Transformational Leadership for Principals, Research Paper Example

Principals as Transformers: The Battle to Look Forward Without Falling Behind

Chubbs (2014) writes: “For the most part, education leaders have been prepared to maintain, not transform, their schools” (p. 9). Many of these principals graduate from outdated preparatory programs which have not changed since No Child Left Behind laws passed (Cook, 2014). With or without administrators’ acknowledgement, schools constantly transform. Staff and students transform accordingly. Today’s school population includes students of many nationalities, who gather in more diverse economic, racial, geological, and sociological grouping than in any of the previous generations. Principals, staff members, and students must band together to overcome these cultural differences and provide the best possible educational experience. Fear of the unknown holds instruction back from meaningful change, because risk-taking generally scares school personnel (Zimmerman, 2004). Discovery requires a preparation to receive and understand enough to know its importance, and today’s transformational leaders spur the charge, frequently with a general direction and without any how-to manual or traditional book of tricks. Transformative leadership requires more than wishful thinking; it requires administrators to overhaul the operations of a school- right down to its smallest procedures.

If the successful use of transformational leadership benefits any professional it is reasonable to assume that administrative professionals in schools, especially principals, benefit most. Transformational leadership styles do not work when the district administrative interferes and obstructs the implementation of new approaches and policies; models of leadership must include an understanding of the various administrative and community contexts of implementation (Sun & Leithwood, 2012, p. 440). The active, inspirational impact which top-down influence can have among staff members who work together for more than forty hours per week cannot be overstated. While the direct links of principal influence may not be easily quantified in test results, the number of behavioral incident, and other numbers-driven statistical analyses, any staff member who works under a principal who chooses not to lead (or who leads poorly) can tell you how important the subtle guidance of a principal becomes in day-to-day school operations and as a philosophical catalyst for new perspectives. Zimmerman warns against the dryness of the numbers, calling their use a tool to gauge teacher successes as trivial as the data is chilling (2004, p. 239). When a principal’s influence revolutionizes even one teacher’s approach dozens- and sometimes even hundreds- of students find their appreciation and comprehension of their school work transformed, affecting their development and future opportunities as well.

Regarding educational buzzwords like transformational leadership, principals and other members of the school leadership often exhibit skepticism. Sun and Leithwood (2010) explain that the early research into leadership styles focused on other areas of study, such as concentrations in business, and rarely found any representation in school research (pp. 418-419). As a result, research assumptions separated business and school leadership as though researching in the absence of shared elements, like group goals, motivation, inspiration, etc.

Research Problem

Because principals’ direct interactions with students occur on a less frequent and personal level than typically occurs within the classroom instructional environment, the degree of efficacy of their top-down influence might seem dubious. Proof of the efficacy of transformative leadership only provides a theoretical perspective for administrative leadership and an understanding of the shifting methods of modern education without providing much visibility into the process itself. By the time that the positive effects of transformative leadership trickle down into positive outcomes, principals may question their efficacy both with teachers and students. It is crucial for all participants to also have blank space to add additional comments. For example, in the research conducted by John W. Cook, one participant clarified their frustration as separate from the efforts of the principal- regardless of the general efficacy in his role. Cook writes:

“Teachers cannot promote sustainable leadership due to leadership becoming more and more politically manipulated with no regards for the consequences to the overall goal of education” (2014, p. 12).

Clearly, the respondent expresses more frustration toward members of the district-wide administration than he did toward the principal who would likely bear most of the responsibility for student achievement. Thus, the importance of a principal’s use of transformative leadership also necessitates a discussion of methodology, of how this leadership begins, strengthens, speeds, or shortens the transformative process, and the analysis of research regarding the impact which principal leadership produces in teachers, students, and the school culture as a whole.

Thus, the literature review investigates the following research questions:

What are the best practices for sustainable transformative leadership?

How does the principal’s use of transformative leadership affect teachers?

