| Abstract [eng] |
The master’s thesis analyzes educational institution leaders’ perceived quantitative and qualitative job insecurity, perceived effort–reward imbalance, overcommitment to work, and and their relationships with sociodemographic factors. The aim of the thesis is to reveal how educational institution leaders perceive job insecurity and how this experience relates to their evaluation of the exchange between the employee and the organization, as well as to overcommitment to work. The relevance of the research is linked to the fact that the work of educational institution leaders in Lithuania is based on fixed-term appointments, founder decisions, and external evaluations, which may influence leaders’ perceived job insecurity and future prospects. These circumstances create conditions for both quantitative and qualitative job insecurity, particularly in the context of continuous changes in education policy. The objective of the study is to examine educational institution leaders’ perceived quantitative and qualitative job insecurity and its associations with perceived effort–reward imbalance and overcommitment, taking sociodemographic factors into account. To achieve this objective, the following tasks were formulated: to define the concept of perceived job insecurity, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative forms, in the context of educational leadership; to analyze the principle of reciprocity and the effort–reward imbalance model in order to identify theoretical links between the examined phenomena; to empirically assess educational institution leaders’ perceived job insecurity, perceived effort–reward imbalance, and overcommitment, and determine the relationships among them; and to examine the impact of sociodemographic and professional factors on job insecurity and effort–reward imbalance, and discuss the findings in relation to previous research. The object of the study consists of educational institution leaders’ perceived quantitative and qualitative job insecurity, perceived effort–reward imbalance, and overcommitment to work. The theoretical part examines the concept of perceived job insecurity and discusses causes and consequences identified in the literature. In addition, the effort–reward imbalance model based on social exchange and reciprocity is analyzed, together with the role of overcommitment within this model. The theoretical analysis draws on Lithuanian and international academic sources. The empirical part of the thesis employed a quantitative research method—an online questionnaire survey completed by educational institution leaders. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and non-parametric statistical methods in Microsoft Office Excel and SPSS. The results showed that qualitative job insecurity is more characteristic of educational leaders than quantitative job insecurity. Leaders are more likely worry about potential changes in working conditions, responsibilities or job content rather than job loss. The study also found that both forms of job insecurity are interrelated and often occur simultaneously. Perceived effort–reward imbalance was associated with higher levels of job insecurity, and overcommitment further intensified both this imbalance and the sense of insecurity. Sociodemographic variables such as age and gender were not significant predictors. Professional factors, particularly leadership experience, were relevant—leaders with less experience reported greater concern about potential negative changes. This suggests that job insecurity is shaped more by organizational context and professional experience than by individual characteristics. In summary, the study highlights the importance of perceived effort–reward imbalance and overcommitment in understanding educational leaders’ perceived quantitative and qualitative job insecurity. The findings enhance understanding of leaders’ work conditions and may support improvements in work organization within the education system. |
