Organizational commitment and ostracism in schools: The mediating role of chaotic leadership in crises

This study aims to investigate the role of chaotic leadership in relation to organizational commitment and ostracism among teachers in schools under crises. The devastating earthquakes hit the southeastern Turkiye and the northern border of Syria in 2023. The city of Malatya was severely impacted, and many schools were physically damaged, and educational processes were unexpectedly interrupted. Therefore, this study examines the mediating role of chaotic leadership in the relationship between organizational commitment and ostracism among teachers working in schools affected by the 2023 earthquake in Malatya. Using a cross-sectional correlational design, the data were collected face-to-face from 342 teachers and analyzed through the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results indicated that organizational commitment had a significant positive direct effect on chaotic leadership, and chaotic leadership had a significant negative direct effect on organizational ostracism. However, organizational commitment did not have a significant direct effect on ostracism. These findings suggest that, in schools affected by crises, teachers' commitment may shape how chaotic leadership is perceived, and adaptive chaotic leadership may function as a protective mechanism that reduces experiences of ostracism. This research confirms the mediating role of chaotic leadership in the relationship between organizational commitment and ostracism within schools under crises.