the impact of transactional leadership on organizational commitment through the mediating roles of organizational culture and employee motivation, and moderating effect of role ambiguity and work-life balance on the public universities in Somaliland. The methodology was cross-sectional research design from 278 employees from four public universities located in Somaliland. Data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling with Smart PLS 4 software. Transactional leadership has a positive effect on organizational commitment, supporting with existing literature and indicating operational efficiency, clear goals and accountability using reward contingencies in high education. Both organizational culture and employee motivation were found to be complementary partial mediation roles on the transactional leadership and organizational commitment relationship, reflecting key mechanisms of the relationship. In contract, role ambiguity and work life balance did not demonstrate a significant moderation effect on the transactional leadership and organizational commitment relationship. This study affirms that transactional leadership is key driver of organizational commitment through mechanisms of organizational culture and employee centered motivation practices. The findings of the study offer practical insights for leveraging leadership perspectives that can foster a committed and engaged workforce in academic settings.