Showing papers in "Management in Education in 2016"
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors take a contemporary look at distributed leadership in practice by drawing upon empirical evidence from a large-scale project in the USA and propose that more evidence from practice would significantly enhance the current evidential base and that the future development of distributed leadership would greatly benefit from more input from practitioners.
Abstract: This article takes a contemporary look at distributed leadership in practice by drawing upon empirical evidence from a large-scale project in the USA. Initially, it considers the existing knowledge base on distributed leadership and questions some of the assertions and assumptions in recent accounts of the literature. The article also addresses some persistent misconceptions associated with the concept of distributed leadership and points out that certain fundamental misunderstandings still prevail. The article concludes by proposing that more evidence from practice would significantly enhance the current evidential base and that the future development of distributed leadership would greatly benefit from more input from practitioners.
130 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors take stock of some work using a distributed perspective in education and present a review of some of the work that has been done using this perspective.....
Abstract: Over the past twenty years distributed leadership has framed theoretical, empirical, and development work in education. In this article, we take stock of some work using a distributed perspective. ...
120 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explore how the concept of social authority might be helpful in achieving this and suggest that the practice of distributed leadership is characterized by multiple authorities which are constructed in the interactions between people.
Abstract: A much greater understanding is needed of power in the practice of distributed leadership. This article explores how the concept of social authority might be helpful in achieving this. It suggests that the practice of distributed leadership is characterized by multiple authorities which are constructed in the interactions between people. Rather than there being a uniform hierarchy (relatively flat or otherwise) of formal authority, organizational members may be ‘high’ in some authorities and ‘low’ in others, and people’s positioning in relation to these authorities is dynamic and changeable. The article maps different forms of authorities, provides illustrations from educational institutions, and concludes with implications for educational leadership. A key conclusion is that everyone is involved in the ongoing production of authorities by contributing to who is accepted as or excluded from exercising authority and leadership.
55 citations
TL;DR: It has been found that transformational and transactional leadership is positively related to the effectiveness of the leader, the subordinate's effort, job satisfaction, and the subordinator's orga... as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: It has been found that transformational and transactional leadership is positively related to the effectiveness of the leader, the subordinate’s effort, job satisfaction, and the subordinate’s orga...
54 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present initial findings from a case study of the challenges facing newly appointed middle leaders in an independent school in the North West of England, and conclude that for the newly appointed and inexperienced middle leader there are specific and identifiable factors that can be prioritised for development.
Abstract: This article presents initial findings from a case study of the challenges facing newly appointed middle leaders in an independent school in the North West of England. The research approach has included interviews with twenty-five staff from within the school. It was observed that the skills set needed for middle leadership is different to that of the classroom teacher. The challenges faced by the middle leader come from a variety of sources which appear to lie largely outside the middle leaders’ control. However, there are also several factors that do lie within the middle leaders’ sphere of influence and which enable them to deal with and overcome the challenges they face. Linking this to international research into skills acquisition, it is concluded that for the newly appointed and inexperienced middle leader there are specific and identifiable factors that can be prioritised for development, and that more focussed approaches of leadership development should be adopted.
35 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a case study of Plymouth University, a higher education institution with an international reputation for sustainability leadership, highlights the importance of seeking cultural transformation in the leadership of sustainability, highlighting the benefits of an integrated approach that encompasses teaching and learning, research and campus and operations.
Abstract: This paper explores the leadership of education for sustainability (EfS) in higher education, focusing specifically on the key role students can play as internal catalysts for change. It presents a case study of Plymouth University, a higher education institution with an international reputation for EfS leadership. The paper outlines the importance of seeking cultural transformation in the leadership of sustainability, highlighting the benefits of an integrated approach that encompasses teaching and learning, research, and campus and operations. This manifold and coordinated approach requires top-down strategic support in order for EfS to take root and gather momentum. However, in this paper it is argued that the bottom up empowerment of ‘students as change agents’ is just as important. Reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses of a number of student leadership initiatives at Plymouth University, this paper argues that EfS reform in HE has significant implications for staff training and the design of par...
28 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors present research on the way learning organization (LO) is practised by a school in Singapore that subscribes to the LO philosophy, using Ortenblad's four integrated LO aspects (organizational learning, learning at work, learning climate and learning structure) as a framework of analysis.
Abstract: The rise of interest in the learning organization (LO) concept attests to the value of learning by individuals and organizations for continuous improvement and adaptability to the ever-changing environment. Although the LO concept originated from business contexts, it was subsequently extended to educational organizations, particularly to schools. This paper presents research on the way LO is practised by a school in Singapore that subscribes to the LO philosophy. Using Ortenblad’s four integrated LO aspects (organizational learning, learning at work, learning climate and learning structure) as a framework of analysis, the research shows that the school practises the four aspects in a way that is unique to its school context, but that wider cultural factors have to be taken into account when interpreting LO in an Asian school context.
