Unlocking the power of leadership and reputation in Cambodian higher education: A comparative of public and private organizations

This study critically examines the relationships among responsible leadership (RL), institutional reputation (IR), and faculty satisfaction (FS) in Cambodian public and private universities. Using a quantitative approach, data were collected from 379 faculty members across various universities in Cambodia, and Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) and Multi-Group Analysis (MGA) were employed to analyze the relationships. The results indicate that responsible leadership directly affects faculty satisfaction at public universities. Nonetheless, this effect is insignificant in private institutions, where institutional reputation plays a critical mediating role. However, institutional reputation significantly influences faculty satisfaction in public and private institutions, highlighting its importance across the higher education spectrum. This study adds critical value by providing context-specific insights into the Cambodian education sector, challenging the assumption that leadership universally influences satisfaction across institutional types. The findings emphasize the mediating role of reputation, particularly in private universities, where the impact of leadership is more indirect. These insights contribute to theory and practice by suggesting that leadership strategies should be tailored to different institutional contexts to enhance faculty satisfaction effectively.