Leadership Theories This paper will address the three theories that are chosen applicable to Educational
Leadership. The theories comprise, path-goal theory, situational theory and
contingency theory. These theories will be compared and contrasted relevant
to Educational Leadership. Additionally, this paper will explain how a particular theory
adds or may add to the understanding of Educational Leadership.
According to Barnard, theories relevant to educational leadership effect the
actions of subordinates and encourage them to follow a specific program of action
(Barnard, 1938). According to Fielder, effective leadership theories are major influences
in the existence and accomplishment of an establishment. These leadership
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The information employed in this literature review is
connected to several peer reviewed articles. The purpose of the research is to disclose
some of the theories pertinent to the specialization Educational Leadership.
Path-goal theory states that an administrator’s action is dependent to the gratification,
enthusiasm and implementation of her or his followers (House 2012). Moreover, it claims
that the administrator become involved in actions that go along with his or her staff
capabilities and reward for insufficiencies (House, 2012). The path-goal leadership
theory recommends that the methods that managers use influence the job fulfillment and
implementation of teams (House, 2012). Situational leadership theory put forth by Paul
Hersey and Ken Blanchard proposes that leadership effectiveness depends on the leader 's
ability to modify his or her actions to the needs of the condition, specifically, the
subordinate 's status of development (Hersey & Blanchard, 2012). Contingency theory
is an administrative concept that states that relative to this theory, institutions are best
structured using the contingency leadership model. A trusting leader becomes
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The leader 's function is to continually evaluate and adapt his or her behavior to each
follower 's capability and enthusiasm to complete the job assigned. For instance, when a
follower has less experience, it is the responsibility of the leader to properly train and
show the follower how the job should be completed. When a follower is experienced, he
or she does not require as much supervision or support in finishing the job. For instance,
it would be best to assign the job to the follower.
Though instinctively fascinating, researchers have not experimented nor given any
attention to the situational leadership theory (Hersey & Blanchard, 2010). However,
findings confirm the theory 's claim that subordinates gain from mandated action, but
more experimental proof of the remaining claims is guaranteed (Hersey & Blanchard,
2012). The theory has been condemned for its limited concentration on a single
conditional irregularity, but it has added to the appreciation of leadership
efficiency by emphasizing the necessity for leaders to acclimate their actions to
diverse circumstances (Hersey & Blanchard,
D2 followers will require a high directive and a high supportive behavior from their leader. The leader will still be required to make the decisions and provide direction but will also seek out input from the follower. Seeking out input and involving the follower in the planning will not only get them involved, but will also raise their level of commitment. The leader will also need to provide support as the follower is learning as well as praise to help increase their confidence.
Providing direction for Servant leaders does not mean telling followers what to do, but providing the right degree of accountability. Dierendonck explained in his (Dierendonck, 2011) " A servant leader takes on providing direction is to make work dynamic based on followers abilities, needs, and input"
In democratic style, leaders hand over the power to employees and make decision to discuss with the others.
An effective leader adapts changes and communicates his vision to his followers until the followers believe in that vision as their own
Many Scholars characterize the core qualities and skills necessary for an effective leader. Useem defines leadership as “Creating a vision and translating that vision into actions”. Historically, an effective leader was assumed to be exceptionally knowledgeable, authoritative, and dominate. Those leaders applied the command and control method to lead an organization. With the passage of time, this definition has been changed. The modern definition of an effective leader is honest, courageous, trustworthy, inspirational, and result-oriented. Today’s leaders create shared values and vision, and empower others to achieve their targets.
I would like to apply to the Master’s Program in Educational Leadership. My goal is to continue my studies and successfully achieve my career goal of becoming a College educational leader.
The term ‘leadership’ has no definition, for it is defined different ways in the minds of people. A leader will ingrain a sense of positivity and necessity towards the set goal using the power of written and spoken word. The qualities of a leader differentiate between between each society.
