Burnout Phenomenon on Principals: Impact on Behavior and its Mitigation Strategies

Objective: This research was conducted to gain further understanding of the real experiences (life experiences) of private school principals in order to reveal the substantive meaning of the entire process of their experience of the burnout phenomenon through personal interactions with the principals who were the research subjects which were then articulated through a burnout model that explains more about the processes and factors that play a role in the dynamics of the burnout phenomenon that apply specifically to the subject of school principals. Theoretical Framework: Qualitative research conducted using the phenomenological approach. Research validity was obtained through triangulation of data sources and cross perspectives. Research reliability was obtained through data saturation and in-depth-understanding of the subject from the selected informants. Method: 12 school principals that have worked for around 5-17 years are selected through criteria matching for interviews. This research uses narrative analysis of stories obtained from in-depth interviews with research informants. Result and conclusion: This research has presented evidence that although the role of a leader is very important to motivate and improve the performance of the people being led, in fact the same thing also applies vice versa, the more the people being led or managed can be cooperative with the leader, the more positive the performance of a leader, especially for private school principals in Indonesia. On the other hand, educational foundations as the authority to supervise school principals also have a role in creating a conducive situation for school principals to carry out their duties as well as possible. Research Implications: This research point out several potential steps that need to be taken by educational foundations or organizations that manage an educational institution. This is to ensure that anyone who serves as a school principal can play their role appropriately, efficiently, and produce added value to the organization in the long term. Originality/Value: The findings of this research reinforce theories regarding the burnout phenomenon that have existed so far, by enriching and clarifying the understanding of the meaning of the phenomenon by which the burnout phenomenon occurs at the leadership level in education industry nowadays.