Exploring the Leadership Role of Secondary School Principals in Promoting Desirable and Constructive Organizational Culture in the Workplace: A Qualitative Study
Subject Areas : planing
1 -
Keywords: school culture, leadership, leadership behavior, secondary school,
Abstract :
The culture of educational organizations is an important issue that is influenced by the leadership style of principals. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the role of leadership behaviors of secondary school principals in promoting a desirable organizational culture from the perspective of teachers. This study was applied in terms of its purpose and qualitative in terms of approach. For this purpose, 12 secondary school teachers in Ramsar, Iran voluntarily participated in focus group interviews and answered questions. The data obtained were analyzed through thematic content analysis using MAXQDA software. Finally, 81 primary codes, 27 categories, and five themes were obtained. The main themes were recognition and appreciation, participatory decision-making, continuous growth and development, supportive behavior, and creating a cultural community. The findings show that from the perspective of the teachers present in the interview, school leaders should strive to strengthen human and social relationships and try to promote the general culture of the school in a positive and desirable direction by creating a safe and secure environment for sharing thoughts, experiences, and perspectives, as well as providing the necessary emotional and technical support.
References:
Alshuhumi, S. R., Al-Hidabi, D. A., & Al-Refaei, A. A. A. (2023). Unveiling the behavioral nexus of innovative organizational culture: Identification and affective commitment of teachers in primary schools. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 34(1), 130-152. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2023.2267600
Banoğlu, K., Vanderlinde, R., Çetin, M., & Aesaert, K. (2023). Role of school principals’ technology leadership practices in building a learning organization culture in public k-12 schools. Journal of School Leadership, 33(1), 66-91. https://doi.org/10.1177/10526846221134010
Bendak, S., Shikhli, A. M., Abdel-Razek, R. H., & Ardito, L. (2020). How changing organizational culture can enhance innovation: Development of the innovative culture enhancement framework. Cogent Business & Management, 7(1), 22-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2020.1712125
Benoliel, P. (2020). Principals’ boundary activities and school violence: The mediating role of school management teams. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. 48(2), 286-304. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143218802592
Berkovich, I., & Eyal, O. (2017). The effects of principals’ communication practices on teachers’ emotional distress. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 46, 642-658. Deng, C., Gulseren, D., Isola, C., Grocutt, K., & Turner, N. (2022). Transformational leadership effectiveness: An evidence-based primer. Human Resource Development International, 26(5), 627-641. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2022.2135938
Esmaili, E., Sameri, M., & Hassani, M. (2019). Effect of school organizational conditions, leadership perception and teacher motivation on improving teaching activity through the mediation of professional development of elementary teachers. New Educational Approaches, 14(2), 108-128. https://doi.org/10.22108/nea.2020.119818.1414 (in Persian)
Garengo, P., & Betto, F. (2022). The role of organizational culture and leadership style in performance measurement and management: a longitudinal case study. Production Planning & Control, 35(2), 151-169. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2022.2058431
Hallinger, P. (2018). Bringing context out of the shadows of leadership. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 46(1), 5-24. Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2018). Leading schools as learning organizations. School Leadership & Management, 38(4), 351-354. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2018.1483553
Howard, S. K., Curwood, J. S., & McGraw, K. (2018). Leaders fostering teachers’ learning environments for technology integration. In J. Voogt, G. Knezek, R. Christensen, & K.-W. Lai (Eds.), Second handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 515-534). Springer. Jafari, S., Aminbeidokhti, A., & Ghasemian Dastjerdi, Z. (2019). The role of managers’ professional leadership in students’ competency development by mediating trust and collaboration between teachers and professionalization of teachers. Journal of Educational Sciences, 26(1), 77-96. https://doi.org/10.22055/edus.2019.27969.2698 (in Persian)
