The 2019 research paper ‘Towards more effective leadership development for teaching and learning in schools: The role of leadership style within the organisational culture and context’, funded by Old Mutual and conducted under the auspices of SEED Educational Trust, explores educators’ perceptions of their leadership approach and organisational culture, as well as the value of considering both when designing processes to change teaching and learning in a sustainable way.
It ponders the role of leadership ‘personality’ and organisational culture in leadership development (LD) design in challenged educational systems. It ultimately finds that the interrelated elements of personality, culture and behaviour form the force field within which leadership change can be fostered or hindered in education.
Awareness of the relationships between these elements, and how to both influence and are influenced within this ‘web’, enables good choices and leadership decision-making. The research further points out that a systemic leadership learning approach can result in improved teaching, improved learner performance and quality education.
Watch Alison Newby, the researcher at SEED Educational Trust who authored this paper, discuss how she believes that education is over-managed but under-led, and recommends that leadership development should be part of our core agenda. She says it is easy to teach skills but not attitudes and values – this is why relationship building is so vital (the process takes time and requires a certain amount of trust).