25 citations
TL;DR: For 15 years the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were a guiding force for many issues affecting the lives of children and young people around the world as discussed by the authors, and the goals provided a focus for donors, international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around an overarching ambition to reduce global poverty and its worst effects.
Abstract: For 15 years the millennium development goals (MDGs) were a guiding force for many issues affecting the lives of children and young people around the world. Agreed by UN member states in 2001, the eight MDGs were designed as a framework around which states were expected to develop policy priorities and shape their overseas aid spending plans. The goals provided a focus for donors, international organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) around an overarching ambition to reduce global poverty and its worst effects. Over this time, through a combination of economic growth, more targeted development spending, technical progress and improved cooperation, life certainly has improved for millions of children. Tremendous progress has been made in reducing preventable child deaths, getting more girls and boys into school, reducing extreme poverty and ensuring more people have access to safe water and nutritious food.However, although astonishing improvements have been made on many ‘averages’ across t...
24 citations
TL;DR: The early 21st century has seen a period of extreme turbulence in education at all levels in the UK as mentioned in this paper, and education policy was administrated on a territorial basis before 1999, the 1998-1999 de...
Abstract: The early 21st century has seen a period of extreme turbulence in education at all levels in the UK. Although education policy was administrated on a territorial basis before 1999, the 1998–1999 de...
24 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the challenges of leadership and management of a key initiative of the 2005-2014 UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), namely the Regional Centres of Expertise in Education for Sustainability (RCEs), are discussed.
Abstract: This article will focus on the challenges of leadership and management of a key initiative of the 2005-2014 UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), namely the Regional Centres of Expertise in Education for Sustainability (RCEs). It will argue that in order to achieve sustainability, there is a need to move away from outdated hierarchical and technocratic models towards more flexible, democratic and empowering approaches to leadership.
24 citations
TL;DR: Despite frequently expressed reservations concerning its fundamental theoretical weakness, distributed leadership has grown to become the preferred leadership concept and has acquired taken-fo... as discussed by the authors, the authors of this paper.
Abstract: Despite frequently expressed reservations concerning its fundamental theoretical weakness, distributed leadership (DL) has grown to become the preferred leadership concept and has acquired taken-fo...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors propose that educational institutions must develop or adopt modern leadership trends based on solid theory and proven effectiveness shared leadership in order to fulfill their social and educational role.
Abstract: To continue to fulfill their social and educational role, educational institutions must develop or adopt modern leadership trends based on solid theory and proven effectiveness Shared leadership i
TL;DR: In this paper, a qualitative study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews to collect the narratives of two high school principals in Israel, one Arab-Muslim and one Jewish, to identify their perceptions and daily practice of social justice in their schools.
Abstract: The research aimed to understand the way in which high school principals’ perceptions of social justice (SJ) are implemented in their daily educational work. A qualitative study employed in-depth semi-structured interviews to collect the narratives of two high school principals in Israel – one Arab-Muslim and one Jewish. The interview transcripts underwent comparative holistic analysis to identify their perceptions and daily practice of SJ in their schools. Findings indicated that the principals’ perceptions of SJ were coloured by their national and cultural context, yet they needed strong conviction to integrate these perceptions in their schools, and their efforts to do so were often beset by resistance.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the reasons for the emergence of a distributed perspective and summarize some of the background against which distributed leadership's popularity emerged, in a field of study with a traditional adherence to leadership understood individually rather than collectively.
Abstract: Recently, distributed leadership (DL) has become a popular approach to leadership across the social sciences, including education. This article documents reasons for the emergence of a distributed perspective and summarizes some of the background against which DL’s popularity emerged, in a field of study with a traditional adherence to leadership understood individually rather than collectively. When considered empirically, leadership practice in education and beyond is neither exclusively individual nor collective, but manifests degrees of co-existing individualism and collectivism. By implication, this hybrid or mixed patterning has to be reflected in a revised unit of leadership analysis. For this purpose, the article proposes a leadership configuration. To substantiate the argument, a range of illustrative social science evidence is drawn upon, some of which suggests that leadership hybridity may not merely be a contemporary phenomenon, but stretches back in time to include pre-modern social formations.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examine the possible meanings of sustainability, and argue that most meanings are prescriptive rather than descriptive in nature: they tend, either overtly or covertly, to recommend the particular end states that writers desire.
