Communication and Team Cohesion Moderate the Relationship Between Transformational Leadership and Athletic Performance

This study was grounded on a previous investigation of the mediating effect of teamwork on the relationship between transformational leadership and performance. The purpose of this study is to enhance theoretical knowledge of transformational leadership. This study enrolled 263 athletes registered with the Korea Sports and Olympic Committee. We assessed transformational leadership, communication, team cohesion, and athletic performance. To analyze the collected data, SPSS 24.0, PROCESS macro (V4.1), and Amos 24.0 were used. There was an interaction effect between transformational leadership and communication on athletic performance, mediated by team cohesion. According to the moderated mediating effect index, team cohesion was a significant moderator of athletic performance. It can be concluded that coaches who possess strong coaching abilities and engage in accurate, positive communication with their athletes can enhance team cohesion, organizational behavior, leading to a positive impact on athletic performance.