The link between teacher buy‐in and intentions to continue working in their current school

Abstract

Previous research has found school working conditions—particularly school leadership—to be linked to teacher retention. At the same time, evidence from the management literature has suggested that obtaining ‘buy‐in’ from staff is critical to employee performance and instigating change. This paper brings these two literatures together, being the first study to explore the relationship between buy‐in and teachers' plans to continue working at their current school. The analysis illustrates how teachers who buy into the leadership team's strategy are much more likely to intend to continue working at the school, over and above their views on workload, pay and the quality of their relationships with their colleagues. We conclude by considering what school leaders might do to improve buy‐in amongst their staff, while also highlighting areas where further research is needed.