How trust and psychological safety mediate the influence of leadership on workplace flourishing in a high-reliability military context

Saviour Ayertey Nubuor^1,*, Theresa Esi Bosomtwe^1,2, Kwasi Dartey-Baah³
1 Department of Organisation and Human Resource Management, University of Ghana Business School, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana
2 Department of Human Resource Management, Knustford University, East-Legon, Ghana
3 Office of the Vice-Chancellor, Central University, Tema, Ghana
* Corresponding Author: Saviour Ayertey Nubuor. Email: email

Journal of Psychology in Africa https://doi.org/10.32604/jpa.2026.076334

Received 18 November 2025; Accepted 08 May 2026; Published online 09 July 2026

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Abstract

This mixed-methods study examined the mediating roles of psychological safety and trust in the relationships between transformational leadership (TFL), authentic leadership (AL), and workplace flourishing (WPF) among personnel of the Ghana Armed Forces (GAF). An explanatory sequential design was employed. Quantitative data were collected from 292 military personnel (male = 65.5%, female = 34.5%, age range = 18–49 years, mean = 32.59 years, SD = 6.79 years) using structured questionnaires. Hypotheses were tested using Structural Equation Modelling and bootstrapping. Subsequently, 18 semi-structured interviews (male = 66.67%, female = 33.33%, mean = 33.5 years, SD = 8.48 years) were conducted to explain the quantitative findings. Quantitative results indicated that psychological safety fully mediated the TFL-WPF relationship but partially mediated the AL-WPF relationship, while trust did not mediate the TFL-WPF relationship. Qualitative findings revealed that the military’s hierarchical structure inherently constrains psychological safety, making deliberate leader actions such as inviting input and demonstrating fallibility essential to create the safety necessary for flourishing. This study provides a nuanced understanding of the mechanisms linking leadership styles to wellbeing in a unique hierarchical context. It suggests that leadership development programmes in such organisations should move beyond inspirational training to explicitly focus on building leaders’ capacity to foster psychological safety through transparency, active listening, and creating forums for safe voice.