The Role of Leaders' Motivational Language on Employee Sustainable Performance: The Mediating Role of Organizational Justice

Abstract

This research set out to investigate how leaders’ use of motivational language influences the sustainable performance of employees, with a particular focus on the mediating effect of organizational justice in this dynamic. The study was conducted in the context of Iraq’s industrial sector, targeting the private segment, which plays a vital role in contributing to the country’s industrial GDP. A quantitative methodology was employed, and data were gathered from a sample of 293 employees across (26) industrial establishments specializing in the manufacturing of rubber and plastics. using a questionnaire based on robust scales. Data were analyzed using (PLS-SEM). The statistical analysis indicated that leaders who use motivational language have a significant and positive impact on the sustainable performance of employees. The study further revealed a strong association between leaders’ motivational communication and employees’ perceptions of organizational justice. Effective leadership communication was found to enhance employees’ sense of fairness across distributive, procedural, and interactional justice within the organization. Additionally, the results highlighted that organizational justice serves as a key mediating factor in the link between leaders’ motivational language and employees’ sustainable performance is transmitted through the enhancement of organizational justice first, which in turn increases employees’ commitment and motivation to achieve sustainable performance. Moreover, the study indicated that the three dimensions of leaders' motivational language (directive language, meaning-building language, and empathetic language) work integratively to elevate both task-related and relational performance levels, and enhance employees’ ability to adapt to pressures and changes in the work environment. The study recommends developing leaders’ skills in employing the three dimensions of motivational language, as they promote trust, transparency, and justice in organizational policies and procedures, which positively reflect on employees’ sustainable performance. It also calls for the adoption of training and development programs focused on building an organizational culture based on justice and motivation, especially in industrial sectors facing increasing environmental challenges, competitive pressures, and regulatory demands. The results of our study can contribute to bridging the knowledge gap in the literature regarding mechanisms to enhance sustainable performance through motivational leadership and organizational justice, and provide a practical framework for policymakers in the studied sector to support institutional performance sustainability amid various rapid economic, environmental, and technological transformations.