Analysing the complex association between school principals’ hubristic leadership and teachers’ work motivation: the serial mediation of administrative communication and job stress

Leadership behaviors in schools significantly impact teacher well-being and motivation; however, the potential risks of hubristic tendencies among principals remain underexplored in educational research. This study addresses this gap by examining how administrative communication and teacher stress mediate the effect of hubris syndrome behaviors exhibited by principals, as perceived by teachers, on teacher motivation. A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 525 Turkish teachers working in public schools across Türkiye. Data were collected online using a convenience sampling approach by recruiting volunteer teachers across multiple provinces through school principals and teacher online networks. The analysis included descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and the Macro Hayes Model 6. The results showed that hubristic leadership by school principals had a negative impact on teachers’ work motivation. The serial mediating roles of stress and administrative communication were statistically significant in the relationship between these variables. Administrative communication mitigated the negative effects of hubris on stress and motivation. Conversely, stress amplified the adverse impact of hubris on work motivation. The findings suggest that principals’ hubristic leadership negatively impacts the school climate, causing teachers to experience stress and, in turn, reducing their motivation. This study provides empirical evidence highlighting the direct influence of principals’ behavioral patterns and leadership styles on educational outcomes in the context of hubris.