Strategic alliance of transformational leadership and motivation in operational excellence

This study investigates the interconnected influence of transformational leadership and employee motivation on achieving operational excellence within the automotive sector. It aims to understand how these human factors interact to shape organizational performance in this specific industrial context. This research combines a literature review with quantitative analysis of large-scale empirical data collected via structured questionnaires from a significant sample (93% response rate from 265 companies). Data reliability and validity were confirmed, and SPSS 28 was used for statistical analysis. The results strongly support the proposed hypotheses, revealing statistically significant positive relationships between leadership and operational excellence, as well as between employee motivation and operational excellence. A highly significant positive correlation was also found between leadership and employee motivation. Furthermore, the study identified trends in employee motivations evolving across professional career stages, with different priorities emerging for younger, experienced, and senior employees. This study provides a nuanced understanding of the human factor's significant role in achieving operational excellence, offering valuable insights for leaders and managers aiming to build high-performing and sustainable organizations by leveraging leadership and motivation. The findings underscore the importance of focusing on leadership and employee motivation strategies alongside performance management tools to effectively achieve and sustain operational excellence.