How leadership fosters military flourishing: the critical role of trust

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Purpose Drawing on job demands–resources (JD-R) theory, this study examines how different leadership styles − transformational and authentic, shape workplace flourishing through the mediating role of trust within a highly disciplined and hierarchical military environment where discipline, resilience, and mission focus dominate organizing. Design/methodology/approach Employing a quantitative research methodology, data for the inquiry from a survey of 292 military personnel, including commissioned and non-commissioned Officers based at a Military Hospital in Ghana. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized relationships among leadership styles, trust, and workplace flourishing. Findings The study found a clear divergence in leadership effectiveness. Authentic leadership demonstrated a significant and positive direct influence on workplace flourishing, and trust partially mediated this relationship, indicating it is a key mechanism. Conversely, transformational leadership showed no significant direct or indirect effect on flourishing, with trust failing to act as a mediating variable. This analysis moves beyond stating what was found to explain the psychological and contextual reasons why: in the military’s rigid hierarchy, authentic leaders provide the psychological safety and demonstrable integrity needed to build trust, whereas transformational leaders’ inspirational rhetoric may be constrained by the chain of command and perceived as less genuine, thus failing to foster the deep trust required for holistic well-being. This suggests that in military contexts, where discipline, resilience, and mission focus dominate- authenticity and trust may play a more critical role than charisma or inspirational motivation in promoting well-being and performance. Research limitations/implications The findings emphasize the need for military institutions to nurture leadership approaches that prioritize authenticity, ethical engagement, and transparent communication. Leadership development programs should integrate dedicated modules on authentic leadership to build trust and enhance personnel well-being, which is crucial for operational readiness. Originality/value This study challenges the assumed universal efficacy of transformational leadership by demonstrating that authentic leadership, via trust, is more effective in promoting flourishing within a disciplined military hierarchy, thereby identifying an important boundary condition for leadership theory.

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