Impact of Inclusive Leadership Practices on School Teachers’ Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Leadership is not only about holding an official position, but it is a transformational process which creates organizational culture, employee motivation, and institutional success. Inclusive leadership has become an essential consideration in the education sector, which is marked by openness, recognition, fairness, and sincere belonging which impact teachers’ job satisfaction and professional well-being. This study is based on a quantitative correlational research design that analyzed the impact of inclusive leadership practices on school teachers’ job satisfaction among 250 teachers in public schools in Lahore, Pakistan. The study assessed four major dimensions, which were Openness and Communication, Recognition and Support, Fairness and Equity, and Belongingness and Inclusion by using the Inclusive Leadership Questionnaire and Teacher Job Satisfaction Scale. The results showed that inclusive leadership is a strong predictor of teacher job satisfaction, and Recognition and Support and Fairness and Equity were the strongest positive predictors. Notably, superficial or symbolic inclusion practices negatively impact satisfaction, highlighting that authentic participation is critically important. This research highlights the necessity of school leaders to go beyond the top-down management framework to promote inclusive practices that recognize the input of teachers, treats them fairly, and gives them a voice in meaningful decisions. It is recommended that school administrators may ensure systematic recognition programs, transparent resource allocation, enhanced line of communication and genuine teacher involvement mechanisms. These measures can increase teachers’ job satisfaction and retention which  will ultimately increase  the quality of education.

Keywords: inclusive leadership, job satisfaction among teachers, recognition and support, fairness and equity, openness and communication, belongingness.