How does the principal’s use of transformative leadership affect students?

What impact does the principal’s use of transformative leadership produce on the school culture as a whole?

Questionnaire

This mixed methods study utilizes research of the qualitative evidence along with the data received from two questionnaires- one specifically concerning the attitudes and outcomes of principals utilizing transformative leadership and one concerning similar themes but focusing on teacher experiences and opinions regarding the results produced by this leadership approach. Regarding the efficacy of the use of transformative leadership, the questionnaire should contain items from the Multilevel Leadership Questionnaire, which has been effectively used in leadership research which identifies where on the continuum of leadership (from transformational to transactional) an administrator falls (Sun & Leighwood, 2010, pp. 427-428).

The selection of participants should include a small sample study of two to three different schools- with each participating school having at least one response from both a principal and one or more teacher(s). Meta-analytic scoring gauges the average and standard deviation for each of the questionnaire participants, allowing the researcher to examine both the baseline of the average responses and the atypical responses returned. This full range of data proves especially useful in the analysis of qualitative, opinion-based items within the questionnaire. (Sun & Leighwood, 2010, pp. 424-425). For further guidance and a modeling, this study refers to data-gathering processes recorded in John W. Cook’s 2014 “Sustainable School Leadership: The Teachers’ Perspective”.

Literature Review

What are the best practices for sustainable transformative leadership?

Transformational leadership begins with an attitude adjustment. To reach this new state of mind, the principal embraces idealized influence, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, individualized consideration and support, the articulation of a vision, encouragement to accept group goals, and high performance expectations (Aydin et al., 2013; Sa?nak, 2010, p. 1139). Staff members should be notified in advance- and consulted when appropriate- if their classrooms would be affected by potential change within the school. Acting conscientiously fosters a greater organizational commitment, builds collaborative structure, strengthens school culture, and improves instruction- some of the qualities of greater administrative leadership which Sun and Leighwood (2010) mention in their study of effects of TLS on student achievement (pp. 430-432). Although the ability to make decisions with the input of others appears to belong only to the social domain of collaboration, Ross and Gray (2006) conclude that teacher efficacy correlates with teachers’ willingness to help others and with the administrative consideration of teacher input (p. 802). Cook (2014) writes that this effort to help other school personnel proves one of the greatest indicators of positive school culture and commitment and signals that sustainable transformation has begun. As important as successful collaboration, individual consideration likewise predicts overall success of specific administrative initiatives (Sun & Leithwood, 2012).

Although qualitative research often claims that transformational leadership consists of a mental attitude and a set of positive actions and expectations, personality traits affect how successfully and quickly administrative personnel and teachers integrate these theories into daily practice. According to Sa?nak, charisma forms the glue that holds successful transformational leadership together- along with its human resources (2010). Chubb (2014) encourages administrators and teachers to consider a more conscientious technology of inclusion but explains that technical lessons require the people skills to execute the lesson to its fullest potential (p. 10).

Zimmerman agrees that teachers need administrative support to reach their full potential, and that this role produces direct effects upon the quality of instruction and that innovation and risk-taking form an essential part of a teacher’s growth process as a professional. This also provides an opportunity for administrators to strengthen the community of teachers which they have built; principals may also prove that their philosophical commitment to an ambitious, achievable set of high expectations transcends thoughts and words and will be supported in enacted policies within the school and district (2004, pp. 238-239). Principals utilize modifications of existing principles, such as the Seven Principles of Sustainable Leadership: 1) leadership creates and sustains learning; 2) secures success over time; 3) sustains the leadership of others; 4) addresses issues of social justice; 5) develops rather than deplete human and material resources; 6) develops environmental diversity and capacity; and 7) undertakes activist engagement with the environment. (Cook, 2014, pp. 3-4).

