A Study on Leadership Styles of Principals and Organizational Commitment of Teachers in Scondary Schools of Bengaluru City

Abstract

newlineABSTRACT newlineLeadership is defined as the interpersonal influence exercised in a controlled situation and newlinedirected, through the communication process, towards the attainment of a specialized goal. newlineTransformational leadership is in turn described as a process in which leaders and followers newlinehelp each other to advance to a higher level of morale and motivation . The purpose of newlineleadership comes from believing and wanting to make an impact on people and organizations. newlineThe problem statement of the study was to compare the educational leadership behaviours of newlinegovernment and private school principals in Bengaluru city and to understand the newlineorganizational commitment of teachers in relation to demographic variables. The objectives newlinewere i) to study perceptions of secondary school teachers on the leadership styles of their newlinePrincipals ii) to compare the differences in leadership attributes between government and newlineprivate school principals in select schools of Bengaluru city iii) to study the influence of newlinedemographic variables on the organizational commitment of the teachers iv) to provide newlinevaluable suggestions to policy makers on building a successful institution to get better results newlineThe sample of the study was drawn using random sampling technique from 56 schools and newlineconsisted of 384 teachers: 107 teachers from government and 277 teachers from private high newlineschools in Bengaluru city (urban district). The theoretical backdrop of the research was based newlineon transactional and transformational leadership theories. Modified versions of the newlinemultifactor leadership and the organizational commitment questionnaire was used for the newlinestudy. Statistical analysis using mean, standard deviation, independent samples t tests, one- newlineway ANOVA and confirmatory factor analysis was used for analysis of data. newlineThe major findings of the study were that i) differences on certain attributes were observed in newlineboth transactional and transformational leadership styles between government and private newlineschool principals. ii) Critical thinking and participative were the styles of leadership newlinepracticed in government schools. iii) Micromanagement and charismatic were the styles of newlineleadership practiced in private schools iv) personal variables like gender and age were found newlineto have significant impact on organizational commitment of teachers iv) academic variables newlinelike experience and educational qualifications were found to have significant impact on newlineorganizational commitment of teachers. newlineSeparate leadership models for both government and private schools were developed by the newlineresearcher highlighting important attributes that lead to the growth and the success of an newlineorganization. The study has also provided principals with an overview on what factors newlineaffected the teacher s commitment in their schools and how they could effectively modify newlinetheir leadership style to improve efficiency in teaching and learning. Suggestions are newlineprovided separately for policy makers in the government and for private managements on newlineapproaches to improve effective leadership in government and private schools newlineIn conclusion, experience of these principals, journey into their administration and the way in newlinewhich they have articulated their role over the years has given valuable insights for the future newlinegeneration. There is no doubt that transformational leadership is the right way forward in newlineIndian educational administration and implications of this research must reach beyond newlineBengaluru to enable teachers and Principals across the country to work together to build a newlinestrong society for the citizens of tomorrow.