THE ROLE OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN OPEN-SOURCE SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT: INSIGHTS FROM SURVEY DATA ON ENHANCING ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT AND INNOVATION IN AI-DRIVEN BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTS

Abstract

To improve organizational commitment and foster an AI-driven, contemporary corporate environment characterized by creativity, adaptability, and agility, this study explores the function of transformational leadership in software development teams. Bass and Riggio's transformational leadership model serves as the framework for the technique, which is grounded in a comprehensive review of the literature. In addition to secondary analysis of the publicly available "Open-Source Software Leadership Survey Dataset", accessible at https://opensourcesurvey.org/, we have also included recent 2017–2024 case studies from software leaders like Google and Microsoft, illustrating various practices. This dataset source, which we plan to further investigate in subsequent primary research for more thorough replication, records survey responses on leadership styles, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation, and commitment measures in open-source software projects. Results should illustrate that leaders who outline imaginative project roadmaps, give personalized mentorship in various tools that stimulate intelligence via hackathons, and model ethical open-source practices. Transformational leadership stands out in contemporary management theory as a style that goes beyond the traditional understanding of leadership and people management. Its essence is reflected in the ability of leaders to inspire, motivate, and encourage employees to overcome their own interests and contribute to the realization of a shared vision of the organization. This paper explores the impact of transformational leadership low and high leadership levels on the organization, employee commitment, and innovation, starting from theoretical premises that link personal development with collective performance. Special attention is paid to the role of managers in creating a stimulating work environment that develops trust, initiative, and readiness for change. Through an analysis of relevant literature and the transformational leadership model of Bass and Riggio, the paper indicates that leaders who encourage creativity, independence, and team spirit create the foundations for the sustainable development of employee culture and innovative behavior. The recommendations support inclusive hiring, gamified sprint evaluations, and specialist training in AI-era motivation. Additional information from the dataset shows that transformational teams had lower turnover and higher job satisfaction in Top3 for low leadership (0.20), with qualitative insights highlighting that high leadership group in Top1 scored highest (0.40) in job satisfaction.