Leadership styles and information security policy compliance intentions: the mediating role of psychological empowerment

Purpose This study aims to extend prior research on psychological empowerment and information security policy (ISP) compliance by examining whether transformational and transactional leadership influence employees’ compliance intentions indirectly through psychological empowerment. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from a convenience sample of 119 used individuals enrolled in a US MBA program. The model was estimated using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Psychological empowerment was modeled as a second-order construct comprising meaning, competence, self-determination and impact. Indirect effects were assessed with 5,000 bootstrap resamples and 95% bootstrap confidence intervals. Findings Both transformational and transactional leadership were positively associated with psychological empowerment, and psychological empowerment strongly predicted ISP compliance intention. Mediation tests showed significant indirect effects for both leadership styles, while direct effects on compliance intention were not significant, consistent with full mediation. Transactional leadership showed a larger effect size on empowerment than transformational leadership in this sample. Practical implications Security programs can benefit from aligning clear expectations and reinforcement with leadership practices that enhance employees’ perception of meaning, autonomy, competence and impact within security-related tasks. Originality/value The study offers a theory-extending extension of prior empowerment-compliance work by positioning transformational and transactional leadership as upstream antecedents in a single mediation model. Rather than proposing an entirely new compliance theory, it clarifies a specific motivational pathway through which supervisory behavior may shape security-related intentions.