Does Leadership Approach Matter? Examining Behavioral Influences of Leaders on Employees’ Information Security Compliance

Organizations continue to struggle with motivating employee compliance with information systems (IS) security protocols despite implementing technical and managerial strategies. This study examines the critical role of leadership behaviors in fostering security compliance among employees. We assert that effective leadership can significantly influence adherence to IS security controls. Grounded in expectancy theory, our research model investigates how task-oriented and relationship-oriented leadership behaviors impact perceived security efforts and performance, ultimately shaping expected security outcomes. Data were collected from 407 participants through a cross-sectional survey, and structural equation modeling was employed for analysis. The findings reveal that task-oriented leadership is particularly effective in motivating IS security compliance. Furthermore, individual-level analyses highlight task-oriented leadership as the sole behavior demonstrating a direct relationship with the expected security outcomes of compliance. These insights enrich our understanding of security compliance behaviors as primarily driven by extrinsic motivation. We encourage future research to explore the role of intrinsic motivators and the potential indirect effects of relationship-oriented leadership behaviors on IS security policy compliance. By illuminating the behavioral dynamics of leadership, this study paves the way for organizations to enhance their IS security programs and cultivate a culture of compliance.