Transformational leadership and employee well-being in the education sector: The mediation effect of self-efficacy and resilience

Abstract

Work-related stress has emerged as a significant issue, developing into a globally critical concern that affects employees' well-being across various organizational contexts. The global trend of rising stress levels among employees, particularly those in educational settings such as schools, underscores the need for effective leadership to enhance the educational environment. Thus, this research primarily focuses on investigating the effect of transformational leadership on employee well-being, namely job satisfaction and job stress. It also aims to explore the mediation effect of employee psychological capital, specifically self-efficacy and resilience, on the relationship between transformational leadership and employee well-being. This has been achieved by conducting a cross-sectional survey distributed to employees working in various private schools in Bahrain. Also, one-on-one interviews were conducted with school leaders. Specifically, quantitative data were collected from a sample of 100 participants, while qualitative data were collected from 12 individuals. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Thematic Analysis Approach were employed to analyze the collected data. The findings of this mixed-method research indicated that transformational leadership has a significant impact on employee well-being, particularly in terms of job satisfaction and job stress. The results also showed that employee self-efficacy mediated the relationship between transformational leadership and both employee job satisfaction and job stress. However, resilience did not demonstrate any mediation effect. Moreover, the study found that communicating a clear vision, providing opportunities for professional growth, fostering close relationships, and offering constructive feedback in the workplace all contribute to enhancing employee well-being in private schools in the Kingdom of Bahrain. Although this research has made theoretical and practical contributions to the fields of leadership and employee well-being, the findings cannot be generalized due to the study's limitations, including its small sample size. However, future research can build upon this study’s methods and results to improve their research implementations.