Journal of Political & Social Sciences. Vol., 1 (1), 30-35, 2014 Available online at http://www.jpssjournal.com ISSN 0000-0000 2014 The Relationship between Spiritual Leadership Features of the Principals and Job Empowerment Sedigheh Salmanpour 1, Noushin Faraji Vandaei 2, Leyla Mosafer Yadegari 1, Huriyeh Bayram Nezhad 1 Abolfazl Ghasemzadeh 3,Aziz Hedayati Khoshemehr 4 1-Faculty Member of Naghadeh Payame Nour University, Naghadeh 2-MA of Training Management 3-Assistant Professor of Educational Administration, Department of Education, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Iran 4-Assistant Professor of knowledge and Information Science, Faculty of Education and Psychology, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Iran ABSTRACT: The research has been conducted with the aim of examining the relationship between spiritual leadership of principals and job empowerment of female teachers in Naghadeh secondary schools in 2012-2013 school years. Research method is descriptive correlational and its nature is practical. Statistical population of the research includes all female teachers of Naghadeh secondary schools (N=120) and the sampling method is total number of sampling. Tow questionnaires have been used to collect research data; spiritual leadership of principals based on Fry et al model and job empowerment based on Thomas & Velthouse. The reliability of the questionnaires were determined by Cronbach's alpha coefficient by which the reliability of the spiritual leadership and job empowerment is α=0.95 and α=0.90, respectively. The obtained data were analyzed based on research hypothesis and by using descriptive statistic methods including mean, frequency and standard deviation; also in inferential statistic, multiple regression method and Pearson`s correlation test was used. The obtained results indicates that there is a relationship between each features of principals spiritual leadership (organizational perspective, love to altruism, faith to work, being significant in work, membership in organization, organizational commitment, performance feedback) and job empowerment of the female teachers of Naghadeh secondary schools. Keywords: Spiritual leadership, Job empowerment, Female teachers of secondary schools. INTRODUCTION The organizations are miniatures of the whole society which are in close relation with social, political, legal, ideological and economic structures and the data of organizational system are related to society and environment of system. The activity in each system regardless human capital of organization is similar to work with tools which its user is not familiar with and uses them in non-standard form; it can cause to injury the user. The spiritual leadership is a casual theory for organizational change. It was considered to create a learning organization with intrinsic motivation. The movement of spiritual leadership includes leadership servicing models, to employees' participation and employees' empowerment. It has been founded based on philosophy servant leadership, a kind of leadership that emphasizes on service to others, overall view of the work, personal development and joint decision-making. Spiritual leaders reveal their faith, enthusiasm and work results (Ziyaei et al., 2008). Therefore, the aim of spiritual leadership is attention to basic needs of followers to provide their spiritual conservation and empowerment (Nargesiyan, 2007).In the investigation, to examine principals' spiritual leadership features, Fry et al (2005) model has been used. The spiritual leadership from Fry et al point of view is measured by seven components that consist of: organizational perspective, love to altruism, faith to work, significance in work, membership in organization, organizational commitment and performance feedback that causes to individuals empowerment. Spreitzer, believes that the organizations always adopt an universal approach about empowerment and they use it in every position. 30
Regarding that training is the major axis of human development and the schools are important part of training system, the research topic as the study of relationship between spiritual leadership features of the principals and job empowerment of female teachers has not been studied. Therefore, according to importance of job empowerment among teachers who are considered the major capitals of the education department an if we encounter with lack of empowerment, it may be difficult for the organization specially the schools to carry out its mission. In these circumstances we have to inspect what circumstances the leaders in other organizations provide to prevent this phenomenon occurs and how much the leaders according to its leadership properties try to prevent their teachers and job empowerment. In this study, combining two variables we intent to help the education department`s objectives in the field of management that is scientific service to teachers. In the research, we inspect principals` spiritual leadership features with the aim of its effect on the cognitive variables of female teachers' job empowerment in secondary schools of Naghadeh. Generally, the present research wants to answer the following question: What relation is between principals` spiritual leadership and female teachers` job empowerment of Naghadeh city? Bowen and Lawler believe that empowered personnel reply to their client demands fast and on time and they have a sense of commitment to their job and they can be a big resource to provide proper services in the organization (Taghipour & Jahaniyan, 2009). It`s seems that spiritual leadership development can be perfect solution to resolve the problem of the present organizations and cause to use power, spirit of cooperation and