Leadership Styles and Job Performance with EducationalTrainings as Mediator among Employees in the Public andPrivate Educational Sectors in Shanghai, China

Wen  Xiaoli; Suhaidah Binti  Tahir

doi:10.48165/sajssh.2024.5211

Authors

Wen Xiaoli Faculty of Education & Liberal Sciences, City University Malaysia, Malaysia.
Suhaidah Binti Tahir Faculty of Education & Liberal Sciences, City University Malaysia, Malaysia.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.48165/sajssh.2024.5211

Keywords:

Leadership styles, Transformational leadership, Transactional leadership, Job performance, Educational training, Educational leaders

Abstract

Background: Leadership styles have gained significance for driving the level of efficiency and productivity among the staff, enhancing their overall performance. The present study is designed to investigate the impact of distributed leadership, transformational leadership, and transactional leadership on the job performance of employees in the public and private educational sectors in Shanghai, China. In addition, the present study focuses on exploring whether educational training mediates the relationship between these leadership styles and the job performance of employees. Methods: The present study adopted a quantitative survey based approach to collect data from a diverse population of employees from China’s public and private educational sectors and analyses the data through implementing the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. Findings: The outcomes of the study validated the positive and significant influence of leadership styles on job performance. The study showed that transformational, transactional, and distributed leadership enhances the job performance of employees in educational institutions. Furthermore, the study did not find empirical evidence to support the mediating role of educational training. Conclusion and Implications: The study established the pivotal role of leadership styles in enhancing employee performance in the context of educational sectors of China. The findings hold theoretical value by extending the current literature on leadership. In addition, the findings can inform policymakers, managers, and educators to develop effective strategies and policies that support a positive and conducive workplace environment to enhance the job market. Focus should be given to leadership development for educational leaders to meet the needs of organizations.

References

Abu Nasra, M., & Arar, K. (2020). Leadership style and teacher performance: mediating role of occupational perception. International Journal of Educational Management, 34(1), 186-202.

Aburumman, O. J., Omar, K., Al Shbail, M., & Aldoghan, M. (2022). How to Deal with the Results of PLS-SEM? International Conference on Business and Technology, Al-Malki, M., & Juan, W. (2018). Leadership styles and job performance: A literature review. Journal of International Business Research and Marketing, 3(3), 40-49. Alrowwad, A. a., Abualoush, S. H., & Masa'deh, R. e. (2020). Innovation and intellectual capital as intermediary variables among transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and organizational performance. Journal of Management Development, 39(2), 196-222.

Amankwaa, A., Gyensare, M. A., & Susomrith, P. (2019). Transformational leadership with innovative behaviour: Examining multiple mediating paths with PLS-SEM. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 40(4), 402-420.

Arenas, F. (2019). A casebook of transformational and transactional leadership. Routledge. Bano, R., Ahmad, I., & Ullah, M. (2022). Impact of green transformational leadership on job performance: The mediating role of psychological contract fulfillment. Pakistan Journal of Commerce and Social Sciences (PJCSS), 16(2), 279-298.

Bellibas, M. S., & Liu, Y. (2018). The effects of principals’ perceived instructional and distributed leadership practices on their perceptions of school climate. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 21(2), 226-244.

Berkovich, I., & Eyal, O. (2021). Transformational leadership, transactional leadership, and moral reasoning. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 20(2), 131-148.

Bickmore, D. L., & Dowell, M. M. S. (2018). Understanding teacher turnover in two charter schools: principal dispositions and practices. International Journal of Leadership in Education.

Bloom, E. M. (2019). Horizontal violence among nurses: Experiences, responses, and job performance. Nursing forum,

Budur, T. (2020). Effectiveness of transformational leadership among different cultures. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 7(3), 119-129. Buil, I., Martínez, E., & Matute, J. (2019). Transformational leadership and employee

performance: The role of identification, engagement and proactive personality. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 77, 64-75.

Cansoy, R. (2019). The Relationship between School Principals' Leadership Behaviours and Teachers' Job Satisfaction: A Systematic Review. International Education Studies, 12(1), 37-52.

Chandrasekara, W. (2019). The effect of transformational leadership style on employees Job satisfaction and job performance: A case of apparel manufacturing Industry in Sri Lanka. International Journal of Economics, Commerce and Management, 7(7), 385- 393.

Chen, J., Ghardallou, W., Comite, U., Ahmad, N., Ryu, H. B., Ariza-Montes, A., & Han, H. (2022). Managing hospital employees’ burnout through transformational leadership: the role of resilience, role clarity, and intrinsic motivation. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(17), 10941.

Cleveland, J. N., Huebner, L.-A., Anderson, K. J., & Agbeke, D. V. (2019). Lifespan perspectives on job performance, performance appraisal/management and creative performance. In Work across the lifespan (pp. 291-321). Elsevier. Corbin, C. M., Lyon, A. R., Collins, V. K., Ehrhart, M. G., Goosey, R., & Locke, J. (2023). The incremental association of implementation leadership and school personnel burnout beyond transformational leadership. School Psychology.

Dash, G., & Paul, J. (2021). CB-SEM vs PLS-SEM methods for research in social sciences and technology forecasting. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 173, 121092. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121092

del Carmen Pegalajar-Palomino, M., Burgos-García, A., & Martinez-Valdivia, E. (2021). What does education for sustainable development offer in initial teacher training? A systematic review. Journal of Teacher Education for Sustainability, 23(1), 99-114.

Dhamija, P., Gupta, S., & Bag, S. (2019). Measuring of job satisfaction: the use of quality of work life factors. Benchmarking: An International Journal, 26(3), 871-892. Dinantara, M. D. (2019). The analysis of selection and training model in efforts to increase employee performance pt. arzuro hr performance. SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL OF REFLECTION: Economic, Accounting, Management and Business, 2(1), 61-70. Feng, D., & Feng, D. (2020). China’s School Leadership: An Overview. Understanding China’s School Leadership: Interpreting the Terminology, 1-40.

Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2021). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). Sage publications.

Hanaysha, J. (2016). Testing the effects of employee empowerment, teamwork, and employee training on employee productivity in higher education sector. International Journal of Learning and Development, 6(1), 164-178.

Hannah, S. T., Perez, A. L., Lester, P. B., & Quick, J. C. (2020). Bolstering workplace psychological well-being through transactional and transformational leadership. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 27(3), 222-240.

Hariadi, A. R., & Muafi, M. (2022). The effect of transformational leadership on employee performance mediated by readiness to change & work motivation: A survey of PT. Karsa Utama Lestari employees. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), 11(6), 252-263.

Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the academy of marketing science, 43, 115-135.

Hoxha, A. (2019). Transformational and transactional leadership styles on employee performance. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Invention, 8(11), 46-58.

Hu, X., Li, R. Y. M., Kumari, K., Ben Belgacem, S., Fu, Q., Khan, M. A., & Alkhuraydili, A. A. (2023). Relationship between green leaders’ emotional intelligence and employees’ green behavior: a PLS-SEM approach. Behavioral Sciences, 13(1), 25.

Ilham, R. (2018). The impact of organizational culture and leadership style on job satisfaction and employee performance. Journal of Advanced Management Science, 6(1), 50-53. Imhangbe, O., Okecha, R., & Obozuwa, J. (2019). Principals’ leadership styles and teachers’ job performance: Evidence from Edo State, Nigeria. Educational management administration & leadership, 47(6), 909-924.

Iqbal, S., Moleiro Martins, J., Nuno Mata, M., Naz, S., Akhtar, S., & Abreu, A. (2021). Linking Entrepreneurial Orientation with Innovation Performance in SMEs; the Role of Organizational Commitment and Transformational Leadership Using Smart PLS-SEM. Sustainability, 13(8), 4361. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/13/8/4361

Jacobsen, C. B., Andersen, L. B., Bøllingtoft, A., & Eriksen, T. L. M. (2022). Can leadership training improve organizational effectiveness? Evidence from a randomized field experiment on transformational and transactional leadership. Public Administration Review, 82(1), 117-131. Jameel, A. S., & Ahmad, A. R. (2020). The mediating role of job satisfaction between leadership style and performance of academic staff. International Journal of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, 24(04), 2399-2414.

Jensen, U. T., Andersen, L. B., Bro, L. L., Bøllingtoft, A., Eriksen, T. L. M., Holten, A.-L., Jacobsen, C. B., Ladenburg, J., Nielsen, P. A., & Salomonsen, H. H. (2019). Conceptualizing and measuring transformational and transactional leadership. Administration & Society, 51(1), 3-33.

Kotamena, F., Senjaya, P., & Prasetya, A. B. (2020). A literature review: Is transformational leadership elitist and antidemocratic? International Journal of Social, Policy and Law, 1(1), 36-43.

Lai, F.-Y., Tang, H.-C., Lu, S.-C., Lee, Y.-C., & Lin, C.-C. (2020). Transformational leadership and job performance: The mediating role of work engagement. SAGE Open, 10(1), 2158244019899085.

Lee, M. C. C., Idris, M. A., & Tuckey, M. (2019). Supervisory coaching and performance feedback as mediators of the relationships between leadership styles, work engagement, and turnover intention. Human Resource Development International, 22(3), 257-282.

Liu, P. (2018). Transformational leadership research in China (2005–2015). Chinese Education & Society, 51(5), 372-409.

Liu, Y., Bellibaş, M. Ş., & Gümüş, S. (2021). The effect of instructional leadership and distributed leadership on teacher self-efficacy and job satisfaction: Mediating roles of supportive school culture and teacher collaboration. Educational management administration & leadership, 49(3), 430-453.

Lumby, J. (2019). Distributed leadership and bureaucracy. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 47(1), 5-19.

Maheshwari, G. (2022). Influence of teacher-perceived transformational and transactional school leadership on teachers’ job satisfaction and performance: a case of Vietnam. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 21(4), 876-890.

Manzoor, F., Wei, L., Nurunnabi, M., Subhan, Q. A., Shah, S. I. A., & Fallatah, S. (2019). The impact of transformational leadership on job performance and CSR as mediator in SMEs. Sustainability, 11(2), 436.

Min, J., Iqbal, S., Khan, M. A. S., Akhtar, S., Anwar, F., & Qalati, S. A. (2020). Impact of supervisory behavior on sustainable employee performance: Mediation of conflict management strategies using PLS-SEM. PloS one, 15(9), e0236650.

Murphy, W. H., & Anderson, R. E. (2020). Transformational leadership effects on salespeople’s attitudes, striving, and performance. Journal of Business Research, 110, 237-245. Nguon, V. (2022). Effect of transformational leadership on job satisfaction, innovative behavior, and work performance: A conceptual review. International Journal of Business and Management, 17(12), 75-89.

Nungky Viana, F., Alifian, N., & Sampir Andrean, S. (2020). Effect of transformational and transactional leadership on SMEs in Indonesia. Problems and Perspectives in Management.

Nurfaizi, M. I., & Muafi, M. (2022). The impact of Islamic work ethics and transformational leadership on job performance with mediating role of intrinsic motivation. International Journal of Research in Business and Social Science (2147-4478), 11(3), 120-129.

Nurlina, N. (2022). Examining Linkage Between Transactional Leadership, Organizational Culture, Commitment and Compensation on Work Satisfaction and Performance. Golden Ratio of Human Resource Management, 2(2), 108-122.