Distributed Leaders’ Well-Being in Türkiye: Do School Principals’ Commitment and Trust Make a Difference?

This study examines the role of distributed leadership behaviours in the empirical relationship between school principals’ commitment and trust with their well-being. Two main theories and the cultural and political context informed the design of this study. The theoretical background is based on Job Demands and Resources Theory and Self Determination Theory. The contextual background is based on a collectivist culture with a vertical hierarchical structure. In this cross-sectional study, which collected data from 532 school principals in Türkiye, mediation modelling was used to measure the structural relationships between the study variables. In this study a positive correlation was found between principals’ distributed leadership behaviours and well-being. In addition, there was a direct relationship between principal trust, commitment and distributed leadership and a direct relationship between principal trust, commitment and well-being. Finally, a relationship was found between principal trust and well-being and principal commitment and well-being mediated by distributed leadership. This study revealed that in a non-Western collectivist culture with high power distance, principals’ sharing of power through distributed leadership enhanced their well-being. The findings demonstrate that trust and commitment serve as critical psychological job resources and social context factors that simultaneously enhance principals’ leadership behaviours and their positive emotional experiences. These findings highlight the importance of systemic and practical approaches to integrating distributed leadership, building trust, and strengthening commitment in schools. This study provides some implications for policymakers and practitioners.