IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/manlab/v50y2025i2p257-288.html

Leading with Compassion: An Inquiry into Compassionate Leadership of School Principals that Impact Teacher Attitudes and Job Performance

Author

Listed:
  • Richard Marcel I.
  • T. J. Kamalanabhan

Abstract

Leaders and organizations worldwide faced tough decisions while responding to the complications of operating during the pandemic, COVID-19. Schools were not exempt from this mayhem. The rapid need for transition to virtual classrooms stressed teachers even as they battled with the virus. Teachers required a compassionate leader during the crisis. With stress at an all-time high, accompanied by uncertainty about the future, compassionate leadership was a crucial factor to navigate through such crises. Regarding compassionate leadership of school principals, researchers are yet to thoroughly study its conceptual and empirical relationship with teacher attitudes and behaviours. Although evolving research addresses the outcomes of compassionate leadership, little is known about how compassionate school principals impact work attitudes and behaviours of teachers. Hence, we present a broad theoretical framework of how compassionate leadership of school principals influences teacher work attitudes and job performance. Mainly, we analyse the relationships between compassionate leadership and teachers’ resilience, work engagement, psychological well-being, and job performance. We base our study on trust, positive emotions, and self-efficacy theories to explain the compassionate leadership process. We advance research propositions and discuss the implications for future research and compassionate leadership practices at schools.

