The mediating role of communication satisfaction on the relationship between leader member exchange and organizational commitment among public secondary school teachers in Selangor, Malaysia

Teachers’ organizational commitment is critical to school effectiveness and student achievement. Teachers who experience high-quality exchanges with their principals —characterized by trust, support, and mutual respect—are more likely to show higher commitment. However, declining teacher engagement, early retirements, and dissatisfaction with internal communication continue to impact school performance. Although communication is central to principal–teacher relationships, its mediating role in shaping organizational commitment remains underexplored in this context. Clarifying this relationship is essential for informing leadership practices that support teacher retention and school improvement. This study examines the relationship between leader-member exchange (LMX) and organizational commitment and further determines the mediating effect of communication satisfaction on this relationship. The study employed a cross-sectional research design using quantitative methods. Data collected from 374 respondents through a questionnaire were analyzed using standard linear regression analysis via SPSS 25. The results revealed that the principal–teacher exchange significantly influences teachers’ organizational commitment in Malaysian public secondary schools. Further analysis showed that communication satisfaction partially mediates the relationship. This indicates that while the quality of the principal-teacher exchange directly impacts teachers’ commitment, part of this effect operates through how satisfied teachers are with the communication they experience in their school environment. School principals should prioritize fostering effective communication to enhance teachers’ satisfaction with communication processes, thereby strengthening principal–teacher relationships and promoting greater organizational commitment among teachers. This study advances existing research by applying the LMX theory, highlighting the critical role of communication satisfaction as a mediator in the relationship between principal– teacher exchange and teacher commitment within Malaysian public secondary schools.