Write a PREreview

We proposed a moderation of transformational leadership based on the theoretical underpinning of Meyer, Becker, and Vandenberghe to address why the relationship between organizational commitment and employee efficiency varies. A sample of 163 junior sailors in the Sri Lanka Navy responded to a survey. The findings reported that the affective and normative commitment of junior sailors was positively associated with their work efficiency. However, the study did not report a significant relationship between senior sailors’ transformational leadership and junior sailors’ work efficiency and a moderating effect of the relationship between junior sailors’ organizational commitment and work efficiency. Given the significant roles of both affective and normative components of commitment, the study provides valuable insights into how to increase the work efficiency of junior sailors in the Navy. The absence of a moderating role of transformational leadership between junior sailors’ commitment and work efficiency reflects the context-specific nature of transformational leadership.