Abstract: This article begins by examining the possible meanings of ‘sustainability’, and argues that most meanings are prescriptive rather than descriptive in nature: they tend, either overtly or covertly, to recommend the particular end-states that writers desire. The article then looks at the threats to leadership sustainability, suggesting that a lack of sustainability is not only caused by excessive volume of work and lack of preparation for the role, but also by how different stakeholders view the role. Greater sustainability, it is proposed, comes from recognizing the ‘wicked’ rather than the ‘tame’ nature of the role, and of the need to apply solutions which reflect the ‘wicked’ nature of many leadership challenges. Finally, links are made between leadership sustainability and the sustainability of larger social, economic and environmental systems, suggesting that they have many similar causes and many similar remedies.
TL;DR: The Global Learning Programme (GLP) as discussed by the authors has been a government-sponsored programme, which has been an attempt to equip children and young people with the knowledge and skills to not only understand but actively engage with global issues.
Abstract: The global society of today is one that children and young people are aware of but this has not been fully recognised by education policy-makers despite the efforts and activities of many civil society organisations and the enthusiasm of teachers. Since 2010 in England, a government-sponsored programme, the Global Learning Programme, has been a conscious attempt to equip children and young people with the knowledge and skills to not only understand but actively engage with global issues. This programme is beginning to show the value of a ‘whole school’ approach in terms of increasing not only knowledge and understanding about the wider world but putting themes such as social justice and concern for the environment as key themes of a child’s learning.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors describe and analyse the challenges and the implications of the FE college governors' ongoing governing work and make the point that these challenges may prove to be overwhelming and so they may proceed with undue caution, while they may also be an opportunity for governing bodies to strengthen college governance and leaders.
Abstract: ‘Further education’ (FE) is a substantial sector in the education system in England. It has funding of approximately £8 billion annually and educates close to three million students. Within the sector are 231 FE colleges which provide a range of courses that are typically vocational/skills-based. They vary in scale and scope with the largest colleges having a turnover in excess of £100 million and over 15,000 students. For a variety of reasons, the FE sector is experiencing various pressures which are presenting FE college governors with a range of significant, substantial, simultaneous and synergistic challenges. In this article we describe and analyse the challenges and the implications. We make the point that these challenges are in addition to FE governors’ ongoing governing work. For FE governing bodies, the challenges may prove to be overwhelming and so they may proceed with undue caution. On the other hand, they may be an opportunity for governing bodies to strengthen college governance and leaders...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors adopt innovation with the objective of meeting competition and improving their business performance; education organizations, likewise, operate in a competitive environment, and adopt innovation to meet competition and improve their performance.
Abstract: Business organizations adopt innovation with the objective of meeting competition and improving their business performance; education organizations, likewise, operate in a competitive environment, ...
TL;DR: Earley et al. as mentioned in this paper presented a brief analysis of the current situation for leadership development in the UK and suggested a number of areas that training providers and others might wish to give further consideration.
Abstract: T wo projects on the leadership of schools were carried out in 2001 by a research team from the Institute of Education University of London.The first, focusing on state schools, was funded by the DfES, and published a report entitled ‘Establishing the Current State of School Leadership in England’ (Earley et al, 2002).The second, jointly commissioned by the five Independent School Heads’ Associations (HMC, GSA, SHMIS, IAPS, ISA), used a similar approach and addressed many of the same issues as the research carried out in the state sector (Earley and Evans, 2002). The first part of this article in the previous edition of MiE drew upon the two data sets to investigate how headteachers are currently prepared for leadership positions. This part contains a brief analysis of the current situation for leadership development in the UK and suggests a number of areas that training providers and others might wish to give further consideration.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors report findings from the first year of a longitudinal, mixed-methods case study of a large teaching school alliance in England and identify significant leadership challenges in establishing and promoting the new alliance and its work.
Abstract: This article reports findings from the first year of a longitudinal, mixed-methods case study of a large teaching school alliance in England. This national initiative is intended to drive improvement at system level by grouping schools around formally designated teaching schools. These ‘alliances’ work collaboratively to share learning, excellent practice and innovative ideas, principally in teacher education and development. Focused on the influence of one alliance on continuing professional development, this study identified significant leadership challenges in establishing and promoting the new alliance and its work. The policy aim of system-level improvement may be difficult to achieve practically in an environment where teaching staff lack agency in their professional development. It is suggested that school leaders need to ensure wide knowledge among their staff about professional development activity generated by a new alliance, and to ensure that such activity both meets staff needs and goes beyon...
TL;DR: The role of schools, and more specifically school leadership, in the transition to a sustainable future for humankind is discussed in this article, where different forms of leadership are needed to enable this role.
Abstract: What is the role of schools, and more specifically school leadership, in the transition to a sustainable future for humankind? What different forms of leadership are needed to enable this role? The...
