The Relationship Between Servant Leadership and Employees’ Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment: Basis for a Proposed Model for Higher Educational Institutions

Background/purpose. Employee satisfaction and commitment are essential to the stability and performance of higher education institutions. As leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping workplace morale and retention, there is a growing need to explore models that will help address these challenges and ensure a more engaged, satisfied, and committed workforce. This research was conducted to explore how servant leadership traits grounded in values such as empathy, accountability, humility, and empowerment influence job satisfaction and organizational commitment among employees in higher education institutions. Materials/methods. The study employed a correlational research design to examine the relationships between leadership traits and employee responses. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire distributed to 296 non-managerial employees and 158 managerial staff across various higher education institutions. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 statistical software for Windows, with a focus on correlations between leadership traits and employee responses. Results. The findings reveal a significant positive relationship between servant leadership traits—specifically empathy, empowerment, accountability, and humility—and employee outcomes. Both managerial and non-managerial staff reported higher levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment when their leaders demonstrated the qualities of servant leadership. Conclusion. The results suggest that servant leadership has a positive influence on employee morale and institutional loyalty. Higher education institutions may benefit from implementing leadership development programs focused on cultivating servant leadership traits to enhance leadership effectiveness and foster a more satisfied and committed workforce.