Compassionate leadership is an emerging idea in leadership studies emphasizing the value of kindness, understanding, and caring in leadership techniques. This leadership style is especially pertinent in higher education, where leaders must mentor and motivate staff, teachers, and students to pursue academic and personal goals. Since research has demonstrated that compassionate leadership can positively affect employee well-being, student happiness, and organizational success, there has been an increase in interest among higher education administrators in recent years. A thorough literature assessment is still required to summarize the available research on compassionate leadership in higher education settings, identify gaps, and suggest future study paths. Emphasizes the value of kindness, understanding, and caring in leadership techniques. This literature review aims to fill this gap by critically analyzing the current knowledge on compassionate leadership in higher education.
The topic of compassionate or servant leadership is covered in the paper “Servant leadership and academics’ engagement in higher education” by Aboramadan, Dahleez, and Hamad. The authors contend that compassionate leadership can boost academic staff engagement and satisfaction, eventually benefiting the institution. They outline the features of compassionate leaders, including empathy, humility, and a commitment to the growth of their followers, and they explain how these traits might be used in a setting like higher education. The writers also explore the advantages and drawbacks of employing compassionate leadership techniques in educational institutions.
The role of compassionate leadership in higher education institutions during the COVID-19 epidemic is covered in the essay “Transformational leadership and digital skills in higher education institutes: during the pandemic” by Antonopoulou, Halkiopoulos, Barlou, and Beligiannis. The authors make the case that leaders who can demonstrate compassion, understanding, and support for their staff and students throughout the epidemic might lessen the crisis’s adverse effects on their organizations. They also stress the significance of digital skills in higher education and the role that leaders may play in fostering the growth of these skills among their staff and students to ensure that education continues throughout the pandemic.
Lastly, the effects of compassionate leadership in higher education institutions are covered in the study “Effect of leadership styles on faculty performance: Moderating role of organizational culture in higher education” by Jamali, Bhutto, Khaskhely, and Sethar. The authors make the case that compassionate leaders, who show humility, empathy, and a commitment to their subordinates’ growth, can favor faculty performance at higher education institutions. They also discuss how company culture affects leadership styles and academic success. The authors contend that while a bad organizational culture can hamper compassionate leadership’s ability to improve faculty performance, an excellent organizational culture can strengthen it.
The literature study has shown that compassionate leadership has a good effect on settings in higher education. Empathy, humility, and a commitment to the growth of their followers are qualities that compassionate leaders in higher education institutions display. These qualities can boost the engagement and satisfaction of academic staff and students. The COVID-19 pandemic has also brought attention to the value of compassionate leadership. Those who can help and support their staff and students throughout the crisis can lessen its adverse effects on their institutions. Also, it has been discovered that organizational culture can influence how leadership styles affect faculty performance. The research indicates that compassionate leadership can produce successful results in higher education.
References
Aboramadan, M., Dahleez, K., & Hamad, M. (2020). Servant leadership and academics’ engagement in higher education: A mediation analysis. Journal of Higher Education Policy and Management, 42(6), 617-633.
Antonopoulou, H., Halkiopoulos, C., Barlow, O., & Beligiannis, G. N. (2021). Transformational leadership and digital skills in higher education institutes: during the COVID-19 pandemic. Emerging science journal, 5(1), 1-15.
Jamali, A., Bhutto, A., Khaskhely, M., & Sethar, W. (2022). Impact of leadership styles on faculty performance: The moderating role of organizational culture in higher education. Management Science Letters, 12(1), 1-20.