The Impact of Transformational Leadership on Readiness for Change Mediated by Work Engagement

This study aims to analyze the effect of transformational leadership on readiness for change, with work engagement as a mediating variable among employees at the Airport Management Unit (UPBU) in East Kalimantan. Using a quantitative approach and Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) method, data were collected from 175 UPBU employees through structured questionnaires. The results show that transformational leadership has a positive and significant effect on work engagement, which in turn also has a positive and significant effect on readiness for change. Additionally, work engagement partially mediates the relationship between transformational leadership and readiness for change, indicating that transformational leaders can enhance readiness for change by increasing employee work engagement. These findings are consistent with previous theories and research showing that transformational leadership styles can enhance employee motivation and emotional engagement as well as their readiness to face change. The practical implications of this study suggest that organizations, particularly in the aviation sector, should adopt transformational leadership styles to increase work engagement and readiness for change among employees. This study also identifies several limitations, including its cross-sectional design and focus on a single industry sector, which should be considered for further research. Future studies are recommended to use longitudinal designs and expand research to various industry sectors and geographical areas.