Leadership Research Summary:
- In this study, it is aimed to examine the relationship between leadership in higher education institutions [HEIs] and academic staff’s job satisfaction, which is formed by combining different leadership styles in higher education institutions, using the meta-analysis method based on correlational research. For this purpose, it was investigated whether there was a significant difference between the effect sizes of the studies investigating the relationship between leadership in HEIs and academic staff’s job satisfaction between the years 2010–2022, according to the moderator variables (leadership styles, continent, culture, and Human Development Index [HDI]). A total of 57 research data, including sample size and Pearson correlation coefficient data, were evaluated within the scope of the research.
- Correlational studies were calculated according to the random effect model in terms of effect direction and overall effect size; The estimated effect size value was found to be 0.374. This value shows that the overall effect size of the relationship between leadership in HEIs and academic staff’s job satisfaction is positive and moderate. However, there is no significant difference between the effect sizes of the research examining the relationship between leadership styles in HEIs and academic staff’s job satisfaction, according to continent, culture and HDI moderator variables.
Leadership Research Implications and Findings:
- Theoretically, this research confirmed that the relationship between leadership in higher education and job satisfaction is positive. It has contributed to the importance of leadership styles in higher education in ensuring the job satisfaction of academic staff. It has been revealed that when academic staff are recognized, supported and rewarded by university administrators, their job satisfaction levels will tend to increase. Therefore, the leadership style of university administrators will contribute to the job satisfaction of academic staff. This research has mentioned on the importance of leadership styles adopted in higher education institutions in theory in recent years. Thus, future research will contribute to the further growth and integrative potentials of these leadership types.
- This research provides policy makers, practitioners, and administrators with relevant information in a variety of ways. According to the findings of the research, firstly, spiritual leadership should be adopted by the academic staff in order to ensure job satisfaction. It is necessary to adopt a leadership approach that will consider the emotional, spiritual and mental needs of academic staff in higher education institutions. Thus, the learning, research and teaching climate in higher education institutions can be positively affected. Administrators in higher education should develop an academic organizational structure inspired by a new and strong culture that will meet all the needs, desires and aspirations of academic staff. Servant leadership is another leadership that academic staff should adopt to ensure job satisfaction. It may be beneficial to develop leadership training programs that listen to and care for academics’ needs and try to assist their career development.
- In this case, higher education institutions should try to create an open, sincere, and honest workplace in order to ensure the job satisfaction of their academic staff. A friendly academic environment enables teaching staff to make the profession an enjoyable career. Moreover, it can be suggested to raise awareness of administrators and academic staff working in higher education institutions by giving trainings on the importance of servant leadership. The findings showed that it is beneficial for academic staff to develop transformational leadership skills to increase job satisfaction. For the academic staff to be more productive and achieve high performance, the presence of more transformational leaders in the institution can be recommended. In an academic environment where the competencies of academic staff are evaluated and rewarded, academic staff who research and teach, might be highly motivated and less likely to seek new jobs. In summary, university administrators who adopt transformational leadership should create an academic environment where innovative and creative thinking abilities are encouraged and valued.
- The changing leadership roles of administrators, who will increase the job satisfaction of academic staff in higher education institutions in the future, will be an indispensable and important subject of future research. This research shows that humanist leadership roles rather than traditional leadership roles are important in increasing academician job satisfaction in today’s higher education institutions. In-depth research is needed to understand the basis of these positive reactions to spiritual, servant and transformational leadership roles in higher education institutions.