Abstract

Organizational deviant behaviors can be defined as behaviors that have deviated from standards and uncongenial to organization's expectations. When such behaviors have been thought to damage the organization, it can be said that reducing the deviation behaviors at minimum level is necessary for a healthy organization. The aim of this research is to determine the level of teachers' organizational deviant behaviors to show the relationship between deviant behavior level and principal's leadership styles. Research's data were collected from 557 secondary school teachers working in Izmir province by using scales named as “Organizational Deviance Scale for Schools” and “Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire”. According to the findings, teachers have displayed organizational deviant behaviors at low level and principals have absorbed transformational and interactional leadership. According to correlation analysis, there has been a negative relationship between organizational deviant behaviors and transformational and interactional leadership styles, and a positive relationship between organizational deviant behaviors and laissez-faire leadership.  Findings have explained the effect of principals' leadership styles on deviant behavior. As a recommendation, to decrease these deviant behaviors, principals who tend to show transactional and transformational leadership behaviors can be guided and trained about the reasons of deviant behaviors, and how to reduce these deviant behaviors.

Key words: Organizational deviance, multi-factor leadership, education.