Journal of Indigenous Knowledge and Development Studies

Role of Academic Leaders' Emotional Intelligence and Staff Commitment in Public Universities in Oromia Region

Ketema Tefera — 2026-10-09

This study examined the role of academic leaders' emotional intelligence and staff organizational commitment in public universities in Oromia Region, Ethiopia, focusing on the four dimensions of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. A correlational research design with a quantitative approach was employed, and data were collected from 358 active academic staff members using a subordinate-rated questionnaire to assess leaders' emotional intelligence and a self-administered questionnaire to measure staff organizational commitment. Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis were utilized to analyze the data. The findings revealed a moderate level of emotional intelligence among academic leaders (M = 3.59). Significant moderate positive correlations were observed between the four emotional intelligence dimensions and organizational commitment, with correlation coefficients ranging from *r* = .51 to *r* = .56. Furthermore, the regression analysis indicated that leaders' emotional intelligence significantly predicted staff organizational commitment, accounting for 27% of the variance (R² = .27), suggesting a moderate predictive role. This study provides empirical evidence on existence of the role of emotional intelligence in fostering academic staff commitment within the Oromia public universities and serves as a foundational reference for further research. Accordingly, it is recommended that the Ministry of Education, university administrators, and academic leaders prioritize the development and application of emotional intelligence competencies to enhance staff commitment.

Effect of Employee’s Commitment on Organizational Performance: A Case of Selected Public Service Sector, Guji Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Jalata Wata — 2026-10-09

This research investigates the effect of employee commitment on organizational performance in a specific public sector in Oromia, Ethiopia's Guji Zone. Using an explanatory sequential method design and a quantitative research approach, survey data from 398 respondents at the zonal and district levels were chosen using probability sampling procedures. Of these, 390 responses were valid. The structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis utilizing SPSS v26 and AMOS v23 was based on the three-component model of dedication and the Balanced Scorecard framework. The results showed that normative commitment had the biggest positive effect on organizational performance (β =.255, p <.001), followed by emotional commitment (β =.197) and continuance (β =.231).There are important theoretical and practical implications to these findings. Normative commitment should be given top priority by public sector managers in the research area through staff practices that respect community service and include local norms into organizational effectiveness performance reviews. Based on the finding, meaningful work and supportive leadership can generate affective engagement, assurances of clear career advancement, job stability, and pension benefits can encourage ongoing commitment. In order to improve organizational effectiveness, it is advised that public sector executives be required to establish strategic intentions that are in line with merit-based placement, innovation, health and safety, transparent hiring, and motivational systems on HRM practices.

Mediating Effect of Teachers’ Job Satisfaction on the Link between Principal Path Goal Leadership Behaviors’ and Teachers Job Motivation in Government Secondary Schools in Wollega Zones, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia

Alemayehu Fayisa — 2026-10-09

The Study examined the mediate role of teachers’ job satisfaction in the relationship between school principals' path-goal leadership behavior and teachers’ job motivation in government secondary schools across the wollega zones of the Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia. A quantitative research design was employed. Utilizing stratified proportional sampling, 26 government secondary schools were selected. From these schools, teachers were selected using random sampling techniques. Data were collected using questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) via AMOS software. The structural model demonstrated a robust fit to the data (CMIN/df=1.506, GFI=0.924, CFI=0.953, TLI=0.949, and RMSEA=0.046). The path goal analysis revealed that principal path goal leadership behavior exerted a significant positive, direct effect on both teachers' job motivation (β=0.300, p<0.05) and job satisfaction (β=0.149, P<0.05). Conversely, teachers' job satisfaction has a significant negative direct relationship with job motivation (β=-0.183, p<0.05). Crucially, bootstrap resampling (5000 samples) confirmed that job satisfaction acts as a statistically significant inconsistent mediator (β=0.027, 95% BC CL:0.020 to 0.140) between leadership behavior and job motivation. Because the direct effect (β=0.300) and indirect effect (β=-o.o27) possess opposing signs, the total effect of leadership behavior on motivation was suppressed to β=0.273. These finding, implies while a principal path goal leadership behavior serves as a powerful catalyst to boost both motivation and satisfaction. Independently, the resulting job satisfaction structurally overturns the leadership behaviors’ overall impact on work motivation. Secondary school principals should carefully recognize how specific leadership actions simultaneously drive these two related but distinct psychological constructs in the school environment.