External Cues

The transformative leadership style (hereafter TLS) may begin with the internal processes of creating new expectations, mindsets, and support, but the tangible aspects of this leadership style illustrate the principal’s commitment through practice and action. The process of TLS implementation has historically been compared to a three-act play of recognition of a need for change, the creation of a new vision, and the inclusion of change (Sun & Leighwood, 2010, p. 420). In the words of Kouzes and Posner: “Keeping our eyes on the top has been difficult when [we] have climbed mountains that were thickly forested all the way to the summit” (2000, pp. 24–25, as cited by Zimmerman, 2004). This summit is the highest point in a transformative leader’s long line of sight, which these authors compare to a leadership vision. However, the analogy of the summit is lost on a person who sees mountains as molehills; Cook (2014) points out that transformational leadership requires that this broad vision translate into easy understanding for the teachers and other personnel who are expected to model TLS (p. 5). By contrast, Zimmerman compares the interrelationship of each of the elements of school culture to the natural cycle of life and death (p. 238). A successful transformative leader exhibits positive qualities as a basis for their platform of change. These require that the leader “takes care of his followers, mobilizes their forces to meet the needs and potential” of the other staff members (Aydin, Sarier, & Uysal, 2013).

How does the principal’s use of transformative leadership affect teachers?

The hiring process costs school districts large amounts of money, so the retention of newly hired teachers proves a great interest to the school’s leadership and human resources, who spend their time and money to interview, hire, and train teachers who enter into an employment agreement. The stability and financial viability of the school depends upon obtaining and developing the right human resources, and Aydin et al. (2013) conclude that transformative leadership directly correlates to a higher organizational commitment from teachers (p. 808). This direct effect adds to the indirect role which the principal plays in creating a unified and effective school environment (Ross & Gray, 2006).

Leaders and followers mutually motivate each other, and good transformative leadership models better personal ethics and morality, contributing to a more positive school culture and to interpersonal professional communications between staff members (Sa?nak, 2010, p. 1137). According to Ross and Gray’s model linking leadership to student achievement, the transformational culture begins with transformational leadership and moves outward first to teacher influence before finally arriving at student achievement (2006, p. 800). Dumay and Galand (2012) write that a teacher’s motivation and commitment are not as prominent among the effects of a principal’s actions as the “design and management of tasks within schools” (p. 706). The principal’s implicit duties also include delegation and the development of future leaders banding together to form a professional community of formal and informal leadership (Cook, 2014).

How does the principal’s use of transformative leadership affect students?

It should be noted that TLS use proved positive but minimally effective with regards to student achievement and engagement following implementation. (Sun & Leighwood, 2010, p. 421). Ross and Gray go one step further and state that principals have no direct effect on student achievement (2006). Even these harsh summaries cannot dismiss the role of the principal as mediator. Warner and Esposito write that the roles of a school can be filled reliably only as long as students experience a feeling of stability and assurance within the school (2009, p. 512). A transformative leader brings two worlds together. Zimmerman writes about leadership:

“Trailblazers often have constructed bridges to help hikers cross swiftly moving parts of a stream. Using bridge building as a metaphor in organizations… leaders ‘build bridges built of hope and ideas and opportunities . . . bridges that help us move from where we are to where we need to be’” (p. 238).

The teachers’ relationships with the students present a unique opportunity to foster an appreciation of school culture and socially reinforce responsible decision-making. For many of the students, the guardian-like teacher role model provides a template for the cultural role that they will try on throughout their adolescent development- much as actors try on different roles which display certain aspects of their personality or what they wish to achieve or become. Trust and genuine affection often develop as students acknowledge the emotions for which they have no other outlet. Students often come to realize that these rare moments for conversation come at a cost to the teacher- free, relaxed time (Warner & Esposito, 2009). A transformative principal recognizes the importance of non-instructional windows of opportunity and encourages appropriate teacher-student relationships as a method of building a trusting, caring community of mutual educators and learners. Continuing education becomes a part of the staff team’s quest to model their expectations for the students.

What impact does the principal’s use of transformative leadership produce on the school culture as a whole?

