Leadership and Management Development in Education (Education ...

More documents

Recommendations

Info

MODELS OF EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP21sion have been defined, and goals agreed, they have to be converted into strategicand operational management. The implementation phase of the decisionprocess is just as crucial as the development of the school’s vision. Managementwithout vision is rightly criticised as ‘managerialist’ but vision without effectiveimplementation is bound to lead to frustration. Managerial leadership is a vitalpart of the armoury of any successful principal (Bush 2003: 186).A weakness of such an approach, however, is that it is rarely focused on thekey task of managing teaching and learning and it does not require sustainedengagement with school-level stakeholders. As a result, school and studentoutcomes may be disappointing and governments may become concernedabout their inability to compete effectively in a global economy. Thisperception is reflected, for example, in the decision of the highly centralisedSeychelles’ government to require all their headteachers to acquire master’slevelqualifications in educational leadership. It also influenced the report ofthe Task Team set up by the South African government shortly after the firstdemocratic elections in 1994:Improving the quality of learning … requires strategies which focus onchange at the school and classroom levels … Managers can no longer simplywait for instructions or decisions from government. The pace of change,and the need to be adaptable and responsive to local circumstances requiresthat managers develop new skills and ways of working. (Department of Education1996: 13–14)Improving the quality of learning requires an approach to leadership development,which focuses on ‘instructional leadership’. This means attempting tochange the mindset of leaders to regard the processes of teaching and learningas central to their role, rather than simply leaving such matters to classroomteachers. As we noted earlier, however, this model relates to the direction ratherthan the process of leadership. While encouraging leaders to focus on teachingand learning, it offers little guidance on how they should do so. ‘It says littleabout the process by which instructional leadership is to be developed. Itfocuses on the “what” rather than the “how” of educational leadership. In thisrespect, it is a limited and partial model’ (Bush 2003: 186).To address the limitations of the instructional model, it makes sense to link itto an approach that addresses the process as well as the direction of leadership.Transformational leadership is currently in vogue as it accords closely with thepresent emphasis on vision as the central dimension of leadership. Successfulleaders are expected to engage with staff and other stakeholders to produce higherlevels of commitment to achieving the goals of the organisation which, in turn,are linked to the vision. As Miller and Miller (2001: 182) suggest, ‘through thetransforming process, the motives of the leader and follower merge’.
22LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT IN EDUCATIONThere is evidence to suggest that transformational leadership is effective inimproving student outcomes (Leithwood 1994) but it may be manipulated toserve external requirements. In England, for example, the government uses thelanguage of transformation but this is about the implementation of centrallydetermined policies not the identification of, and commitment to, school-levelvision and goals.Moral leadership has similar characteristics to transformational leadership in itsemphasis on developing the commitment of followers, but its distinctive element isthe focus on values and moral purpose. Leaders are expected to behave with integrityand to develop and support goals underpinned by explicit values. The maindifficulty arises when staff or stakeholders do not support the values of leaders.Participative leadership is likely to be effective in increasing the commitmentof participants, and in the development of teamwork, but the price may be anincrease in the time taken to reach agreement, and there may be difficulties forthe formal leader, who remains accountable for decisions reached through thecollective process. This model suggests that leadership preparation should focuson building consensus within the teaching team.Interpersonal leadership also stresses the importance of collaboration, withstaff, students and other stakeholders. Bennett et al.’s (2000) research with Englishprimary schools suggests that this model can be effective in developing aconducive environment for learning and teamwork. This model suggests thatleadership preparation should focus on building relationships with allstakeholders.The transactional leadership model assumes that relationships with teachersand other stakeholders are based on a process of exchange. Leaders offer rewardsor inducements to followers rather than seeking to improve their commitment ormotivation, as in the transformational model. The main limitation of the transactionalmodel is that the exchange is often short term and limited to the specificissue under discussion. It does not produce long-term commitment to the valuesand vision being promoted by school leaders. While a measure of exchange isinevitable for school leaders, it does not seem to be appropriate to include suchapproaches within leadership development programmes.Postmodern leadership focuses on multiple individual perceptions. There is noabsolute truth, only a set of individual insights. There are multiple visions anddiverse cultural meanings instead of a single vision enunciated by leaders. Themain limitation of this model is that it offers few guidelines for leadership actionand development programmes can make use of it only by stressing the need todeal with people as individuals rather than as an undifferentiated group.Contingent leadership acknowledges the diverse nature of school contextsand the advantages of adapting leadership styles to the particular situation,rather than adopting a ‘one size fits all’ stance. As Leithwood et al. (1999: 15)suggest, ‘what is important is how leaders respond to the unique organizational
Page 2 and 3: LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENTDEVELOPMEN
Page 4 and 5: Leadership andManagement Developmen
Page 6 and 7: ContentsNotes on the authorSeries E
Page 10 and 11: Series Editor’s ForewordThis seri
Page 12 and 13: PrefaceThe significance of effectiv
Page 14: PREFACExiiiChapter 7 shifts the deb
Page 21 and 22: 6LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOPM
Page 23 and 24: 8LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOPM
Page 25 and 26: 10LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOP
Page 35: 20LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOP
Page 40 and 41: 3The significance of leadership and
Page 42 and 43: THE SIGNIFICANCE OF LEADERSHIP AND
Page 48 and 49: 4The curriculum for leadershipdevel
Page 50 and 51: THE CURRICULUM FOR LEADERSHIP DEVEL
Page 66: THE CURRICULUM FOR LEADERSHIP DEVEL
Page 88 and 89:
6The National College for SchoolLea
Page 90 and 91:
THE NATIONAL COLLEGE FOR SCHOOL LEA
Page 92 and 93:
Page 94 and 95:
Page 96 and 97:
Page 98 and 99:
Page 100 and 101:
Page 102:
Page 105 and 106:
90LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DEVELOP
Page 107 and 108:
Page 109 and 110:
Page 111 and 112:
Page 113 and 114:
Page 115 and 116:
100LEADERSHIP AND MANAGEMENT DEVELO
Page 117 and 118:
Page 119 and 120:
Page 121 and 122:
Page 123 and 124:
Page 125 and 126:
Page 127 and 128:
Page 129 and 130:
Page 131 and 132:
Page 133 and 134:
Page 135 and 136:
Page 137 and 138:
Page 140 and 141:
9The future of leadershipdevelopmen
Page 142 and 143:
THE FUTURE OF LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMEN
Page 144 and 145:
Page 146 and 147:
Page 148 and 149:
Page 150 and 151:
Page 152:
Page 155 and 156:
Page 157 and 158:
Page 159 and 160:
Page 161 and 162:
Page 163 and 164:
Page 165 and 166:
Page 167 and 168:
Page 169 and 170:
Page 171 and 172:
Page 173 and 174:
Page 175 and 176:
Page 177 and 178:
Page 179 and 180:
Page 181 and 182:
Page 183 and 184:
show all

Leadership and Management Development in Education (Education ...

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?