Suggested Citation

  • Richard Marcel I. & T. J. Kamalanabhan, 2025. "Leading with Compassion: An Inquiry into Compassionate Leadership of School Principals that Impact Teacher Attitudes and Job Performance," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 50(2), pages 257-288, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:manlab:v:50:y:2025:i:2:p:257-288
    DOI: 10.1177/0258042X241233887
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0258042X241233887
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/0258042X241233887?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Irena Burić & Ivana Macuka, 2018. "Self-Efficacy, Emotions and Work Engagement Among Teachers: A Two Wave Cross-Lagged Analysis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 19(7), pages 1917-1933, October.
    2. Isabella Meneghel & Marisa Salanova & Isabel Martínez, 2016. "Feeling Good Makes Us Stronger: How Team Resilience Mediates the Effect of Positive Emotions on Team Performance," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 17(1), pages 239-255, February.
    3. Don E. Bradley & James A. Roberts, 2004. "Self‐Employment and Job Satisfaction: Investigating the Role of Self‐Efficacy, Depression, and Seniority," Journal of Small Business Management, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 42(1), pages 37-58, January.
    4. Marisa Salanova & Arnold Bakker & Susana Llorens, 2006. "Flow at Work: Evidence for an Upward Spiral of Personal and Organizational Resources," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 7(1), pages 1-22, March.
    5. Hooria Jazaieri & Geshe Jinpa & Kelly McGonigal & Erika Rosenberg & Joel Finkelstein & Emiliana Simon-Thomas & Margaret Cullen & James Doty & James Gross & Philippe Goldin, 2013. "Enhancing Compassion: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Compassion Cultivation Training Program," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(4), pages 1113-1126, August.
    6. Kurt T. Dirks & Donald L. Ferrin, 2001. "The Role of Trust in Organizational Settings," Organization Science, INFORMS, vol. 12(4), pages 450-467, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Abdolreza Khalili & Mohammad Zohrabi & Leila Dobakhti, 2025. "A Cross-Cultural Scrutiny of Predictors of English Teachers’ Immunity in the Contexts of Iran, France, and the United States," SAGE Open, , vol. 15(3), pages 21582440251, September.
    2. Patel, Pankaj C. & Wolfe, Marcus T. & Lerner, Daniel A. & Fitza, Markus, 2025. "Self-employment, perceived ageism, and stress among older adults," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    3. Shalini Srivastava & Poornima Madan, 2016. "Understanding the Roles of Organizational Identification, Trust and Corporate Ethical Values in Employee Engagement–Organizational Citizenship Behaviour Relationship: A Study on Indian Managers," Management and Labour Studies, XLRI Jamshedpur, School of Business Management & Human Resources, vol. 41(4), pages 314-330, November.
    4. Hemin Jiang & Mikko Siponen & Zhenhui (Jack) Jiang & Aggeliki Tsohou, 2024. "The Impacts of Internet Monitoring on Employees’ Cyberloafing and Organizational Citizenship Behavior: A Longitudinal Field Quasi-Experiment," Information Systems Research, INFORMS, vol. 35(3), pages 1175-1194, September.
    5. Yu Ma & Zhichao Qian & Lifeng Zhong, 2022. "Influence of Core Self-Evaluations on Work Engagement: The Mediating Role of Informal Field-Based Learning and the Moderating Role of Work Design," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(9), pages 1-15, April.
    6. S. Hansen & Bradley Alge & Michael Brown & Christine Jackson & Benjamin Dunford, 2013. "Ethical Leadership: Assessing the Value of a Multifoci Social Exchange Perspective," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 115(3), pages 435-449, July.
    7. Tatiana Iwai & Paulo Furquim de Azevedo, 2016. "Economic Incentives or Communication: How Different Are their Effects on Trust," Business and Economics Working Papers 225, Unidade de Negocios e Economia, Insper.
    8. Alfred L. Luna & Decima Christine Garcia & Shih Yung Chou & Sara Jackson, 2013. "Can Tight Groups At Work Be Detrimental? A Theoretical View Of Gossip From The Network Tie Strength And Density Perspective," Global Journal of Business Research, The Institute for Business and Finance Research, vol. 7(1), pages 91-100.
    9. Yosr Ben Tahar & Nada Rejeb & Adnane Maalaoui & Sascha Kraus & Paul Westhead & Paul Jones, 2023. "Emotional demands and entrepreneurial burnout: the role of autonomy and job satisfaction," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 61(2), pages 701-716, August.
    10. Judit Oláh & Attila Bai & György Karmazin & Péter Balogh & József Popp, 2017. "The Role Played by Trust and Its Effect on the Competiveness of Logistics Service Providers in Hungary," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-22, December.
    11. Giles Hirst & Fred Walumbwa & Samuel Aryee & Ivan Butarbutar & Chin Jeffery Hui Chen, 2016. "A Multi-level Investigation of Authentic Leadership as an Antecedent of Helping Behavior," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 139(3), pages 485-499, December.
    12. Estefanía Palazuelos & Ángel Herrero Crespo & Javier Montoya Corte, 2018. "Accounting information quality and trust as determinants of credit granting to SMEs: the role of external audit," Small Business Economics, Springer, vol. 51(4), pages 861-877, December.
    13. Skylar Biyang Sun & Jing Ning & Ke Yuan & Xiaohang Zhao & Hongling Gong, 2024. "Health Consequences of Entrepreneurship in China: Evidence from Individual Fixed Effects Estimates," SAGE Open, , vol. 14(4), pages 21582440241, December.
    14. Klein, Aleksandra, 2025. "Team structural control and team resilience: An empirical study of creative project-based teams," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 186(C).
    15. Lise A. Oortmerssen & Marjolein C. J. Caniëls & Marcel F. Assen, 2020. "Coping with Work Stressors and Paving the Way for Flow: Challenge and Hindrance Demands, Humor, and Cynicism," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 21(6), pages 2257-2277, August.
    16. Jan Eichhorn, 2013. "Unemployment Needs Context: How Societal Differences between Countries Moderate the Loss in Life-Satisfaction for the Unemployed," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 14(6), pages 1657-1680, December.
    17. Kennedy, Jessica A. & Schweitzer, Maurice E., 2018. "Building trust by tearing others down: When accusing others of unethical behavior engenders trust," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, Elsevier, vol. 149(C), pages 111-128.
    18. Lutz Kaufmann & Jens Esslinger & Craig R. Carter, 2018. "Toward Relationship Resilience: Managing Buyer‐Induced Breaches of Psychological Contracts During Joint Buyer–Supplier Projects," Journal of Supply Chain Management, Institute for Supply Management, vol. 54(4), pages 62-85, October.
    19. Dwight C. K. Tse & Jeanne Nakamura & Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, 2022. "Flow Experiences Across Adulthood: Preliminary Findings on the Continuity Hypothesis," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(6), pages 2517-2540, August.
    20. Binhui Wei & Chunkai Zhao & Mingzhong Luo, 2025. "Returning Entrepreneurship and Subjective Well-Being: Evidence from Migrant Worker Households in Rural China," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 26(3), pages 1-45, March.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:manlab:v:50:y:2025:i:2:p:257-288. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.xlri.ac.in/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.