Principal Leadership Strategies in Improving Teachers’ Performance Through Conflict Management and Strengthening Organizational Culture
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52690/jswse.v8i1.1672Keywords:
Conflict Management, Organizational Culture, Principal Leadership Strategy, Teachers’ PerformanceAbstract
This study aims to analyze the principal’s leadership strategies in improving teachers’ performance through conflict management and strengthening organizational culture at SMP Negeri 35 Palembang. A qualitative case study approach was employed, utilizing observation, in-depth interviews, and documentation for data collection. Data were analyzed through interactive model procedures. Findings reveal that the principal’s strategies include open communication, problem clarification, deliberation, regulation enforcement, discipline, cooperation, routine supervision, and professional role modeling. Conflict factors stem from perceptual differences, ineffective communication, unequal task division, character variations, and high administrative burdens. Organizational culture strengthening is influenced by principal assertiveness, teacher commitment, clear rules, and a conducive work climate. Supporting factors include effective communication, teacher collaboration, consistent guidance, professional awareness, and firm regulations. Inhibiting factors comprise differing teacher responses to change, principal time constraints, administrative burdens, latent conflicts, and limited facilities. The integration of conflict management and culture strengthening positively impacts teacher performance through improved discipline, lesson planning quality, work motivation, and a more conducive environment. This study uniquely integrates conflict management and organizational culture strengthening as dual strategies within a single leadership framework in an Indonesian secondary school context. Principals are advised to develop communicative, participatory, and consistent leadership to create a harmonious and productive organizational culture. This research contributes empirical evidence that effective leadership strategies integrating conflict resolution and cultural reinforcement significantly enhance teacher performance, offering actionable insights for school leaders in similar urban secondary education settings.
References
Afrida, Y., & Fitri, H. (2022). Implementation of Principal Leadership with Organizational Culture on Teacher Performance. Journal of Educational Management Research, 1(2), 105–112. https://doi.org/10.61987/jemr.v1i2.43
Annet, K. A. (2025). Conflict Resolution Strategies for School Leaders. Research Invention Journal of Current Issues in Arts and Management, 4(2), 5–11. https://doi.org/10.59298/rijciam/2025/42511
Antinluoma, M., Ilomäki, L., & Toom, A. (2021). Practices of Professional Learning Communities. Frontiers in Education, 6. https://doi.org/10.3389/feduc.2021.617613
Bunaiyya, F. L., Sulistiyono, A., & Nugroho, A. (2025). Reconstructing Industrial Dispute Resolution Based on Deliberation for Effective, Efficient, and Equitable Dispute Governance (pp. 513–528). https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-519-5_41
Ertürk, R. (2022). Conflict in Schools: A Qualitative Study. Participatory Educational Research, 9(1), 251–270. https://doi.org/10.17275/per.22.14.9.1
Fry, D., Mackay, K., Childers-Buschle, K., Wazny, K., & Bahou, L. (2020). “They are Teaching Us to Deliver Lessons and That is Not All That Teaching is”: Exploring Teacher Trainees’ Language for Peer Victimisation in Schools. Teaching and Teacher Education, 89, 102988. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2019.102988
García-Martínez, I., Montenegro-Rueda, M., Molina-Fernández, E., & Fernández-Batanero, J. M. (2021). Mapping Teacher Collaboration for School Success. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 32(4), 631–649. https://doi.org/10.1080/09243453.2021.1925700
Harsoyo, R. (2022). Bernard M. Bass’ Transformational Leadership Theory and Its Application in Improving the Quality of Islamic Educational Institutions. Southeast Asian Journal of Islamic Education Management, 3(2), 247–262. https://doi.org/10.21154/sajiem.v3i2.112
Ibrahim, A., & El Zaatari, W. (2020). The Teacher–Student Relationship and Adolescents’ Sense of School Belonging. International Journal of Adolescence and Youth, 25(1), 382–395. https://doi.org/10.1080/02673843.2019.1660998
Kayyali, M. (2025). Classroom Management. In Exploration of K-12 Teaching and Learning for Teacher Educators (pp. 53–78). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-9370-3.ch003
Lase, D., Absah, Y., Lumbanraja, P., Giawa, Y., & Gulo, Y. (2025). Organizational Culture Theory: Concepts, Models, and Implications for Organizational Management. Tuhenori: Jurnal Ilmiah Multidisiplin, 3(1), 21–45. https://doi.org/10.62138/tuhenori.v3i1.128
Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldaña, J. (2020). Qualitative Data Analysis: A Methods Sourcebook. Sage.
Moleong, L. J. (2021). Qualitative Research Methodology. PT Remaja Rosdakarya. .
Mulyasa. (2022). Principal Management and Leadership. Jakarta: Penerbit PT. Bumi Aksara.
Nguyen, D., & Ng, D. (2020). Teacher Collaboration for Change: Sharing, Improving, and Spreading. Professional Development in Education, 46(4), 638–651. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2020.1787206
Norman, P. A. F., & Barbara, P. B. (2020). Faculty Sensitization and Development to Enhance Responsible Management Education. The International Journal of Management Education, 18(1), 100359. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijme.2019.100359
Robbins, S. P., & Judge, T. A. (2019). Organizationa Behavior (18th ed.). Pearson.
Scarlat, C., & Bărar, D.-A. S. (2023). Towards a Transcultural Approach for Inter-Professional Communication in Complex IT Project Teams—Aiming to Avoid Cross-Functional and Cross-Hierarchical Conflicts. Systems, 12(1), 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/systems12010010
Schein, E. H. (2017). Organizational Culture and Leadership (5th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
Selvia, T. A., Putra, S. A., & Badrun, M. (2024). The Principal’s Role in Improving the Work Culture of Elementary School Teachers. Manajemen Pendidikan, 209–223. https://doi.org/10.23917/jmp.v9i2.8141
Sitorus, N., Wijaya, C., & Rohman, F. (2024). The Influence of Communication Skills and Conflict Management Skills of School Principals on Teacher Performance in Public Elementary Schools. Edutec : Journal of Education and Technology, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.29062/edu.v8i2.1051
Suharyanta, S. (2020). Implementation of Legal Protection for Teachers to Tackling Criminal Acts of Persecution. Magistra Law Review, 1(02), 94. https://doi.org/10.35973/malrev.v1i2.1613
Syafrin, D., Irsyad, I., & Marsidin, S. (2025). The Impact of Inter-Staff Conflict on the Effectiveness of Decision-Making at SMP Negeri 7 Padang City. Naradidik: Journal of Education and Pedagogy, 4(4), 603–613. https://doi.org/10.24036/nara.v4i4.440
Tadesse Bogale, A., & Debela, K. L. (2024). Organizational Culture: A Systematic Review. Cogent Business & Management, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311975.2024.2340129
Wilson Heenan, I., De Paor, D., Lafferty, N., & Mannix McNamara, P. (2023). The Impact of Transformational School Leadership on School Staff and School Culture in Primary Schools-A Systematic Review of International Literature. Societies, 13(6), 133. https://doi.org/10.3390/soc13060133
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Zainul Rifqi, Dessy Wardiah, Muhammad Juliansyah Putra

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.