TL;DR: In this paper, a correlational research or ex post facto method was used to determine the relationship between transformational leadership and spiritual well-being among elementary school principals, and the results indicated that the assessment of domains related to Transformational Leadership style would show, relatively, the importance of a 'without intervention' leadership style; however, values for passive avoidant leadership, management-by-exception and contingent reward were greater than the other dimensions used.
Abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between transformational leadership and spiritual well-being among elementary school principals. A correlational research or ex post facto method was used in this study. The sample population comprised 141 subjects, of which 69 were male and 72 were female. Bass and Avolio’s Transformational Leadership Questionnaires and Ellison’s Spiritual Well-Being Scale were used. The results obtained indicated that the assessment of domains related to transformational leadership style would show, relatively, the importance of a ‘without intervention’ leadership style; however, values for passive avoidant leadership, management-by-exception and contingent reward were greater than the other dimensions used. There was a positive correlation between spiritual well-being and its dimensions, as well as transformational leadership and its dimensions, excluding the religious dimension and intellectual stimulation, contingent reward, management-by-exception and passive a...
TL;DR: Schostak as mentioned in this paper presented a talk given by John Schostak at the Co-Operative Head Office, Manchester on 25 September 2015, where he discussed the importance of the co-operation between artists and artists.
Abstract: This article is taken from a talk given by John Schostak at the Co-Operative Head Office, Manchester on 25 September 2015.
TL;DR: In this article, the use of the curriculum vitae (CV) as a record of key achievements of women who hold senior positions in higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is reported.
Abstract: Professional biography research with those who hold formal positions in educational organizations is an established approach to researching leaders, leading and leadership. A key focus is on the oral account of a life story, and this can include family and wider life experiences. What is less of a feature is how the respondent codifies their professional biography through the curriculum vitae (CV) as a record of key achievements. In this article we report on the use of the CV in a project that focuses on the professional biographies of women who hold senior positions in higher education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We identify how and why the CV is a productive methodological tool, and how the field can add this to its repertoire of data collection methods.
TL;DR: The first section of the article draws upon the experiences of John Rowan, a newly appointed headteacher as discussed by the authors, describing the honeymoon period leading to the period when the head demonstrates the qualities of the 'hero'.
Abstract: ~ to be readily accessible to serving T ~ headteachers. It is intended to stimulate debate, inform and encourage further research into the subject of school autonomy and the stages/phases of school leadership. We illustrate and reflect upon our perceptions relating to the processes of development involved in the creation of ‘autonomous’ learning organisations, and professional leaders, in the English education system. The first section of the article draws upon the experiences of John Rowan, a newly appointed headteacher. This phase of leadership development we describe as the ’honeymoon’ period leading to the period when the head demonstrates the qualities of the ’hero.’
TL;DR: In this paper, a section prompting the reader to reflect on their own early childhood leadership journey through the production of a visual representation of their leadership experiences is presented. But it is not focused on the development of early childhood leaders.
Abstract: a section prompting the reader to reflect on their own leadership journey through the production of a visual representation of their leadership experiences and, in doing so, a single reader or group of readers would be able to reflect their own personal leadership stories in the same way that those who have contributed to the book have done. In my view, this is a key text for anyone studying early childhood leadership, whether as an aspiring or a practising leader. The insights into individual leadership experiences would also be of value to a wider group of leaders in any educational setting and would encourage them to think deeply about their own leadership purposes and practice.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors compare individual performance outcomes as a function of two-work schedules using the Multilevel Performance Inventory (MPI) to determine whether flexitime employees would score higher on key performance indicators relative to the traditional hours (or control) group.
Abstract: While flexitime is becoming a cornerstone of twenty-first century employment, flexitime policies have been largely geared toward satisfying work-life balance needs. A wider argument is emerging, which proposes that a performance case exists for flexitime. However, the empirical findings remain inconclusive. Although several limitations of prior studies have been explored, no known studies have addressed the inadequate measure of work performance, which might account for this variability. The aim of this study was to compare individual performance outcomes as a function of two-work schedules (i.e. flexitime and a traditional schedule) using the Multilevel Performance Inventory (MPI). This instrument captures an expanded set of performance behaviors. Specifically, the purpose was to determine whether flexitime employees would score higher on key performance indicators relative to the traditional hours (or control) group. The sample consisted of 136 participants either working a flexitime schedule (n = 58) or a traditional schedule (n = 78). Participants were distributed across a number of industries. A one-way MANOVA revealed a nonsignificant multivariate effect, F (9, 126) = 1.06, p > .05, η2 = .07. We identified likely reasons for the non-significant findings by integrating the findings with previous empirical research and examined the implications for future research.