Does leadership make a difference? One could venture to say that the answer depends on the perspective of the leader or the organization. This is a question that often irked me when it comes to professional sports. A team has a poor season and the coach is fired. For example, former Eagles coach Andy Reid will lead the Kansas City Chiefs to the playoffs this year while his replacement, Coach Chip Kelly, was fired last month by the Eagles (Ducey, 2015). From the organization’s perspective, it would appear that leadership had a significant impact on organizational performance. Eagles CEO stated that he “spent the last three seasons evaluating the many factors involved in our performance as a team. As I watched this season unfold, I determined
Leadership is defined as a process by which an individual influences others to obtain goals. There are three aspects that should be addressed when explaining leadership. One aspect is that leadership is a social influence process; leadership could not exist without a leader and one or more followers. Another leadership aspect is compliance; all of the leader’s directions must be complied with voluntarily. Compliance is what separates leadership from other influence-based formal authority. Finally, leadership results in the followers’ behavior, that is purposeful and goal-directed which must be in some organized setting (Leadership Theories and Studies, 2009).
Every good leader has successful skills to accomplish a common goal within an organization. Although the term leader is often intertwined with the manager; a leader’s characteristics are rarely the same in responsibilities. Leaders are developed by the type of organizational cultured that they are derived in. Thus, bringing the skills to designed changes rather than only promote changes as often may be seen in managers. Leadership is then the support of employees by offering a clear concise understanding of an organization needs and therefore brings balance to the task and the relationship of the employees. So what is the purpose of the leadership? To serve others while transforming the company’s mission into actually obtainable goals while all the while overcoming situational
Followers: a non-submissive influencer who have devotion to a task and who 's state of mind is a powerful ingredient for the success of an organization and a leader. Followers create the influence necessary for a leader to have authority. Without it the organization will
There are a few different types of well known leadership styles, authoritarian, delegative, and democratic. To assess my leadership style I used two online tests to help me determine my style. I felt the results were accurate and I fall into a democratic style/participative style. If I am leading I prefer to include the group and get their feedback on solving issues. However, I still make the final decision after listening to the thoughts of the group on a particular topic. This is considered to be a positive style of leadership that is inspiring to the group involved. The leaders decision making tends to be more accurate due to the input of other experts. (Cite)
The role of educational Leaders is to be innovative leaders who can transform knowledge and experience they gain about the educational system into successful actions (Fullan, 2011). These actions should enable them to achieve their personal and organizational ambitious goals as well as reaching their objectives. Inspiring, empowering, motivating, affirming and challenging or extending the practice and pedagogy of educators represent the essential role of educational leaders (Covey, 2004; Tsai, 2011; Judge & Long 2012). Educational leaders need to identify essential learning, set clear goals and objectives, enhance educators’ performance, accurate student learning process, and develop plans that foster effective engagement of the factors that
By allowing for employees to be increasingly engaged in workplace activities, they are then given the opportunity to develop new skills. Most leaders also encourage for employees to participate in team building activities so that any employee would be more comfortable and have stronger chemistry when working with other members of their respective departments, and with other employees in the company as a whole. Leaders are capable of motivating their subordinates through a series of actions, such as words of encouragement, acts of appreciation, and allowing for employee involvement in key decision making processes in the company. For instance, leaders who appreciate, constantly encourage and assist in the improvement of the tasks performed by their subordinates will be able to build a strong and healthy employer-employee relationship. This good relationship instils the traits of confidence in employees and motivates them to enhance their performance. Excellent leaders commonly try to develop a dialogue or establish open communication with their subordinates. Employees who are well
Education is a very important aspect in the life of a child. The level of success a student has in the classroom is greatly influenced by their teachers. Students, as well as their parents, depend on the teachers to guide them through their education. But who guides a teacher to perform successfully in the classroom? Principals and teachers play an important role in schools. A good relationship among school leaders and teachers is necessary and play an important role in making improvements in the school. Leadership refers to the “process in which one person successfully exerts influence over others to reach desired objectives”. (Okoji, 2015) Good leadership involves honesty, vision, confidence and commitment. It is the ability to inspire a