Abstract:
School leaders, as central figures in the educational system, shoulder multifaceted responsibilities. They navigate the intricate landscape of school instruction, organisational management, and external relationships. However, their effectiveness and well-being is increasingly compromised by burnout—a pervasive issue exacerbated by the current global teacher shortage. In this pre-registered systematic review and meta-analysis, we scrutinised 34 studies encompassing 23,522 participants to empirically grasp the consequences of burnout on school leaders and those in their professional environments.
Our findings indicate that burnout and its dimensions (cynicism/depersonalisation, emotional exhaustion, and reduced personal accomplishment) had consequences for nine outcomes. Specifically, we found that burnout impairs job performance and increases intentions to quit. Moreover, burnout also has consequences for future outcomes, as assessed in longitudinal studies where outcomes were measured subsequent to burnout. Here, there was preliminary evidence that burnout had consequences for the type of leadership style one adopted (lower levels of transformation and transaction, and greater levels of laissez-faire leadership style). Moreover, burnout led to reduced future personal resources, future job resources, and future wellbeing, as well as greater future job demands, future burnout, and future intentions to quit. Surprisingly, burnout did not have consequences for school leaders’ desires for promotion nor health problems or absenteeism. The empirical strength of these associations varied across the different burnout dimensions. Moreover, we identified several moderating factors; namely, educational level (primary, secondary, primary and secondary schools); gender (percentage of females in the sample); mean age of the sample; mean years of leadership experience of the sample; publication type (journal articles, dissertations; book chapters, reports); and publication year of the study.
Our study findings underscore the importance and urgency of addressing school leader burnout. To mitigate its effects, we need to develop comprehensive theoretical models to understand burnout’s antecedents, processes, and consequences; and develop and implement evidence-based policy and practical strategies to prevent and intervene at the individual-, school-, and national-level.
Our findings indicate that burnout and its dimensions (cynicism/depersonalisation, emotional exhaustion, and reduced personal accomplishment) had consequences for nine outcomes. Specifically, we found that burnout impairs job performance and increases intentions to quit. Moreover, burnout also has consequences for future outcomes, as assessed in longitudinal studies where outcomes were measured subsequent to burnout. Here, there was preliminary evidence that burnout had consequences for the type of leadership style one adopted (lower levels of transformation and transaction, and greater levels of laissez-faire leadership style). Moreover, burnout led to reduced future personal resources, future job resources, and future wellbeing, as well as greater future job demands, future burnout, and future intentions to quit. Surprisingly, burnout did not have consequences for school leaders’ desires for promotion nor health problems or absenteeism. The empirical strength of these associations varied across the different burnout dimensions. Moreover, we identified several moderating factors; namely, educational level (primary, secondary, primary and secondary schools); gender (percentage of females in the sample); mean age of the sample; mean years of leadership experience of the sample; publication type (journal articles, dissertations; book chapters, reports); and publication year of the study.
Our study findings underscore the importance and urgency of addressing school leader burnout. To mitigate its effects, we need to develop comprehensive theoretical models to understand burnout’s antecedents, processes, and consequences; and develop and implement evidence-based policy and practical strategies to prevent and intervene at the individual-, school-, and national-level.