Relationship between transformational leadership and knowledge management: The moderating effect of organizational culture

Abstract

In the context of Peruvian public universities, knowledge management is a key tool for academic advancement and social progress. This study investigates how transformational leadership impacts knowledge management, with a special focus on the moderating effect of organizational culture. Data were collected from 370 managerial staff members, both teaching and administrative, across various public universities in Peru, through online surveys. The methodology employed was the analysis of regression models with interaction terms. The results demonstrate that transformational leadership has a significant positive effect on knowledge management (β = 0.7092; p < 0.01), especially highlighting the influence of charisma (β = 0.5315; p < 0.01). Organizational culture proved to be a significant moderator in this relationship. This was reflected in the significance of the interaction terms between the dimensions of organizational culture and transformational leadership. Participation has a moderating effect (β = 0.4507; p < 0.01), consistency is a significant moderator (β = 0.5356; p < 0.01), adaptability has a moderating influence in the relationship between leadership and knowledge management (β = 0.4890; p < 0.01), as does mission (β = 0.3846; p < 0.01). This suggests that in contexts where organizational culture is robust and focused on learning and collaboration, transformational leadership effectively enhances knowledge management. These results provide a deeper understanding of the role of transformational leadership and organizational culture in knowledge management practices in the academic field, offering valuable insights for future research and administrative practices in the educational sector.