Transformational Leadership and Psychological Capital on Adaptive Performance: The Mediating Role of Dynamic Managerial Capability and the Moderating Effects of Emotional Intelligence and Cognitive Capability

<title>Abstract</title> <p>The global security environment is defined by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity (VUCA), requiring military officers to exhibit adaptive performance to maintain strategic superiority. Despite institutional assumptions that exposure to military doctrine produces agile leaders, discrepancies in officer performance trajectories reveal a research gap regarding how leadership and psychological traits convert into adaptation under pressure. To address this gap, this study analyzes the influence of transformational leadership and psychological capital on adaptive performance among Student Officers in the Regular Education program at the Indonesian Naval Staff and Command College. Furthermore, the framework tests the mediating role of dynamic managerial capability and the moderating effects of emotional intelligence and cognitive capability. Using a quantitative survey design, the study sampled 270 respondents via proportional stratified sampling from 300 mid-level student officers. Subsequent analysis using Structural Equation Modeling with AMOS revealed that transformational leadership (β = 1.315, ρ &lt; 0.001) and psychological capital (β = -0.262, ρ = 0.001) influence dynamic managerial capability. In contrast, transformational leadership (β = 0.200, ρ = 0.108), psychological capital (β = 0.187, ρ = 0.053), and dynamic managerial capability (β = -0.135, ρ = 0.304) do not directly affect adaptive performance. Moreover, dynamic managerial capability did not mediate the effect of transformational leadership (β = -0.178, ρ = 0.413) or psychological capital (β = 0.035, ρ = 0.279) on adaptive performance. Similarly, emotional intelligence did not moderate the relationship between dynamic managerial capability and adaptive performance (β = 0.001, ρ = 0.237), whereas cognitive capability significantly strengthened this relationship (β = 0.005, ρ &lt; 0.001). Ultimately, this research refines the microfoundations of dynamic capabilities by positioning cognitive capacity, specifically fluid intelligence, as an interpretative filter that dictates how managerial potential converts into adaptive performance during crises.</p>