Transforming Military Performance: A Study of Leadership, Organizational Ethics, and Commitment in the Air Force

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-709-5_184How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Transformational Leadership; Ethical Climate; Organizational Commitment; Unit Performance

Abstract

This study examines the influence of transformational leadership, ethical climate, and organizational commitment on the performance of air force units. Data collected from 119 personnel in Makassar, Indonesia, were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results demonstrate that all three variables exert a positive and significant impact on unit performance. Specifically, transformational leadership (β = 0.182, p < 0.05), ethical climate (β = 0.243, p < 0.01), and organizational commitment (β = 0.301, p < 0.001) were found to enhance unit performance. These findings underscore the critical role of leadership, ethical standards, and commitment in promoting high-performing military units. The study contributes to the understanding of organizational behavior in military contexts, offering insights for enhancing leadership practices and team cohesion. Utilizing PLS-SEM, the analysis reveals positive associations between all three variables and unit performance, with organizational commitment exhibiting the most substantial effect (β = 0.301, p < 0.001), followed by ethical climate (β = 0.243, p < 0.01), and transformational leadership (β = 0.182, p < 0.05). These results highlight the significance of leadership styles, ethical standards, and employee commitment in augmenting military unit performance. The implications of this study extend beyond the Indonesian Air Force, providing insights into organizational behavior within military settings. By emphasizing the interconnectedness of these factors, the research lays the groundwork for developing strategies to enhance leadership practices, cultivate ethical work environments, and bolster organizational commitment, potentially leading to improvements in unit performance and military organizational effectiveness.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Ignatius Panji Setia Kristiawan
AU  - Abdul Razak Munir
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/20
TI  - Transforming Military Performance: A Study of Leadership, Organizational Ethics, and Commitment in the Air Force
BT  - Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Accounting, Management, and Economics (10th ICAME 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 2643
EP  - 2656
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-709-5_184
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-709-5_184
ID  - Kristiawan2026
ER  -