Jones, M., & Dexter, S. (2018). Teacher perspectives on technology integration professional development: Formal, informal, and independent learning activities. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 27(1), 83-102. Kalkan, Ü., Altınay Aksal, F., Altınay Gazi, Z., Atasoy, R., & Dağlı, G. (2020). The relationship between school administrators’ leadership styles, school culture, and organizational image. Sage Open, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020902081
Koulaei, G., Zahed Babelan, A., Moeinikia, M., & Rezaeisharif, A. (2019). Modeling school leadership in teachers work engagement through school culture, empowerment and job characteristics. Journal of Management and Planning in Educational System, 12(1), 212-238. https://doi.org/10.29252/mpes.12.1.212 (in Persian)
Lee, A., Legood, A., Hughes, D., Tian, A. W., Newman, A., & Knight, C. (2019). Leadership, creativity and innovation: A meta-analytic review. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(1), 1-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2019.1661837
Leithwood, K. & Sun, J. (2018). Academic culture: A promising mediator of school leaders’ influence on student learning. Journal of Educational Administration, 56(3), 350-363. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-01-2017-0009
Liu, Y. (2020). Focusing on the practice of distributed leadership: The international evidence from the 2013 TALIS. Educational Administration Quarterly, 56(5), 779-818. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X20907128
Liu, Y., Bellibaş, M. Ş., & Gümüş, S. (2021). The effect of instructional leadership and distributed leadership on teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction: Mediating roles of supportive school culture and teacher collaboration. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(3), 430-453. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220910438
Louis, K. S., & Murphy, J. (2017). Trust, caring and organizational learning: The leader’s role. Journal of Educational Administration, 55(1), 103-126. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-07-2016-0077
Morris, J. E., Lummis, G. W., Lock, G., Ferguson, C., Hill, S., & Nykiel, A. (2020). The role of leadership in establishing a positive staff culture in a secondary school. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 48(5), 802-820. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143219864937
Ning, H. K., Lee, D., & Lee, W. O. (2016). The relationship between teacher value orientations and engagement in professional learning communities. Teachers and Teaching, 22(2), 235-254. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2015.1055447
Noruzivand, T., Abdollahi, B., Navehebrahim, A., & Abasian, H. (2021). Designing a model of community school leadership in elementary schools: A qualitative study. New Educational Approaches, 16(2), 45-64. https://doi.org/10.22108/nea.2022.133176.1760 (in Persian)
Orphanos, S., & Orr, M. T. (2014). Learning leadership matters: The influence of innovative school leadership preparation on teachers’ experiences and outcomes. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 42(5), 680-700. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143213502187
Paletta, A., Basyte Ferrari, E., & Alimehmeti, G. (2020). How principals use a new accountability system to promote change in teacher practices: Evidence from Italy. Educational Administration Quarterly, 56(1), 123-173. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X19840398
Rincon-Gallardo, S., & Fullan, M. (2016). Essential features of effective networks in education. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 1(1), 5-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-09-2015-0007
Roffeei, S. H. M., Kamarulzaman, Y. & Yusop, F. D. (2016). Innovation culture in higher learning institutions: A proposed framework. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 219, 401-408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.064
Seashore Louis, K., & Lee, M. (2016). Teachers’ capacity for organizational learning: the effects of school culture and context. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 27(4), 534-556. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2016.1189437
Şengüllendi, M. F., Bilgetürk, M., & Afacan Fındıklı, M. (2023). Ethical leadership and green innovation: the mediating role of green organizational culture. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 67(8), 1702-1723. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2023.2180347
