Model of Virtual Leadership, Intra-team Communication and Job Performance Among School Leaders in Malaysia

Abstract

Leader of modern school organization had faced more frequent dynamics at the workplace and situation, resulted in the difficulties to practice face-to-face leadership style. The study was conducted in order to develop a computer model of virtual leadership, intra-team communication and job performance among school leaders in Malaysia. Data of 1082 respondents were collected through the online survey and were analysed by structural equation model (SEM). The findings show the virtual leadership using mobile technology is significantly contributed to intra-team communication (CR=7.899, β=0.299, P=0.00), while the intra-team communication was also positively predicted towards job performance (CR=8.179, β=0.301, P=0.00). The findings also demonstrate the intra-team communication had fully-mediated to the relationship between virtual leadership and job performance, where the model with intra-team communication as mediator was fit better (χ2=351.889, χ2/df=3.628) than the model without mediator (χ2=507.617, χ2/df=5.127). Finally, this study has successfully developed a virtual model of leadership that can be practiced by school leaders in parallel with the rapid development of mobile technology.