School leadership styles affect teachers’ job satisfaction and performance
The school leaders who follow this transformational leadership style encourage teachers to share their viewpoints and involve them in decision-making.
“Teachers feel more confident and empowered when involved in the decision-making process, as this shows trust and respect from school leaders. This further helps in building a collaborative and professional environment,” she said.
"The transformational leadership style of a school leader can bring a positive impact on the teachers’ job satisfaction and their performance,” she added. “Teachers are found to be highly motivated and committed toward the organisation under school leaders following the transformational leadership style.”
In contrast, the teachers said that transactional leadership styles negatively impacted their satisfaction, especially with the unclear policies and procedures.
“Unclear policies and procedures negatively impacted the teachers’ performance and their job perception,” she added. “The job satisfaction of teachers depends on school culture and how flexible the policies and procedures are implemented and communicated at work.”
“Most of the teachers surveyed mentioned that they were not informed about the changes in the policies in advance and were not clear on the expectations from the leaders,” she explained.
Dr Maheshwari’s research “Influence of Teacher-Perceived Transformational and Transactional School Leadership on Teachers’ Job Satisfaction and Performance: A Case of Vietnam” was published in Leadership and Policy in Schools. The research was conducted in public high schools in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
The findings of this study would be useful for the school leaders in Vietnam to improve the school environment and adopt encouraging leadership practices to enhance teachers’ job satisfaction and their performance.
Story: Thuy Le