Chapter 2

Educational Leadership

Martin M. Chemers in Hoy and Miskel said “leadership is a process of social

influence in which one person is able to enlist the aid and support of others
in the accomplishment of a common task.”
On the educational context, especially at school, Bush and Glover defined
the leadership as follow:
• Leadership is a process of influence leading to the achievement of desired
purposes.
• Successful leaders develop a vision for their schools based on personal
and professional values.
• Leadership needs at least two central factors which related inside.
 They are power and authority, plus the interaction of people in groups.
 Educational Leadership
• Jonathan Smilansky (2006: 295) states “Leadership is
the ability to make things happen through others by
organizing, motivating and inspiring them. It implies the
desire and ability to establish clarity and organize
resources to achieve the company vision. It is
underpinned by the ability to communicate.”
Other definitions
• Brian J. Caldwell (2001: 147) said “Educational
leadership is a broad concept that focuses on the notion
of ‘building a learning community’: building the
capacity of teachers and others in the school community
to provide programmes in teaching and learning of the
highest quality.”
 Educational Leadership
Traits Theory - This theory was developed in the 1940s,
starts from the premise that the success of a leader is
determined by the characteristics or properties owned by a
leader. These characteristics by focusing on a leader's
personal characteristics, including innate talents,
characteristics of leaders, physical factors, personality,
Theories of
intelligence and communication skills
Leadership
Trait leadership theory of leadership is based on the
(Traits Theory)
assumption that people are born with inherited traits and
some traits are particularly suited to leadership. The theory
was premised on the notion that leaders are born, not made.
The inherited traits enable them become leaders naturally.
Traits, also called disposition can be defined as habitual
patterns of behavior, thought and emotion.
 Educational Leadership
In 1936, psychologist Gordon Allport categorized these
traits into three levels:
• Cardinal Traits: Traits that dominate an individual’s
whole life, often to the point that the person becomes
known specifically for these traits.
• Central Traits: These are the general characteristics that
Theories of
form the basic foundations of personality.
Leadership
• Secondary Traits: These are the traits that are sometimes
(Traits Theory)
related to attitudes or preferences and often appear only
in certain situations or under specific circumstances.
Here are some of the Educational /School implications of
trait theory of leadership are as follows:
 Helps in the selection and appointment of staff
 Helps staff to be aware of themselves
 Educational Leadership
• The theories of contingency recommends that no
leadership style is precise as a stand-alone as the
leadership style used is reliant upon the factors such as
the quality, situation of the followers or a number of
other variables.
Theories of
Fiedler (1987) taught that three things were important for
Leadership
any leader. Thus:
(Contingency
• The relationship between the leaders and followers: it is
Theory)
believed that the more leaders are liked and respected,
they would more likely have staff support.
• The structure of the task: if the work to be done is
clearly stated to the staff, they will be more likely to do
it, and consequently, the leader is likely to be more
effective.
 Educational Leadership
• Position of power: if the purpose of giving power to the
leader is for effectiveness of job output, this would quite
likely enhance the influence of the leader.

Situational theory helps educational leader/administrator

Theories of
who operates in a constantly changing environment
Leadership
requiring adaptation to emerging technologies and
(Contingency
pedagogies and adoption of various innovations and who
Theory)
work with highly technical and professional staff who are
at various competency levels in their careers.

The educational implication of the situational theory can be

felt in the students and teachers behavior.
 Educational Leadership
Situational leadership
looks at leadership in
different situations and
each situation that
presents itself needs to
be addressed
Theories of
differently, and for a
Leadership
leader to be effective,
(Contingency
they must change his
Theory) or her style to fit those
situations. It can be
divided into two parts:
Leadership Style and
Developmental Level
of Subordinates.
 Educational Leadership
Transactional leadership emphasizes the transaction or
exchange that takes place among leaders, colleagues, and
followers. Because it is less focused on emotion and
inspiration, transactional leadership is sometimes afforded
less respect than transformational leadership.
• Management-By-Exception (Putting out the fires): MBE
Theories of
is a recognized and often effective way of managing
Leadership
systems, processes, resources and in some circumstances,
(Transactional
even people. MBE focuses less on building that
Theory) contractual relationship between leaders and followers
and more on intervention when followers fail to achieve
standards.
• It is a form of transactional leadership because MBE is
essentially a corrective transaction – an intervention by
leadership to correct a situation.
 Educational Leadership
• Educational implication of this theory is that educational
managers wait until complaints or problems happen
before to react and correct it.

