The Mediating Effect of Faculty Trust in Principals on the Relationship Between Servant Leadership Practices and Organizational Health

Abstract

This study measured the mediating effects of faculty trust on the relationship between servant leadership and organizational health. The context of this research was within the field of education, with a focus on elementary education. Public schools in a district in Maryland participated in the research survey. A cross-sectional survey was utilized that incorporated three validated and reliable published instruments. The results of the study concluded the following: (a) servant leadership does have a significant impact on organizational health, (b) faculty trust does act as a mediator in the causal pathway although it is a partial mediator, and (c) faculty trust attenuates the influence that servant leadership has on organizational health. The results of this study were framed around six research questions related to the study of three variables. The questions were: (1) To what extent is there a relationship between servant leadership and academic emphasis? (2) To what extent is there a relationship between servant leadership and resource influence? (3) To what extent is there a relationship between servant leadership and teacher affiliation? (4) To what extent is there a relationship between servant leadership and institutional integrity? (5) To what extent is there a relationship between servant leadership and collegial leadership? and (6) To what extent is there a relationship between servant leadership and faculty trust mediated by faculty trust? The research data supported findings that two of the five dimensions had a statistically significant relationship, collegial leadership, and institutional integrity. Teacher affiliation, resource influence, and academic emphasis did not have statistically significant relationships. The sixth question specifically stated, “To what extent is there a relationship between servant leadership and organizational health mediated by faculty trust?” The data supported faculty trust as a partial mediator and that the relationship between servant leadership practices and collegial leadership had the strongest relationship. However, when faculty trust was included in the relationships, it attenuated each of them.

Keywords

servant leadership organizational health faculty trust and mediation analysis

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