LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

“Interaction is vital:

‘It is as a result of interaction that things can be seen differently, choices appear, and action is supported” (p. 145). To interact effectively requires individuals “who know and manage their own feelings well, and who read and deal effectively with other people’s feelings’.

(Goleman 1995, p.36)

There is a consistent message in the books on change:

  • Have good ideas, but listen with empathy.
  • Create time and mechanisms for personal and group reflection.
  • Allow intuition and emotion a respected role.
  • Work on improving relationships.
  • Realize that hope, especially in the face of frustrations, is the last healthy virtue.”

Excerpt from Chapter prepared for A. Hargreaves (ed)

Positive Change for School Success Alexandria, V.A.:

ASCD, 1997 Yearbook

Dr. Lyn Sharratt

Superintendent of Schools

York Region District School Board

Community Education Centre Central

2000

Leadership Development

L. Sharratt, York Region District School Board, 2000

Leadership is often the key to productively managing turbulence. Leaders of learning organizations foster a climate of risk-taking and inquiry as well as support relationships that encourage a community of learners. Promoting the right people into leadership positions shapes organizational strategies and climate for years. This is one of the types of decisions where there is the least opportunity for trial and error learning (Senge, 1990, p. 23). Individuals with low needs for uncertainty avoidance, high tolerances for ambiguity, and lusts to experimentation should be recruited as decision-makers and leaders (Hedberg, 1981, p. 21).

Leithwood (1994, p. 22) points out that different types of change call for different types of leadership. Leithwood’s most current research identifies transformational leadership as useful. Such leadership is multidimensional, including, for example: vision building (Sashkin, 1998), providing individualized support to staff (Blase, 1989; Marshall, Steel & Rogers, 1993); and developing consensus about goals (Green, 1987). Leithwood (1994) found that the effects of transformational leadership (including enhanced organizational learning) depend on the comprehensive application of all these dimensions: focusing on one or several dimensions of leadership and ignoring the remainder will not get the job done. Transformational school leaders displayed relatively high levels of problem-solving expertise and consistently solved day-to-day problems with meaning and purpose for themselves and their colleagues (Leithwood, 1994, p. 20-21). Without such leadership, development efforts in technology, for example, tend to be fragmented and short-lived (Jankowski, 1996, p. 38). This evidence suggests that the school principal must provide leadership that enables all leaders to participate in school development programs in educational computing. Teachers will then more readily acquire or further enhance their educational computing skills and use them in their classroom curriculum work.

In a learning organization, leadership development is a responsibility shared by all employees. Employees take responsibility for their continued learning and managers at all organizational levels take responsibility not only for their own development, but also the development of their people (London, 1992, p. 60). This is congruent with Leithwood’s concept of the transformational leader having facilitative power which develops the capabilities of others, including members of the community beyond the school (Leithwood, 1994, p. 41-42).

Building on the learning organization is the new work of leaders of the future according to some. Senge (1990), for example, defines leaders’ roles as designers, stewards and teachers who are responsible for building organizations where people continually expand their capabilities to understand complexity, clarify vision, and improve their mental models – in other words, they are responsible for learning. The organizational learning literature suggests that decentralized designs demand integration through informal communication networks (Louis, 1994, p. 13). Without these, leaders find it difficult to exercise influence, or help

units of the organization co-ordinate their activities. Handy (1990, in Louis, 1994, p. 13) argues that leaders in future organizations, including schools, will have to exhibit stronger conceptual skills than in the past, and will have to internalize the fact that they have neither sufficient information to lead by themselves, nor the types of people (those who choose to work in learning organizations) who will function well under authoritative superiors. According to Louis’ research (1994, p. 13), the leadership style of the future may be aptly described as a shift away from behaviours that are traditionally masculine toward those more closely identified as feminine.

Simon points out that organizations need a deviant event or activity (not necessarily a negative one) to learn what is required for cultural change to occur (1990, p. 128). He perceives culturally deviant events positively, as moving away from the status quo. Often a sudden change in leadership, with a new leader who has very different basic assumptions and myths, will stimulate a cultural change. Schein also argues that “leadership and cultural management are so central to understanding organizations and making them effective that we can’t afford to be complacent about either one” (1985, p. 15). Bennis (1985, p. 218) adds that building an organization’s culture and shaping its evolution is the “unique and essential function of leadership”. Schlechty (1990) also believes that strong leaders build cultures that outlive them; they lead even when they are gone.

Sharratt (1996) concluded that Organizational Learning increases with Transformational Leadership:

Sharing leadership and promoting professional development is deeper and more complex than is often assumed. Shared leadership is not just involvement in a school decision-making committee, nor is it having teachers participate in all decisions. Professional development is not simply a matter of encouraging teachers to become involved in a variety of in-service activities. Centrally, shared leadership and access to resources are closely related. Opportunity for leadership without resources is stultifying. Availability of resources, especially human collaborative ones, stimulates initiative-taking and leadership.