Sepahvand, M., Omidian, M., Shehni Yailagh, M., & Maktabi, G. (2024). The effect of school principals' ethical leadership and school culture on teachers' innovative work behaviors with the mediation of psychological safety. Psychological Researches in Management, 10(2), 121-149. https://doi.org/10.22034/jom.2024.2024581.1188 (in Persian
Shafiee, F. S., Dialame, N., & Shabani, M. (2023). A systematic review of the role of educational leadership in the academic progress of students: A Meta-synthesis Study. Applied Educational Leadership, 4(4), 187-214. https://doi.org/10.22098/ael.2023.13764.1350 (in Persian)
Shahrabifarahani, M., Khosravi Babadi, A. A., & Khorshidi, A. (2021). Identifying the educational leadership pattern of school administrators (case study: the first primary school in Tehran). Journal of Management and Planning in Educational System, 13(2), 265-298. https://doi.org/10.52547/mpes.13.2.265 (in Persian)
Tołwinska, B. (2021). The role of principals in learning schools to support teachers’ use of digital technologies. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 26(1), 917-930. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-021-09496-4
Tortorella, G. L., Fettermann, D., Fogliatto, F. S., Kumar, M., & Jurburg, D. (2020). Analysing the influence of organisational culture and leadership styles on the implementation of lean manufacturing. Production Planning & Control, 32(15), 1282-1294. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2020.1799255
Toulabi, Z., & Rasekhi, Z. (2022). Investigating the effect of knowledge leadership on the professional development of teachers with the mediating role of organizational learning capacity in secondary schools of Ilam city. Teacher Professional Development, 7(2), 47-69. (in Persian)
Tsai, Y. (2011). Relationship between organizational culture, leadership behavior and job satisfaction. BMC health services research, 11, 98-113. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-11-98
Van Waeyenberg, T., Peccei, R., & Decramer, A. (2020). Performance management and teacher performance: the role of affective organizational commitment and exhaustion. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 33(4), 623-646. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2020.1754881
Wijethilake, C., Upadhaya, B., & Lama, T. (2021). The role of organisational culture in organisational change towards sustainability: evidence from the garment manufacturing industry. Production Planning & Control, 34(3), 275-294. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2021.1913524
Yousefi, A., Zahed Bablan, A., & Moeeni Kia, M. (2021). The relationship between principals' instructional leadership and school effectiveness with the mediating role of school culture in Ardabil province's secondary schools. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Administration, 12(2), 76-92. https://doi.org/10.30495/jedu.2021.24395.4895 (in Persian)
Zamani, M., Abdollahi, B., Zeinabadi, H., & Naveh Ebrahim, A. (2024). Investigating the role of school principals as learning leaders in the formation of teachers' professional communities. Theory and Practice in Teachers Education, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.48310/itt.2024.15505.851
Alshuhumi, S. R., Al-Hidabi, D. A., & Al-Refaei, A. A. A. (2023). Unveiling the behavioral nexus of innovative organizational culture: Identification and affective commitment of teachers in primary schools. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 34(1), 130-152. https://doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2023.2267600
Banoğlu, K., Vanderlinde, R., Çetin, M., & Aesaert, K. (2023). Role of school principals’ technology leadership practices in building a learning organization culture in public k-12 schools. Journal of School Leadership, 33(1), 66-91. https://doi.org/10.1177/10526846221134010
Bendak, S., Shikhli, A. M., Abdel-Razek, R. H., & Ardito, L. (2020). How changing organizational culture can enhance innovation: Development of the innovative culture enhancement framework. Cogent Business & Management, 7(1), 22-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2020.1712125
Benoliel, P. (2020). Principals’ boundary activities and school violence: The mediating role of school management teams. Educational Management Administration & Leadership. 48(2), 286-304. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143218802592
Berkovich, I., & Eyal, O. (2017). The effects of principals’ communication practices on teachers’ emotional distress. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 46, 642-658. Deng, C., Gulseren, D., Isola, C., Grocutt, K., & Turner, N. (2022). Transformational leadership effectiveness: An evidence-based primer. Human Resource Development International, 26(5), 627-641. https://doi.org/10.1080/13678868.2022.2135938