Reconfiguring Property Rights and Customary Resource Governance among the Borana Pastoralists of Southern Ethiopia

Getachew Tadesse — 2026-10-09

This paper examines the changing nature of property rights, resource access and governance among the Borana Oromo pastoralist society of southern Ethiopia. Drawing on qualitative data collected from 56 key informants' interviews, 68 people taking part in eight focus group discussions, observations carried out in four pastoral districts and literature review, the paper analyzed the evolving nature of the transformation of customary resource access and governance institutions among the Borana Oromo pastoralists. The findings were assessed and interpreted using insights from political ecology, legal pluralism, and Ribot & Peluso's theory of access which together elucidated why and how the factors of environmental change, state policies, institutional pluralism and power relations have shaped property relations, resource access and customary governance among the Borana pastoralists. Results indicated that communal lands increasingly becoming fragmented and converted to private holding. This trend is driven by various factors, including climate change; elite-driven land commodification; state policies that encourage sedentary agriculture, ignore environmental limitations in the drylands, and overlook the socio-cultural basis of pastoral livelihood systems; and an underestimation of the drylands' potential to support pastoralism and other production systems. Consequently, customary institutions, including Abbaa Dheedaa and Abbaa Heregaa institutions, were gradually becoming undermined in land and water resource governance. Despite these changes, some pastoral society have adopted agro pastoralism as an adaptive response to climate stress, while the pastoral elders continue to reinterpret indigenous norms to sustain elements of collective resource governance. In this way, the study contributes to the literature on pastoral governance by demonstrating that the transformation of property rights in Borana represents not merely a shift from communal to private tenure but a dynamic process of institutional hybridity in which customary institutions, state governance, and market forces continuously reconfigure resource access and governance. This paper argues for a hybrid approach to pastoral natural resource governance that strengthens communal land rights, supports pastoral mobility, and recognizes the continued relevance of customary institutions in promoting sustainable resource management and pastoral resilience.

Effectiveness of the Gadaa System’s Indigenous Peacebuilding Institutions in Addressing Local Disputes among the Liban Macha Oromo

Tsegaye Dejene — 2026-10-09

The Gadaa system represents one of the African indigenous peacebuilding platforms that look overwhelmed by the western model state institutions. This fact instigates to insight in other than liberal approach, indigenous peacebulding is rigorous at addressing local disputes. Principally, the investigation seeks to contribute to less covered experience of indigenous peace practice among the Liban Macha Oromo as a general objective. Many studies covering the Gadaa system are mainly confined to the southern branch of Oromoland as it is claimed as Gadaa largely remained fully functional in those areas. However, this study is grounded in the rationale that the Gadaa system among the Liban Macha Oromo is also meaningfully considerable and survived to revive as a mechanism of conflict resolution and peacebuilding among the locals and beyond. The study is qualitative in nature and the ethnographic case study design is applied along with the interpretivist paradigm of social constructivism. Data collected through 62 interview respondents, 3 focus group discussions, 3 observations, and document review were thematically analyzed. The findings reveal that in resolving local disputes among the Liban Macha Oromo, the Gadaa system’s indigenous peacebuilding institutions pursue the approaches that conform to the African indigenous knowledge theories. The procedures to resolve micro-level disputes among the locals are oriented to the Oromo’s philosophy of everything great but truth, humanity, and restorative justice. And their effectiveness has to do with strict observance of Safuu (moral excellence, ethical codes), Duudhaa (customs and cultural values), Hooda (moral and spiritual abstinence from evil), and Dhaha-milkii (Oromo’s astrology of prophesy and success). Noteworthy, this paper argues and recommends that to have long lasting means of dispute resolution and peacebuilding, giving serious attention to indigenous socio-political institutions like Gadaa is more generative. And all stakeholders both governmental and non-governmental should enhance their positive role to vitalize this issue of concern. Hence, this empirical record will contribute to the world wide peacebuilding discourses that aspire to empower the local-based approach to peace.