All studies linking principal behaviour to school improvement have found this to be the case. Louis and Miles (1990, p. 232-6) suggests five ‘strategies for leader involvement’:

  • Power sharing
  • Rewards for staff
  • Openness, inclusiveness
  • Expanding leadership roles
  • Patience

2.

Sharratt’s study, 1996, found that the principal in one of the participating schools demonstrated many of the qualities of a transformational leader. The following coded teacher comments demonstrate her strengths as a leader:

“She has the courage of conviction” :

  • the Principal really is the leader of the school: she has some very good ideas and will stick by them for the betterment of the school;
  • when conflict occurs among staff, the principal intervenes and deals with it;
  • sets the tone of the school, she has a very strong influence;
  • the vision is articulated often by the principal;
  • principal is strong and has to be so because of the nature of the staff;
  • she puts pressure on the district when there is a problem with the technology resources.

“She encourages learning” :

  • encourages professional learning;
  • lets us each set our own goals according to our teaching styles, etc.;
  • supportive and allows us to use our discretion in following Ministry of Education guidelines;
  • plays an important role in encouraging teachers to learn, without pushing;
  • very good at providing time, money and resources for professional learning;
  • influences culture by allowing staff to use their strengths and provide leadership.

“She promotes staff participation” :

  • decisions are made with input from the staff; sometimes the principal makes suggestions;
  • encourages staff participation;
  • encourages team teaching;
  • makes it known that it is important for us to work as a team;
  • vision includes staff working as a team;
  • solicits input from staff on school goals: we have a say in how our school is functioning;
  • technology is part of the school vision; principal has communicated this in every staff meeting.

“She shares leadership” :

  • makes decisions with the consultation of VP or individual teachers when appropriate;
  • goal setting is done with the input of staff and formulated by principal and vice principal;
  • the administration has an open door policy and tries to meet the needs of the staff.

“She provides access to resources” :

  • good at informing us of what is available in terms of resources;

3.

  • pushes us to stay as up-to-date in materials and resources as possible;
  • the principal encouraged us to participate in the OCC project.

“She encourages professional development” :

  • principal introduced this project and gave it a good push;
  • informs us of conferences to attend;
  • I have never been denied money for professional development;
  • chose me for the project to encourage my professional development and because she knew of my interest;
  • very encouraging about technology and encourages me to attend workshops;
  • always stimulating professional development: encouraging us to take courses such as the OCC training course etc.;
  • very encouraging about any kind of professional development: she gives us time off, and money for professional development.

“We see her as an instructional leader” :

  • there is pressure from principal to change the curriculum next year;
  • encourages integrated curriculum;
  • encourages the media centre as the centre of the school – stress on technology;
  • committed to getting more than a full time librarian – need to alter timetable to do so;
  • encourages us to get together during our prep periods and collaborate and share.

The principal of this school captured many characteristics of what Senge (1990) described as “systems thinking” – a harmony in vision, mission and pursuit of goals throughout the organization. During the interviews one high school teacher attributed “systems thinking” to their Director of Education, saying:

“I think my professional learning is indirectly provided through the

Director of Education, in terms of his very clear vision and a very clear idea of where he wants the board to be and that filters down through. It likely comes through individual superintendents, and one superintendent I can think of is the one who has provided money and time, and so forth, whether it’s for people involved in the library, whether it’s people involved with workshops or computers … again it would come down from there. The superintendent is the one I would think of immediately, but I know from the Director’s perspective that he has a very clear vision as to what he thinks should happen.”

Leaders of learning organizations make the shift from seeing parts to seeing wholes, from seeing people as helpless reactors to seeing them as active participants in shaping their reality.

4.

Descriptors of Interview Codes

Specifically Related to Leadership

LV: Provides vision

  • gives staff a sense of overall purpose;
  • excites staff with visions of what they could accomplish by working together;
  • initiates processes (retreats, etc.) that engage staff in the collective development of a shared vision;
  • espouses own vision for the school but not in a way that “pre-empts” other visions;
  • clarifies the specific meaning of the school’s vision (or own vision for the school) in terms of its practical implications for programs, instruction and the like;
  • explicitly helps staff understand the relationship between District and Ministry initiatives and the school’s vision;
  • uses all available opportunities to communicate the school’s vision to staff, students, parents and others;
  • is “the” initiator.

LSG: Builds consensus about school goals and priorities

  • encourages teachers to work toward the same goals for the initiatives;
  • provides staff with a process for generating school goals for new programs;
  • works toward whole staff consensus in establishing priorities for school goals;
  • expects individual teachers and teams of teachers to regularly engage in goal setting and review of progress toward goals; may also have a process for goal setting and review for whole staff;
  • encourages teachers to establish and review personal professional growth goals;
  • assists staff in developing consistency among school vision, school and/or department goals and individual goals;
  • engages with individual teachers in ongoing discussion of their personal professional goals;
  • explicitly makes use of school goals in decision-making processes;
  • clearly acknowledges the compatibility of teachers’ goals and school goals when such is the case;
  • expresses own views about goals which are important for the school.

