Abdullah, Iqra and Malik, Muhammad Aamir (2025) The friendship dilemma: an empirical analysis on the effects of academic leaders’ friendships on faculty members’ well-being. Journal of Applied Social Science (JASS). ISSN 1936-7244 (Print), 1937-0245 (Online) (doi:10.1177/19367244251325840)

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Abstract

Universities are known for their unique, intellectually stimulating culture, where leadership actions significantly shape the learning environment. This study examines the impact of academic leaders’ friendships on faculty members’ psychological well-being within public, private, and semigovernment universities in Pakistan. This research also investigates the roles of bullying behaviors by leaders’ friends and perceived ostracism among faculty members, alongside the moderating effects of resilience. Employing a quantitative research approach, a survey was designed by adopting validated scales from authentic sources. The questionnaire was distributed among approximately 200 faculty members of higher education institutions (HEIs) in Pakistan. Findings reveal that while bullying by leaders’ friends severely impacts faculty well-being, workplace ostracism does not show a similar effect. Furthermore, resilience does not moderate these negative consequences, offering intriguing insights into the complex dynamics of leadership and social interactions within Pakistani universities. The study recommends implementing policies to curb favoritism and bullying while introducing training programs to promote equitable leadership. However, its findings are limited by the cross-sectional design and lack of representation from some regions of Pakistan, suggesting a need for future research to include more diverse samples and explore qualitative insights into faculty experiences.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	workplace friendship, leadership, workplace bullying, ostracism, resilience
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) L Education > L Education (General)
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Greenwich Business School Greenwich Business School > Centre for Research on Employment and Work (CREW) Greenwich Business School > School of Management and Marketing
Related URLs:	Publisher
Last Modified:	07 Apr 2025 09:23
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/50177

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