JOURNAL OF INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH IN HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
TRAITS ESSENTIAL FOR EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN PLURALISTIC SOCIETY
DR. JIGNASA H. JOSHI,
H.O.D, S. S. Patel College of Education, Gandhinagar
ABSTRACT : In every society, there are various types of educational organizations from nursery schools to universities and research organizations. Besides, there are highly differentiated and complex administrative departments set up by the government which are established for the purpose of achieving certain specific goals. All of them impart knowledge to the pupils and develop in them skills and certain human qualities while some of them are established to train people for certain jobs, others are set up for conducting research in education. They have developed a complex structure to achieve these objectives. Their functioning is quite complicated. The concepts of structures, process, power and leadership are intrinsic to all educatioal organizations.
ISSN: 0975 – 6701| NOV 11 TO OCT 12 | Volume 2, Issue 1Page 1
JOURNAL OF INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH IN HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
THE CONCEPT OF LEADERSHIP
The leadership can - never be minimized in management of any educational organization. Organizational leaders can so change the work climate so that all the employees are motivated to work hard and the goals ace achieved.
The concept of leadership was formally developed during the 1960s to emphasize the ability of the leader to influence the people in his organization in order to achieve the organizational goals. It emphasizes the interaction process involved in the achievement of goals.
Management of any organization, educational or otherwise, may be defined as working with and through individuals and groups of individuals to accomplish its goals. Leadership is inseparably bound up with the achievement of organizational goals. Leadership in educational organization implies efficient and effective ways of achieving the institutional goals. According to George R. Terry - Leadership is an "activity of influencing people to strive willingly for group objections." In the light of this definition an educational leader is one who willingly makes all efforts on achieving institutional goals by influencing and making other strive for the same.
It is clear from various definitions that leadership involves the achievement of organizational goals and working with people, these are two attitudinal positions of leaders’ attitudes towards goals (or tasks) and attitudes towards people or essential skills. These two sets of his attitudes determined his effectiveness as leader.
In order to be successful three types of skills are essential for a leader or manager.
1. Technical skills
2. Human skills
3. Conceptual skills.
We use the term "leadership" very often in our daily conversation and hence one might assume
that it has a common meaning. However, "leadership" is used in a variety of ways. Leadership could be defined in terms of both process and property.
As a property, leadership is the set of characteristics attributed to those of those who are perceived to use non coercive influence successfully. As a process, leadership is the use of non- coercive influence to direct and co-ordinate the activities of group members to meet a goal. From pluralistic society view point leadership is vital because it has a powerful influence on individual and group behaviour.
EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP IN PLURALISTIC SOCIETY
A pluralistic society is one where different groups can interact while showing a certain degree of tolerance for one another, where different cultures can co-exist without major conflicts and where minority cultures are encouraged to uphold their customs.
As observed in the national policy on education, education must bring about fine change oriented technologies and country's continuity of cultural traditions. Education is an instrument of pluralistic society and it can impart knowledge, training, new ideas and attitudes among the young.
Leaders are agents of change who affect other people and group initiating action, facilitating communicator, establishing structure and implementing his own philosophy in the manner in which he leads. Educational leadership in pluralistic society must accelerate the impact of the essential aspects of culture, which prevails in society.
TRAITS ESSENTIAL FOR EFFECTIVE LEADERS IN PLURALISTIC SOCIETY
People have been concerned about the nature of leadership since the beginning of the history. Early research tried to identity the traits - physical, intellectual or personality characteristics that differed between leaders and non leaders. Many cognitive and psychological factors were studied. Other researchers examined physical characteristics. The current research on leadership trait suggests that some factors do help to differentiate leaders from non leaders.
ISSN: 0975 – 6701| NOV 11 TO OCT 12 | Volume 2, Issue 1Page 1
JOURNAL OF INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH IN HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Knowledge of business '
ISSN: 0975 – 6701| NOV 11 TO OCT 12 | Volume 2, Issue 1Page 1
JOURNAL OF INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH IN HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
ISSN: 0975 – 6701| NOV 11 TO OCT 12 | Volume 2, Issue 1Page 1
JOURNAL OF INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE AND RESEARCH IN HUMANITIES AND SOCIAL SCIENCES
Positive affectivity (Warmth) :
Educational leader in pluralistic society should have extremely positive affectivity because his work is not to through carved rather to carve the path to reach destination. Positive attitude can give you divine power.
Creativity and originality:
Since the educational leader is required to work in different situations, the attributes of creativity and originality is required in him. He has to deal with parents government officers and
members of community. He has to quickly himself to different situations. Self confidence:
Leader should be modest and have the necessary self confidence and self image of being a partner in the nation building process.
Desire to lead:
It is the leader who clears the path and leads the way. He takes the initiatives to lead with courage and perseverance. Personal drive:
From the nature of the work of educational leaders, personal drive that creates a drive to become successful leaders then spurs the individual to attain the success after the position of the leader has been obtained.
Cognitive ability:
There is a positive relationship between cognitive ability and leadership. Cognitive ability in educational leader is needed since he has to deal with the educated personals those who are quite intelligent. Along with cognitive ability, a good leader must have insight. It will enable an individual to a problem with the better understanding of multifarious components.
The other essential factors which required for an educational leader in a pluralistic society are : Knowledge of business. Honest) and integrity, and Charisma.
To summarize the paper, educational leadership in pluralistic society is the process of influencing and supporting others to work enthusiastically towards achieving objectives. Without the above mentioned traits, leadership in an organization would be only a confusion of people and machines, just as a orchestra without a conductor would be only musicians and instruments. The orchestra and all other educational organizations require leadership to develop their precious assets to the fullest. The leadership process is similar in effect to that of the secret chemical that turns a caterpillar into a butterfly with all the beauty thai ur/.v caterpillars' potentials. Leadership, then, is the catalyst that transforms potential into a reality.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Bennett, N (2003), Rethinking Educational Leadership. SAGE Publications, New Delhi.
2. Dale Carnegie, (1982), How To Win Friends & Influence People. Pocket Books, Newyork, USA.
3. Greenfield. J. (1993), Organisation theory as ideology, Routhledge Publications. London.
4. Goodlad, J (2003), The Moral Imperatives of School Leadership. CPC Publication. California.
5. Gronn Peter. (2003), The New Work of Educational Leaders. PCP Publishing. London.
6. Mishra B.K. and Mohanty R.K.(2003). Trends In Education, R.Lall Publishers. Meerut.
7. Pandya. S.R. (2001), Administration and Management of Education Himalaya Publishing House. Mumbai.
8. Khera Shiv (2004), You Can Win, McMillan India Ltd, New Delhi.
ISSN: 0975 – 6701| NOV 11 TO OCT 12 | Volume 2, Issue 1Page 1