LE: Holds high performance expectations

  • expects staff to demonstrate ongoing professional growth;
  • insists on only the best performance from staff;
  • shows staff that there are high expectations for them as professionals;
  • often espouses norms of excellence;
  • expects staff to be innovative, hard working and “professional”; includes these qualities among the criteria used for hiring new staff;
  • high expectations for students.

5.

LM: Models behaviour

  • leads by “doing” rather than simply by “telling”;
  • symbolizes success and accomplishment within the profession;
  • provides good models for staff to follow;
  • models problem-solving techniques that staff can readily adapt for work with colleagues/students;
  • practices a style of leadership appropriate for school goals and priorities;
  • uses leadership practices that serve as models for interactions with students and colleagues;
  • becomes involved in all aspects of school activity, helps teachers plan special events;
  • requests feedback and/or responds constructively to feedback about own leadership practices;
  • demonstrates, through school decision-making processes, the value of examining problems from multiple perspectives;
  • treats others (staff, students and parents) with respect;
  • displays energy and enthusiasm for own work, always strives to do his/her best; works hard and takes risks from time to time;
  • inspires respect, uses humour to provide perspective.

LSU: Provides support

(specify whether moral/emotional support or material/financial support)

  • provides opportunities for extended training to develop individual knowledge and skills;
  • provides the necessary resources to support implementation of new programs;
  • as possible, provides money for professional development and to support changes agreed to by staff;
  • treats teachers as individuals with unique needs and expertise;
  • takes individual’s opinion into consideration when initiating actions that affect his/her work;
  • behaves in a manner thoughtful of teacher’s personal needs;
  • gets to know individual teachers well enough to understand their problems and be aware of their particular skills and interests;
  • provides recognition of staff work in the form of individual praise or “pats on the back”;
  • has the “pulse” of the school and builds on the individual interests of teachers, often as the starting point for school change;
  • encourages individual teachers to try new practices consistent with their interests;
  • responds positively to teachers’ initiatives for change as often as possible;
  • treats everyone equally; does not show favouritism towards individuals or groups;
  • has an “open door” policy, listens to ideas or problems, is approachable, accessible or welcoming;
  • explicitly shares teachers’ legitimate caution about proceeding quickly toward implementing new practices, thus demonstrating sensitivity to the real problems of implementation faced by teachers.

6.

LIS: Provides intellectual stimulation

  • encourages reexamination of some basic assumptions teacher have about their work;
  • stimulates staff to think about what they are doing for their students;
  • provides information that helps teachers think of new ways to implement programs;
  • encourages staff to pursue their own personal professional development;
  • directly challenges staff to pursue their own personal professional development;
  • directly challenges staff’s basic assumptions about their work as well as unsubstantiated or questionable beliefs and practices;
  • persuades staff to try new practices without using pressure;
  • encourages staff to reflect on their practices and refine them as needed;
  • stimulates the search for and discussion of new ideas/information relevant to school directions;
  • attends conferences and seeks out many sources of new ideas and passes such ideas on to staff;
  • seeks out new ideas by visiting other schools;
  • encourages and facilitates opportunities for teachers to share their expertise with colleagues.

LC: Strengthens school culture

  • gives high priority to developing within the school a shared set of values, beliefs and attitudes related to teaching and learning;
  • encourages informal collaboration among teachers to initiate joint projects;
  • facilitates ongoing teacher collaboration for implementation of programs;
  • uses bureaucratic mechanisms to support collaborative work by allocating money specifically to facilitate collaboration;
  • encourages risk taking (e.g., removes penalties for making mistakes as part of improvement efforts);
  • creates projects in which collaboration is a useful method of working;
  • hires staff who share school vision, norms and values;
  • engages in frequent and direct communication using all opportunities to make public the school’s vision, goals and priorities;
  • encourages maintaining a written record of improvement efforts for future reference;
  • uses symbols and rituals to express cultural values by providing social occasions in which most staff participate;
  • creates/encourages a caring, collegial environment.

LSR: Influences school structure

  • distributes the responsibility and power for leadership widely throughout the school;
  • shares decision-making power with staff;
  • takes staff opinion into account when making own decisions;
  • ensures effective group problem solving during meetings of staff;

7.

  • supports the development of formal and informal teacher leadership from within the staff;
  • allows staff to manage their own decision-making committees;
  • provides autonomy for teachers (groups, individuals) in their decisions; shows trust in teachers’ judgment;
  • alters working conditions so that staff can collaborate (e.g., timetable, physical plant);
  • shares power and responsibility with others (e.g., respects the committee structure);
  • shares information to allow informed decision-making by staff;
  • works to eliminate “boundaries” between administrators and teachers and between other groups in the school;
  • follows through on decisions made jointly with teachers;
  • makes unilateral decisions only when appropriate, informs staff of such decisions;
  • encourages/facilitates staff participation in decision-making;
  • invites/encourages participation on committees.