Abstract
Teacher morale is the force behind school effectiveness, positive school climate and learner academic achievement. The principal’s leadership style is a critical component to influence morale. This study investigated servant leadership as a strategy to improve teacher morale. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (1943), Herzberg’s theory of motivation (1987) and Laub’s (1999) servant leadership model were the theoretical frameworks for the study. A generic qualitative research design and individual interviews for in-depth data collection were employed. Four principals and eight teachers across four public primary schools in the Tshwane South district of the Gauteng province formed the sample. Thematic analysis of the data resulted in three themes named, ‘Factors that influence teacher job satisfaction and morale’, ‘Leadership attributes that influence teacher morale’ and ‘Positive attitudes towards the concept of servant leadership’. Insufficient emotional, professional and social support from principals were found to be causes of low teacher morale. Other factors that influence teacher morale were a lack of involvement of teachers in decision making, principals’ leadership styles and work-related factors. The findings identified eight leadership attributes that can improve teacher morale. Five of these namely; listening, empathy, growth, stewardship and community building matched Greenleaf’s servant leadership characteristics. Three new attributes of respect, empowerment and caring were identified as relevant to the South African context. The positive benefits of servant leadership include teacher retention, a positive atmosphere and the notion that principals’ role modelling of servant leadership behaviours would in turn filter to teacher behaviour. Participants across the four schools perceived that the practice of servant leadership would contribute to positive teacher morale because the servant leadership characteristics would cater for the factors that negatively affect teacher morale. Servant leadership training is recommended for all principals, including the servant leadership attributes that teachers require for positive morale. The study contributes to new knowledge for practice in the form of eight standards that can guide principals in implementing the servant leadership style in schools. A unique contribution for theory is the innovation of a principal servant leadership model for improving teacher morale.
Keywords: servant leadership, leadership style, teacher morale, job satisfaction