Abstract
This qualitative research study explored the role of humanising leadership in education, promoting the well-being of educators in an evolving educational landscape in South Africa. The study investigated how leadership that emphasises empathy, respect and emotional intelligence can lighten stress, anxiety and burnout in primary school educators, ensuring resilience and professional fulfilment. The researcher used the Contingency Theory and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs to ground this empirical investigation that examined how the human-centered leadership approach of school leaders contributes to the well-being of educators in schools, thus promoting overall positive educational outcomes.
The researcher adopted an interpretivist paradigm, collecting rich, in-depth qualitative data by using semi-structured interviews, school-based observations and document analysis across public and private primary schools in Ekurhuleni North, Gauteng. Participants included educators from different post levels, which were post-level one educators, heads of department, deputy principals and principals from both public and private primary schools within this district. Through the active data generation process, participants shared their experiences, including both pleasant and challenging feedback, which were analysed using a thematic content analysis procedure, where seven major themes emerged.
Theme one addressed the work-related, personal and emotional stressors that impeded educator well-being. These included organisational stressors and personal and emotional stressors, stretching from increased administrative duties to emotional exhaustion. These stressors combined created an unsustainable working environment that did not take the mental health of educators into consideration. Theme two centered around humanising leadership and findings showed that educators value leadership styles that incorporate humanising aspects, which included empathy, compassion, adaptability and emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence was seen as an important factor, not only to manage staff morale, but also to build collaborative relationships. The interplay between emotional well-being, organisational structures and relational practices in educational leadership challenges was the third theme. This theme showcased the interconnectedness between educator well-being and the structures and relational dynamics in a school. Strict hierarchy had a negative impact on educators' well-being, resulting in no relational trust in...