Traditionally, independent schools- many based upon religious precepts alongside the core academic curriculum- primarily provided the school culture which maintains high moral standards for the students and utilizes peer pressure to manage disruptive behavior (Chubb, 2014). Modern administrators often seek to instill this sense of responsibility in students in the mainstreamed setting while looking to the educational practices and technologies of the future. Among the many qualities emphasized in TLS, a focus upon group work and responsibility to the community increases students’ basic civic awareness from the top-down. (Ross & Gray, 2006).

Sa?nak (2010) utilizes the Principal Leadership Style Inventory to study the relationship between school leadership and ethical climate. Surprisingly, the author concludes that fostering group goals ranks highest among tasks of transformational leadership. Instrumental leadership fails to align with more support and higher expectations (p. 1137). A leader’s ability to inspire others forms the basic prerequisite for their ability to transform their school (Chubb, 2014). The ethical climate affects judgment and inspires confidence in individual and group interactions (pp. 1138-1139). Both the thoughts and actions of administrators produce real transformations if the leader proves charismatic and the teachers and students feel that the principal is trustworthy, thus the modeling of higher ethical and moral standards requires principals to be on-duty at all times, constantly earning the trust, respect, and admiration of the entire school. Cook writes that this positive culture inevitably spills out of the school and creates (from a principal’s daily duties) a new role: leader in a community transformed (2014). Provided that this new community builds upon a foundation of firm values and expectations, the principal allows the culture room to flourish.

Conclusion

Although the term of transformational leadership is newer within the context of leadership theories, it combines aspects of generations of research into a single approach which inspires without ignoring the conflict which occurs in the daily duties of school personnel. TLS seeks to shape the potential of the students and not force them into a one-size-fits-all academic expectation, as though their individual efforts lack importance. On the other hand, attempts to befriend student or to treat older students like adults backfires (Warner & Esposito, 2009). Regardless of their maturity level, their duty is to complete their coursework; they are not trained professionals like school personnel. As Columbia University ads remind their educational leadership hopefuls: “We shape the leaders who shape the world” (Chubbs, 2014, p. 11). The image of the world that is shaped is transformational and attaches itself to the vision of a leader. A transformative principal makes cheerleaders of their teaching team and make self-starters of a disparate student body.

References

Aydin, A., Y. Sarier, & S. Uysal. (2013). The Effect of School Principals’ Leadership Styles on Teachers’ Organizational Commitment and Job Satisfaction. Educational Sciences: Theory & Practice, 13(2): pp. 806-811. Print.

Chubb, J. (2014). Transformational Leadership: Independent Perspective. Independent School. Print.

Cook, J.W. (Mar. 2014). Sustainable School Leadership: The Teachers’ Perspective. NCPEA International Journal of Educational Leadership Preparation, 9 (1): 1-17. EBSCOhost.

Dumay, X., & B. Galand. (Oct. 2012). The multilevel impact of transformational leadership on teacher commitment: cognitive and motivational pathways. British Educational Research Journal, 38 (5): pp. 703–729.

Ross, J. & P. Gray. (2006). School Leadership And Student Achievement: The Mediating Effects Of Teacher Beliefs. Canadian Journal Of Education, 29 (3): 798-822. Print.

Sa?nak, M. (2010). The Relationship Between Transformational School Leadership and Ethical Climate. Educational Sciences Theory & Practice, 10 (2): 1135-1152

Sun, J., & K. Leithwood. (2012). Transformational School Leadership Effects on Student Achievement. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 11:418–451.

Warner, B., & J. Esposito. (2009). What’s Not in the Syllabus:  Faculty Transformation, Role Modeling  and Role Conflict in Immersion Service-Learning Courses. International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education, 20 (3): 510-517.

Zimmerman, J. (2004). Leading Organizational Change Is Like Climbing a Mountain. The Educational Forum, 68: 234-242.