Esmaili, E., Sameri, M., & Hassani, M. (2019). Effect of school organizational conditions, leadership perception and teacher motivation on improving teaching activity through the mediation of professional development of elementary teachers. New Educational Approaches, 14(2), 108-128. https://doi.org/10.22108/nea.2020.119818.1414 (in Persian)
Garengo, P., & Betto, F. (2022). The role of organizational culture and leadership style in performance measurement and management: a longitudinal case study. Production Planning & Control, 35(2), 151-169. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2022.2058431
Hallinger, P. (2018). Bringing context out of the shadows of leadership. Educational Management Administration & Leadership 46(1), 5-24. Harris, A., & Jones, M. (2018). Leading schools as learning organizations. School Leadership & Management, 38(4), 351-354. https://doi.org/10.1080/13632434.2018.1483553
Howard, S. K., Curwood, J. S., & McGraw, K. (2018). Leaders fostering teachers’ learning environments for technology integration. In J. Voogt, G. Knezek, R. Christensen, & K.-W. Lai (Eds.), Second handbook of information technology in primary and secondary education (pp. 515-534). Springer. Jafari, S., Aminbeidokhti, A., & Ghasemian Dastjerdi, Z. (2019). The role of managers’ professional leadership in students’ competency development by mediating trust and collaboration between teachers and professionalization of teachers. Journal of Educational Sciences, 26(1), 77-96. https://doi.org/10.22055/edus.2019.27969.2698 (in Persian)
Jones, M., & Dexter, S. (2018). Teacher perspectives on technology integration professional development: Formal, informal, and independent learning activities. Journal of Educational Multimedia and Hypermedia, 27(1), 83-102. Kalkan, Ü., Altınay Aksal, F., Altınay Gazi, Z., Atasoy, R., & Dağlı, G. (2020). The relationship between school administrators’ leadership styles, school culture, and organizational image. Sage Open, 10(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244020902081
Koulaei, G., Zahed Babelan, A., Moeinikia, M., & Rezaeisharif, A. (2019). Modeling school leadership in teachers work engagement through school culture, empowerment and job characteristics. Journal of Management and Planning in Educational System, 12(1), 212-238. https://doi.org/10.29252/mpes.12.1.212 (in Persian)
Lee, A., Legood, A., Hughes, D., Tian, A. W., Newman, A., & Knight, C. (2019). Leadership, creativity and innovation: A meta-analytic review. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 29(1), 1-35. https://doi.org/10.1080/1359432X.2019.1661837
Leithwood, K. & Sun, J. (2018). Academic culture: A promising mediator of school leaders’ influence on student learning. Journal of Educational Administration, 56(3), 350-363. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-01-2017-0009
Liu, Y. (2020). Focusing on the practice of distributed leadership: The international evidence from the 2013 TALIS. Educational Administration Quarterly, 56(5), 779-818. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X20907128
Liu, Y., Bellibaş, M. Ş., & Gümüş, S. (2021). The effect of instructional leadership and distributed leadership on teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction: Mediating roles of supportive school culture and teacher collaboration. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 49(3), 430-453. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143220910438
Louis, K. S., & Murphy, J. (2017). Trust, caring and organizational learning: The leader’s role. Journal of Educational Administration, 55(1), 103-126. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEA-07-2016-0077
Morris, J. E., Lummis, G. W., Lock, G., Ferguson, C., Hill, S., & Nykiel, A. (2020). The role of leadership in establishing a positive staff culture in a secondary school. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 48(5), 802-820. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143219864937
Ning, H. K., Lee, D., & Lee, W. O. (2016). The relationship between teacher value orientations and engagement in professional learning communities. Teachers and Teaching, 22(2), 235-254. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2015.1055447
Noruzivand, T., Abdollahi, B., Navehebrahim, A., & Abasian, H. (2021). Designing a model of community school leadership in elementary schools: A qualitative study. New Educational Approaches, 16(2), 45-64. https://doi.org/10.22108/nea.2022.133176.1760 (in Persian)