personnel empowerment morally (Mirabbasi & Sharif, 2010). METHODOLOGY This investigation from purpose and research nature point of view is applied research and descriptive research is correlation method. Survey research rules on the investigation from data collection way point of view. Statistical population of the research is included of all secondary school female teachers of Naghadeh city in 2012-2013 school years that is 132 people according to the statistics of education department of Naghadeh city who are employed formally in secondary school. Sample of research is included of 132 female teachers of Naghadeh city in 2012-2013 that two questionnaires of spiritual leadership of principals and job empowerment were distributed to all of them. After some time, with frequent follow-up, all the questionnaires were returned and 125 questionnaires was collected that among them 5 questionnaires were eliminated due to being flawed and finally, the research with 120 female teachers of secondary school of Naghadeh city was conducted. Data collection tools in the research are questionnaire that ordered in two parts. First part is included of three questions about respondents demographic characteristics which is related to age, years of service and education of subjects and to collect data, demographic of respondents was designed and was attached to main questionnaire and second part in the research, two questionnaires have been used to examine job empowerment variables, spiritual leadership characteristics of principals as main data collection tools. A: principals spiritual leadership characteristics questionnaire: in the research to measure principals spiritual leadership characteristics, scale of spiritual leadership is used designed by Fry et al (2005) and in the research work which has been collected and conducted as role of spiritual leadership in Tehran university staff empowerment by Ziyaei et al (2008). This questionnaire is composed of 25 closed-answers questions. Distribution of questionnaires in 7 components has been showed in table 2-3 that after aggregating the scores, all seven spiritual leadership characteristics which have achieved the most score is known as principals` spiritual leadership. This research was validated by Ziyaei and et al (2008) and the reliability of the questionnaire, α=95% has been reported. The range used in the questionnaire is range of five option Likert Scale (including : totally agree, agree, no comment, disagree, totally disagree ). RESULTS Table 1 shows that, age mean of statistical sample are 41 years. Table 2 shows that 1.7 percent of statistical sample have diploma, 31.7 percent have associate, 56.7 have bachelor and 10 percent have had masters. 31
Table 1. Mean and standard deviation according age. Statistics component Mean SD Age 40.14 8.08 Table 2. Statistical sample distribution according education. Statistics education Frequency Percent Diploma 2 1.7 Associate 38 31.7 Bachelor 68 56.7 Masters 12 10.0 Total 120 100 Table 3. Mean and standard deviation of statistical sample according service years. Statistics component Mean SD Service years 13.09 7.32 Table 3 shows that statistical sample service year are 13.09 years and its standard deviation is 7.32. Kolmogorove-Smirnov test Table 4 shows the results of a one sample kolmogorove- smirnov test, the test shows that whether the data are normally distributed or not? As shown in the table, in all variables, significance level is greater than 0.05 that Assumption of a normal distribution of the data is rejected. Therefore, the data have normal distribution. Table 4. Results of kolmogorove- smirnov test. Variable reports Test statistics Sig. Spiritual leadership 0.75 0.61 Empowerment 0.59 0.86 There is a relationship between spiritual leadership characteristics and female teachers' job empowerment. 32
Table 5. Empowerment and spiritual leadership characteristics multiple regression analysis results. Predictor variables Criterion variables F P R 1 R 2 t P Organizational view 0.07 0.91 0.36 Altruistic love 0.21 0.56 0.57 Faith to work 0.19 0.48 0.62 Significance 0.03 0.32 0.74 Membership organization in Empowerment 47.87 0.000 0.86 0.75 0.11 1.41 0.15 Organizational commitment 0.39 3.12 0.002 Performance feedback 0.05-0.6-0.54 The results of table 5 shows that amount of statistics test to survey the relation between spiritual leadership characteristics and empowerment, is 47.87 which is significant at p=0.000. Amount of shows 0.75 of empowerment variance is explained by spiritual leadership characteristics. Also, looking at the regression coefficients, shows principals` organizational commitment (β= 0.39) can anticipate empowerment in positive and significant. Table 6. Table of Correlation coefficient between spiritual leadership components and job empowerment. Job Empowerment Organizational perspective r 0.55 r 0.82 Altruistic love r 0.83 Faith to work r 0.53 Significance Membership organization in r 0.66 33
