Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Information and Computer Security
ISSN
2056-497X
Publication Date
5-6-2026
Keywords
Information security policy, Compliance intention, Psychological empowerment, Transformational leadership, Transactional leadership
Abstract
This study extends 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.
Data were collected from a convenience sample of 119 employed individuals enrolled in a US MBA program. The model was estimated using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). 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.
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.
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.
The study advances research in behavioral information security by delineating a motivational pathway—psychological empowerment—through which leadership influences security-relevant intentions, providing a mechanism-based explanation.
Recommended Citation
Sikolia, D., & Luse, A. (2026). "Leadership styles and information security policy compliance intentions: the mediating role of psychological empowerment". Information and Computer Security, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICS-03-2026-0113
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Comments
Emerald allows authors to deposit their AAM under the Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial International License 4.0 (CC BY-NC 4.0). To do this, the deposit must clearly state that the AAM is deposited under this license and that any reuse is allowed in accordance with the terms outlined by the license. To reuse the AAM for commercial purposes, permission should be sought by visiting https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/publish-with-us/author-policies/author-rights#contact.
Emerald appreciates that some authors may not wish to use the CC BY-NC license; in this case, you should deposit the AAM and include the copyright line of the published article. For more information on the deposit licenses, please see our deposit information: https://www.emeraldgrouppublishing.com/our-services/authors/author-policies/author-rights#deposit
Please note that the full text of the AAM must only appear in the institutional repository once the final version of the article has been published on Emerald insight (www.emerald.com/insight). You do not need to wait for the article to be assigned to an issue.