THE ROLE OF PERCEIVED SERVANT LEADERSHIP ON JOB SATISFACTION AMONG ACADEMIC EMPLOYEE. (AT UNIVERSITY OF GONDAR.)

Abstract

The general purpose of this study was to examine the role of perceived servant leadership on academic employee‘s job satisfaction in the University of Gondar. The study was used cross sectional survey evidence from the sample of 338 academic staffs. In this study self-administered standardized Servant Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ) and Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) were used and stratified simple random sampling technique was employed. The model was tested and assured for its fitness towards the diagnostic assumptions. Hypotheses were tested, by using t-test and correlation and linear regression statistical tools. The findings revealed that supervisors were generally practicing servant leadership, with high ratings in behaviors such as proactive service, community-building, foresight, preparedness, and persuasive communication. In terms of job satisfaction, 26.9% of respondents reported high satisfaction, while 27.8% reported low satisfaction and the rest 45.3% reported moderate satisfaction. Significant positive correlations were found between all five servant leadership dimensions—organizational stewardship, persuasion, wisdom, emotional healing, and altruistic calling—and job satisfaction, with the strongest associations observed in organizational stewardship (r = .616, p < .001) and persuasion (r = .606, p < .001). These findings underscore the positive perception of servant leadership among academic leaders and suggest that institutionalizing servant leadership through workshops, mentorship, and supportive policy frameworks may enhance job satisfaction among academic staff.