Organizational Commitment and its Relationship to Perceived Leadership Style in an Islamic School in a Large Urban Centre in Canada: Teachers' Perspectives

Mohamed Fathy Hussein,José L Da Costa

doi:10.20355/c5x59t

Abstract

Drawing on a theoretical orientation based on the moral perspective which maintains that the relationship between the leader and the followers is not one of power, but of sharing mutual needs, aspirations and values. This empirical mixed-method study focused on understanding the professional lives of teachers, particularly their organizational commitment in relation to the principal’s leadership style, in an Islamic School located in a large urban centre in Canada. Data were gathered using (a) individual semi-structured interviews with teachers and the principal of the school, (b) adaptations of Bass and Avolio’s Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (1996), and (c) an adaptation of Meyer and Smith’s Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (1993). The findings from this study suggest a high level of teachers’ overall organizational commitment existed in the study site. Furthermore, it appears that it is more appropriate to consider the affective, continuance and normative manifestations of organizational commitment as components rather than types of organizational commitment.

Highlights

Organizational commitment has been identified as a predictor of behaviour within organizations
This review focuses on contributions concerning the two main dimensions of this research: (a) teachers’ sense of organizational commitment and (b) principal leadership style
The analysis suggests strong internal consistency within each of the subscales measured by the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire

Summary

Introduction

Organizational commitment has been identified as a predictor of behaviour within organizations. The literature, as well, attributes much responsibility to school principals and their leadership styles given their very substantial impact on the whole school operation and, in particular, teachers’ commitment to the organization. Regardless of the type of organization (e.g., government agencies, institutions or small enterprises), the central and most effective factor required to enhance human resources is leadership Leaders are those most able and capable of creating and maintaining cultures where people feel valued, where they are energized and creative, and where they love coming to work

Methods

Results

Conclusion