Orphanos, S., & Orr, M. T. (2014). Learning leadership matters: The influence of innovative school leadership preparation on teachers’ experiences and outcomes. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 42(5), 680-700. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741143213502187
Paletta, A., Basyte Ferrari, E., & Alimehmeti, G. (2020). How principals use a new accountability system to promote change in teacher practices: Evidence from Italy. Educational Administration Quarterly, 56(1), 123-173. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X19840398
Rincon-Gallardo, S., & Fullan, M. (2016). Essential features of effective networks in education. Journal of Professional Capital and Community, 1(1), 5-22. https://doi.org/10.1108/JPCC-09-2015-0007
Roffeei, S. H. M., Kamarulzaman, Y. & Yusop, F. D. (2016). Innovation culture in higher learning institutions: A proposed framework. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 219, 401-408. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.05.064
Seashore Louis, K., & Lee, M. (2016). Teachers’ capacity for organizational learning: the effects of school culture and context. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 27(4), 534-556. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2016.1189437
Şengüllendi, M. F., Bilgetürk, M., & Afacan Fındıklı, M. (2023). Ethical leadership and green innovation: the mediating role of green organizational culture. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 67(8), 1702-1723. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2023.2180347
Sepahvand, M., Omidian, M., Shehni Yailagh, M., & Maktabi, G. (2024). The effect of school principals' ethical leadership and school culture on teachers' innovative work behaviors with the mediation of psychological safety. Psychological Researches in Management, 10(2), 121-149. https://doi.org/10.22034/jom.2024.2024581.1188 (in Persian
Shafiee, F. S., Dialame, N., & Shabani, M. (2023). A systematic review of the role of educational leadership in the academic progress of students: A Meta-synthesis Study. Applied Educational Leadership, 4(4), 187-214. https://doi.org/10.22098/ael.2023.13764.1350 (in Persian)
Shahrabifarahani, M., Khosravi Babadi, A. A., & Khorshidi, A. (2021). Identifying the educational leadership pattern of school administrators (case study: the first primary school in Tehran). Journal of Management and Planning in Educational System, 13(2), 265-298. https://doi.org/10.52547/mpes.13.2.265 (in Persian)
Tołwinska, B. (2021). The role of principals in learning schools to support teachers’ use of digital technologies. Technology, Knowledge and Learning, 26(1), 917-930. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10758-021-09496-4
Tortorella, G. L., Fettermann, D., Fogliatto, F. S., Kumar, M., & Jurburg, D. (2020). Analysing the influence of organisational culture and leadership styles on the implementation of lean manufacturing. Production Planning & Control, 32(15), 1282-1294. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2020.1799255
Toulabi, Z., & Rasekhi, Z. (2022). Investigating the effect of knowledge leadership on the professional development of teachers with the mediating role of organizational learning capacity in secondary schools of Ilam city. Teacher Professional Development, 7(2), 47-69. (in Persian)
Tsai, Y. (2011). Relationship between organizational culture, leadership behavior and job satisfaction. BMC health services research, 11, 98-113. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-11-98
Van Waeyenberg, T., Peccei, R., & Decramer, A. (2020). Performance management and teacher performance: the role of affective organizational commitment and exhaustion. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 33(4), 623-646. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2020.1754881
Wijethilake, C., Upadhaya, B., & Lama, T. (2021). The role of organisational culture in organisational change towards sustainability: evidence from the garment manufacturing industry. Production Planning & Control, 34(3), 275-294. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2021.1913524
Yousefi, A., Zahed Bablan, A., & Moeeni Kia, M. (2021). The relationship between principals' instructional leadership and school effectiveness with the mediating role of school culture in Ardabil province's secondary schools. Journal of New Approaches in Educational Administration, 12(2), 76-92. https://doi.org/10.30495/jedu.2021.24395.4895 (in Persian)
Zamani, M., Abdollahi, B., Zeinabadi, H., & Naveh Ebrahim, A. (2024). Investigating the role of school principals as learning leaders in the formation of teachers' professional communities. Theory and Practice in Teachers Education, Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.48310/itt.2024.15505.851