Effect of Servant Leadership on Organizational Commitment in Palestinian Academic Institutions

Abstract

This study aims to examine the relationship between servant leadership and organizational commitment among academic and administrative staff at the four biggest Gaza Strip universities (Islamic University, Al-Azhar University, Al-Aqsa University and Palestine University). The study adopted the descriptive analytical approach and a questionnaire was employed as the main data elicitation tool. The study was conducted using a stratified random sample of 400 employees at the four universities mentioned above. The findings of the study showed that the degree of practicing servant leadership was 65.7%, which is medium at the universities from the respondents’ point of view. In addition, the findings revealed that the employees who work at universities in Gaza Strip had a high level of organizational commitment in its three dimensions; namely, 76.4%. The findings also showed that there is a positive impact of servant leadership on organizational commitment. In addition, the results demonstrated differences in responses towards servant leadership and organizational commitment due to place of work. The study’s most important recommendations highlighted the necessity of improving the abilities of leaders at Palestinian Tertiary Education Institutions. The study also recommended making the prevalent managerial practices more sustainable through employee empowerment and nurturing open culture. This can be achieved via encouraging employee participation in decision making and increasing their awareness regarding active participation in community activities