Representing the Lived Experiences of School Principals Regarding the Role of Principals’ Professional and Personal Competencies in Enhancing Managerial Performance

Abstract

This study aimed to represent the lived experiences of upper secondary school principals regarding the role of professional and personal competencies in enhancing managerial performance. This qualitative study employed a descriptive phenomenological design. The participants comprised 17 upper secondary school principals from Kurdistan, Alborz, West Azerbaijan, and East Azerbaijan provinces, selected through criterion-based purposive sampling. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews lasting 45–63 minutes. Meaning saturation was achieved after the fifteenth interview, although two additional interviews were conducted to ensure completeness. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s seven-step method, involving the extraction of significant statements, formulation of meanings, organization of thematic clusters, and identification of the fundamental structure of the participants’ experiences. Trustworthiness was established using Lincoln and Guba’s criteria, member checking, peer review, and the Holsti inter-coder agreement coefficient, which was 0.83. Analysis of the principals’ lived experiences revealed five interrelated competency domains: managerial knowledge and expertise, managerial experience and background, communication and interpersonal skills, decision-making and problem-solving ability, and personality and ethical characteristics. These competencies did not function independently; rather, optimal managerial performance emerged from their dynamic and multilayered interaction. Managerial knowledge without practical experience, experience without effective communication skills, and decision-making without an ethical framework were perceived as insufficient. Communication skills facilitated the practical application of knowledge and experience, whereas personality and ethical characteristics provided a value-based framework for managerial decisions. Self-efficacy and organizational commitment further operated as motivational forces supporting the effective use of other competencies. Divergent findings indicated that extensive managerial experience did not necessarily increase self-efficacy when principals encountered emerging challenges, while constructive stakeholder interaction could serve as a supportive mechanism and reduce, rather than intensify, occupational strain.