• Contingent Rewards (Let’s make a deal!): CR is an active

form of management that is effective in a wide variety of
Theories of
situations. It recognizes the inherent transactional nature
Leadership
of most supervisor-subordinate situations and encourages
(Transactional
leaders to “contract” with employees to achieve desired
Theory) outcomes.
• If personnel are motivated to superior performance to get
this pass – and the accompanying rewards (often a bag of
gifts or even a check) that accompany the award – then
they are working toward a CR; a reward contingent upon
their outstanding work.
 Educational Leadership
• Educational implication of this theory is that heads set
Theories of rules and assign roles and responsibilities to teachers and
Leadership pupils and stating clearly what is expected of them.
(Transactional Teachers and pupils are awarded with praise or prizes
Theory) during speech and prize giving days or promotions when
they achieve tasks assigned to them.

• Transformational leadership is related with leaders

charisma and with the ability to enact a vision of a more
Theories of satisfactory future state, guiding the followers to go
Leadership beyond their own interests and, at the same time,
(Transformational considering the moral and ethical implications of their
Theory) actions and goals. Transformational leaders are those who
transform their followers. Through the use of inspiration
and motivation.
 Educational Leadership
Transformational leaders achieve these superior results by
employing one or more of the behaviors described below:
• Individualized Consideration (Compassionate leader): IC
is that transformational leadership trait focused on the
development of followers. IC involves a range of
Theories of behaviors, to include listening, coaching, mentoring and
Leadership teaching and directly addresses followers need for
(Transformational achievement and growth.
Theory) • Educational implication of this method is that school
heads encourage teachers to hone their skills by providing
opportunities for professional development. He/she
supports the development of professional behavior by
providing appropriate training opportunities for teacher’s
e.g. In-service training and courses.
 Educational Leadership
• Intellectual Stimulation (Thinking outside of the box):
Through IS, leaders stimulate followers creativity.
Leaders employing IS question assumptions, processes
and existing paradigms, forcing their followers to rethink
their solutions and create new approaches to problems.
Such leaders include their followers in decision-making
Theories of related to such improvements.
Leadership • Educational implications of this method is that school
(Transformational heads encourage reflection and critical thinking among
Theory) teachers. Heads motivate teachers to question
continuously problem-solving approaches and to reflect
critically upon various aspects of school practices. when
the teacher himself/herself is open, creative, continually
improving, it is possible to ensure and encourage the
students to look at the world from a new and creative
perspective.
 Educational Leadership
• Inspirational Motivation (Exciting the masses/Sharing the
vision): Leaders with high levels of IM behaviors
motivate and inspire their followers via the spoken word.
They develop and clearly articulate a vision and the
expectations for their follower’s performance.
Theories of • Educational implications of this method is that teacher as
Leadership a leader is characterized by the ability to inspire for
(Transformational activity. Those are the leaders who share their
Theory) expectations with their followers, inspiring the latter to
commit, take responsibility and become a part of the
shared vision. In their practice, the leaders use symbols
and emotional appeal in order to gather the efforts of the
group members to reach more than they would have done
led only by their personal interests
 Educational Leadership
• Idealized Influence (Actions speak louder than words):
One can conceive of II as role-modeling, or “walking the
talk.” II often relates to morality and ethics. There are,
however, two aspects of II to consider: First, is the
leader’s actual behavior? Leaders with high levels of II
behavior will emphasize shared values (unit, Service, or
Theories of
national), and the collective mission.. They do the right
Leadership
thing. They are consistent rather than arbitrary and are
(Transformational
willing to take risks for the greater good.
Theory) • Educational implications of this method is that school
heads act as role models for their teachers. He/she sets an
example for teachers to emulate. The school head
provides staff with orientation on new models for
instruction. And also a teacher also serves as a role model
for students.