Revista Intercontinental de Gestão Desportiva - RIGD (Intercontinental Journal of Sport Management) ISSN 2237-3373
https://www.rigd.com.br/article/doi/10.51995/2237-3373.v16i3e110076

Revista Intercontinental de Gestão Desportiva - RIGD (Intercontinental Journal of Sport Management) ISSN 2237-3373

Original Article

Transformational Leadership Style and its Impact on Employee Motivation in Fitness Centers

Carla Silva, Vera Pedragosa

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Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effect of transformational leadership on employee motivation, considering the dimensions of work organization, performance, achievement/power, and engagement, in fitness centers. Design/methodology: A study was designed to collect data from fitness center employees. A Likert-type questionnaire (1 to 7) was applied and analyzed using SPSS (version 1.9.3). Descriptive statistics characterized the sample, Cronbach's alpha assessed the reliability of the dimensions, and simple linear regression assessed the predicted effects of the hypotheses, with a significance level of p<0.05. Results: The results support the 4 hypotheses and confirm that transformational leadership positively influences employee motivation. In the GTL Scale assessment, the questionnaire shows excellent internal consistency of α=.96. In the assessment of the Multi-Moti scale dimensions, work organization α=.87, performance α=.74, achievement/power α=.68, and involvement α=.64, accepted with weak reliability. Transformational leadership influences work organization by 32% (H1, β=.56; R2=.32), performance by 37% (H2, β=.61; R2=.37), achievement/power by 19% (H3, β=.44; R2=.19), and engagement by 13% (H4, β=.36; R2=.13). Originality: This study delves into the role of leadership in employee motivation, extending a literature review in the fitness field and assisting managers in adopting best practices: creating a routine of evaluations, providing feedback, and communicating an organizational vision.

Keywords

Transformational Leadership; Motivation; Fitness Centers; Employees; Leader.

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Submitted date:
06/25/2026

Accepted date:
08/02/2026

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