Organizational commitment Performance feedback r 0.82 r 0.69 As shown in table 6, observed rat (P<0.01) has a positive and significant correlation between all components of spiritual leadership and female teacher job empowerment. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION Empowerment of human resources is considered as one of the main management approaches in the current circumstances. In this regard, an opportunity was obtained to survey the relation between principals` spiritual leadership characteristics and female teachers' job empowerment in secondary school of Naghadeh city. The main aim of the research is to survey of the relationship between principals` spiritual leadership, its characteristics and female teachers' job empowerment in secondary school of Naghadeh city. The hypothesizes of the investigation were collected according to seven components of principals`spiritual leadership on Fry et al (2005) model (organizational outlook, altruistic love faith to work, significance, membership in organization, organizational commitment and performance feedback) and five cognitive components of empowerment were collected based on Thomas and velthouse (1990-1992) (sense of competence, sense of independence, sense of efficacy, meaningful sense, sense of trust ). In all hypothesizes which have been studied the relation between all components of principals` spiritual leadership and female teachers job empowerment in secondary school of Naghadeh city, the results of surveying investigation hypothesizes indicates there is a significant relation between principals` spiritual leadership characteristics and teachers job empowerment (p=0.000). Also, among the characteristics of principals` spiritual leadership, organizational commitment with high statistical power can anticipate female teachers' empowerment in the best way as possible and in a positive and meaningful. Also, the principals who have spiritual leadership style surely must have outlook and in moving towards creating the vision of the teachers should do three things. First, respect to reality of the situation. Second, provide the context for vision. Third, align everything to achieve the vision. There is a relationship between altruistic love and teachers' job empowerment. When the principals circulate the culture of altruistic love in schools, in fact through it they represent the values such as, loyalty, benevolence, and acknowledgments from themselves and others and cause teachers to have a deep attention to them and establish desirable relationships with others. Also there is a relationship between faith to work and teachers' job empowerment. In fact, principals in the schools by strengthening of employees on duty the best possible, create a kind of dependency on schools and their work that finally leads to teachers do everything in order to serve the organization and with sense of responsibility. Ziyaei et al (2008) in the research as "spiritual leadership role in empowering the Tehran university employees" found out faith to work causes to empower the employees so that spiritual beliefs of individuals and their faith to work causes they strengthen their view to professional and specialty in addition being spiritual and provide biological and psychological health. Also, there is a positive and significant correlation between significant work and job empowerment. In fact, principals of schools by providing conditions in teachers, causes the teachers understand real meaning of their jobs and attach importance to their job and they have more recognition toward their job. There is a relationship between membership in organization, organizational commitment, and performance feedback and teachers job empowerment. The principals give teachers the feelings that their job is important to organization. So, accordingly, with regard to the results of the hypothesis, the teachers have found schools to understand their job. In fact, we can say that it is principals` spiritual leadership characteristics that can create sense of trust and loyalty among teachers together and bring colleagues, faithful together and cause to their dependency to the organization and finally, if the principals have trust 34
them, through it, it causes to increase participation of teachers in the schools. And it is consistent and compatible with research of Nargesiyan (2007), Ziyaei et al (2008), Nouralizadeh (2008), Almasifard (2009), Gholipour et al (2009), Loura (2005), Tafvizi (2012), Avlio et al (2004), Gorji (2010). Then we should not take far from look that the principals in the schools, provide their performance feedback by presenting informal daily performance of employees to them and also periodic formal visits. In this case, in the schools based on these principals` spiritual leadership characteristics, No meaning waste of time for teachers and teachers don't work with the intention of spending their time in idleness at school. REFERENCES Fry LW, 2003. Toward a theory of spiritual leadership,the Leadership Quarterly, Vo. 14, PP: 693-724. Fry LW, Hannah ST, Noel M, Walumbwa F, 2001. Impact of spiritual leadership on unit performance, The leadership Quarterly 22: 259-270. Gholipour A, Pourezzat E, Hazrati M, 2009. Study of impact of servant leadership on organizational trust and empowerment in government organizations. First period, second number, 103-118. Gorji M, 2010. Evaluation of impact of empowerment on employees' performance. Management Journal. 17: 38-48. Hosseinpour A, Abbasi T, Novrouzi M, 2011. Study of the role of changer leadership in employee empowerment. Management investigations in Iran. 1: 159-180. Mirabbasi R, Sharif E, 2010. Being servant, new approach in management. Azarakhsh Publication, Tehran. Nargesiyan E, 2007. Spiritual leadership in contemporary organization. Tadbir Journal. 189: 29-32. Nouralizadeh R, 2008. Spiritual leadership (New Model of Leadership in Third Millennium). Tow monthly of police human development. 5(60): 101-111. Taghipour Z, Jahaniyan R, 2009. Study of training principals' empowerment dimensions in order to provide a suitable framework for all principals of across the country. Management Investigations Journal. 83: 121-136. Thomas KW, Velthouse BA, 1990. Cognitive element of empowerment: an interpretive model of intrinsic task motivation. Academy of Management Review. 15: 666-681. Ziyaei M, Nargesiyan A, Aybaghi Esfahani S, 2008. The role of spiritual leadership in empowerment of Tehran university employees. Public Administration Publication, Tehran. 35