How Does Servant Leadership Behaviour Affect Job Satisfaction? A Study on Indian Academia

The importance of and focus on educational leadership have been increasing, but there have been insufficient studies in India testing the role of servant leadership (SL) and its impact on the job satisfaction (JS) of teaching staff. The present study examines the role of the SL behaviour of school principals and its impact on JS. Data were collected from 728 secondary school teachers belonging to Himachal Pradesh, a state of North India, using the multi-stage probability sampling technique. Mean, correlation and structural equation modelling (SEM) were employed in the data analysis to test our hypotheses. Statistical analysis revealed that teachers perceive a moderate level of JS and SL. A significant positive correlation was found between SL and JS, and SL was found to have a positive and significant impact on JS. The squared multiple correlation value (R-2) showed a 57 per cent variance in JS among academic teaching staff. Despite being one of the educationally and economically high-performing states, Himachal Pradesh has not been the focus of educational researchers. The present study contributes to build and add knowledge on SL and JS by exploring the relationship between the two.