| Author: | Wah, Mei-lai Denise |
| Title: | The effects of role stressors and paternalistic leadership on work attitudes and performance : the case of Hong Kong school teachers |
| Degree: | D.B.A. |
| Year: | 2007 |
| Subject: | Hong Kong Polytechnic University -- Dissertations. Educational leadership -- China -- Hong Kong -- Case studies. Teachers -- China -- Hong Kong -- Attitudes -- Case studies. |
| Department: | Graduate School of Business |
| Pages: | xi, 205 leaves ; 30 cm. |
| Language: | English |
| Abstract: | This study aimed to examine the effects of paternalistic leadership on the relationship between role stressors and the work performance and attitudes of secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. On the basis of the literature review, a theoretical model and hypotheses were developed to examine the aforementioned effects. The research model was based on the fundamental premise that strain occurs when the resources of the individual cannot match the demands of the environment. Hence, three role stressors of teachers and the paternalistic leadership styles of their supervisors were used as the independent variables to examine those impacts on the work performance and attitudes of teachers. Paternalistic leadership was also used as a moderator as it was predicted that paternalistic leadership may have stress-buffering or reverse stress-buffering effects that influence the impacts of stressors on followers. Measures of three forms of stressors (role overload, role conflict, and role clarity), three forms of paternalistic leadership (authoritarian leadership, benevolent leadership, and moral leadership), and work attitudes were obtained from 620 teaching staff members. Corresponding evaluations of the performance of these teaching staff members were obtained from 221 supervisors or heads of department. The results showed that there was a relationship between role overload and subordinate work outcomes. Role conflict and role ambiguity were negatively associated with work performance and job satisfaction. Regarding the relationship between paternalistic leadership and subordinate work outcomes, authoritarian leadership was negatively associated with work performance and work attitudes, moral leadership was positively associated with organizational citizenship behaviors, and, surprisingly, benevolent leadership was positively associated with life satisfaction. The results also indicated that the interaction between benevolent leadership and role overload had significant effects on supervisor-rated in-role behaviors, such that the effect of stressors on work performance was weaker when the level of benevolent leadership was high. This study contributes to the theory and practice of leadership. From the theoretical perspective, no empirical work has examined whether paternalistic leadership has moderating effects on the ability of followers to cope with stressors. Hence, this study made an attempt to examine how leadership styles serve as moderators of the role stressor-work outcome relationship. This study therefore advances the stress and leadership literature by incorporating paternalistic leadership variables as moderators of the stressor-outcome relationship. It is known that stress cannot be avoided, especially in the work environment. Knowledge of the impacts of leadership styles on work outcomes and the relationships between work stressors and outcomes is important to enable policy makers to establish appropriate management training and recruitment steps. The results suggest that benevolent leadership may be superior to moral or authoritarian leadership in the management of teachers and in the alleviation of the impacts of role stressors on work outcomes. It is recommended that schools management revisit and evaluate the effectiveness of leadership training for school supervisors. |
| Rights: | All rights reserved |
| Access: | restricted access |
Files in This Item:
| File | Description | Size | Format | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| b2145971x.pdf | For All Users (off-campus access for PolyU Staff & Students only) | 16.14 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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