Transformational Leadership In Secondary Schools

Introduction

In any organisation, a good leadership is important to motivate their subordinates, bring the organisation forward and achieve its goals. A good leader has a clear vision and passion to influence their followers. Job satisfaction and organisational commitment are important factors in determining organizational efficiency.

Robbins & Judge (2013) defined leadership as the ability to influence a group toward the achievement of a vision or set of goals and to perform at their highest capability (Rad and Yarmohammadian, 2006). Fuziah & Mohd Izham (2011) stated transformational leadership is effective in sustaining schools as learning organisations. Bass (1985) defined transformational leadership as the most effective leadership for

Ishak and Nor Asikin (2003) stated, principals play a vital role in creating an organization whereby there is the continious learning of new skills and knowledge to be able to cope with changes and to meet its goals. Further, the role of schools can only be furthered if principals are committed to transfor their school into better learning organisation (Hamzah, et.al., 2011).

Background of the problem

In the field of education, excellence and responsiveness are fundamental. Since principals are a key element to school effectiveness, a complete understanding of the impact of their behaviour on a multitude of variables is necessary (Amoroso, 2002). In addition to leadership style, employees satisfaction and commitment towards the organisation is equally important.

On this note, this research is aimed to examine headmasters’ transformational leadership style on teachers’ organizational commitment in cluster primary schools. In this research, teachers’ job satisfaction is conceptualised as a mediator between leadership style and organzational commitment. Cluster school, according to the Ministry of Education Malaysia (MoE) is defined

leadership plays an indispensable role in effectiveness of an educational institution, right from the setting of goals to accomplishment of goals.”

Researchers, Aydin, Sarier and Uysal (2013), in their study in Turkey concluded that transformational leadership of school administrators positively affect teachers job satisfaction and organizational commitment.

Job satisfaction is all about how an employee feels about their job and it can be influenced by work culture, leadership, pay and so on. Locke (1976) in defining job satisfaction stated: “Job satisfaction is a pleasurable or positive emotional state resulting from appraisal of one’s job or experience.”

Previous researches by Sulieman Ibraheem, et.al. (2011), AL-Hussami (2007) and Voon, et.al. (2011) indicates transformational leadership being related to job satisfaction.

Studies also shows that transformational leadership impacts organizational commitment (Geijsel et al.,2003), (Ismail and Yusuf, 2009), (Avolio et al., 2004).

Reyes and Shin (1995) in their study concluded, “teacher’s job satisfaction is a determinant of teachers’ commitment and it must be present before an individual develops organizational