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1 – 10 of over 26000School-level leaders should not be expected to be mired in emotional turmoil and sacrifice their own health, happiness and well-being to do their jobs effectively. While the…
Abstract
School-level leaders should not be expected to be mired in emotional turmoil and sacrifice their own health, happiness and well-being to do their jobs effectively. While the emotional aspects of school-level leadership have continued to evolve and become increasingly complex since the turn of the twenty-first century, the supports available to these individuals remain outdated, ineffective, and moribund. If mentoring, anonymous telephone support lines and other ‘old school’ approaches for supporting school leaders were still effective, they would not be struggling to deal with the emotional aspects of their work and workload. Further, there is a need to provide ‘just-in-time’ supports that are available to school-level leaders when concerns arise. Absent structural changes, isolated and individualized approaches to self-care cannot mitigate the challenges principals face or the physical, mental and emotional toll associated with their work and workload. Communal strategies and policy levers are recommended in an effort to go beyond mindfulness and other (potentially) individualistic and neoliberal approaches to self-care. This chapter also explores how principal preparation programmes and other formal professional learning opportunities are an untapped resource in terms of strengthening school-level leaders' emotional regulation capacity and building a general appreciation for the emotional aspects of school-level leadership.
The large role that emotions play in the work lives of school-level leaders is absent from much of the research exploring what they do on a daily basis. This chapter discusses…
Abstract
The large role that emotions play in the work lives of school-level leaders is absent from much of the research exploring what they do on a daily basis. This chapter discusses future directions for research surrounding the emotional aspects of school-level leadership and how this research can influence practice in meaningful ways. For example, it may be beneficial for future research to focus on principals who are struggling to manage their emotions. This would allow researchers to identify factors or practices associated with school-level leaders who are less able to manage their emotions in a positive manner and provide supports. Further, more large-scale research surrounding school-level leadership is needed to better understand how the ability to manage emotions intersects with other challenges in contemporary principals' work. Research of this nature would also provide additional avenues of support for current leaders. Future directions for practice include an emphasis on changing the culture so that school-level leaders who are struggling feel empowered to reach out beyond their immediate colleagues for supports. Without a renewed appreciation for the emotional aspects of their work, principals, vice-principals and other school-level leaders will be unable to maximise their impact on student outcomes.
Birgit Schyns and James R. Meindl
In this paper, we explore the emotion work of leadership, which is defined as the need to manage one's own emotions and to influence the emotions of others. First, we review the…
Abstract
In this paper, we explore the emotion work of leadership, which is defined as the need to manage one's own emotions and to influence the emotions of others. First, we review the recently renewed interest in emotions in the field of organizational behavior, as demonstrated in recent research that focuses on emotion in the workplace, emotional intelligence, and the emotional aspects of transformational leadership. Then we discuss the challenges that global leaders face when dealing with emotions and emotional displays in unfamiliar cultures. Finally, we suggest ways that increasing cultural intelligence (Earley & Ang, 2003) might help global leaders meet these challenges.
Victor Dulewicz and Malcolm Higgs
The need for effective leadership has become paramount to meet the challenges of the 21st Century and a growing number of academics and senior managers have recently come to…
Abstract
The need for effective leadership has become paramount to meet the challenges of the 21st Century and a growing number of academics and senior managers have recently come to recognize the importance of emotional intelligence (EI) for effective leadership. Furthermore, Goleman, Boyatzis, & McKee (2002) have contended that the higher up one advances in an organization, the more important EI becomes. In this paper the authors have focused on evidence at the very top of the organization, the Board. They review the findings from a major study of UK boards and re‐analyze the data on tasks and competencies relating to EI constructs. Their results show that EI competencies are considered to be extremely important according to the majority of a large sample of UK directors in a survey and they go on to argue that many of the tasks (outputs) of the Board require EI competencies, as well as many aspects of Team Process (for Organizing and Running the Board). The authors also produce new findings which support Goleman's hypothesis that the higher one advances, the more important EI becomes. Possible explanations for the findings are discussed and the paper concludes with a review of important current and future research such as the full integration of EI elements into instruments to assess leadership competence and style, and the effect that organization culture has on these constructs.
The paper seeks to examine the potential implications for leadership preparation programs of the intersection between emotions and leadership for social justice.
Abstract
Purpose
The paper seeks to examine the potential implications for leadership preparation programs of the intersection between emotions and leadership for social justice.
Design/methodology/approach
The methodology followed was grounded in an ethnographic case study of a Greek‐Cypriot principal who struggled to transform his elementary school into a community that truly included students from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds.
Findings
The findings of the case study highlight: the vision and practices of leadership for social justice; the ambivalent emotions of social justice leadership; and strategies for coping with the personal and structural dimensions of social justice leadership.
Practical implications
The practical implications are discussed in relation to the emotional knowledge and skills that are needed for preparing social justice leaders to navigate emotionally through existing school structures and to cultivate critical emotional reflexivity about the changes that are needed to school discourses and practices so that justice and equity are placed at the center of school leadership.
Originality/value
The paper offers insights into the emotional aspects of leadership for social justice, focusing on the implications for leadership preparation programs.
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In this chapter, I propose a model for how school-level leaders manage their emotions. This model consists of six components. School-level leaders typically have little direct…
Abstract
In this chapter, I propose a model for how school-level leaders manage their emotions. This model consists of six components. School-level leaders typically have little direct influence over the first component of the model, which are the socio-contextual factors in the schools, school communities and jurisdictions in which they work. A school-level leader's identity, sense of self and their personal characteristics comprise the second component of the model. The third component of the model is a multi-directional arrow demonstrating connections and interactions between the socio-contextual factors and a school-level leader's sense of self. Factors that heighten school-level leaders' emotional experiences in schools are considered as part of the fourth component of this model for school-level leaders' emotional regulation. The fifth component are the emotional regulation strategies school-level leaders use to manage emotions that emerge as part of their workday, while influence of supports and professional learning are considered as part of the sixth component, Finally, the model also accounts for the chain reactions and feedback loops that can occur when an individual utilizes an emotional regulation strategy that is unsuccessful. Those processes produce new emotions that must be regulated using similar, or different, emotional regulation strategy(ies).
Jamie L. Callahan, Michael G. Hasler and Homer Tolson
Folk theory and empirical studies generally indicate that women tend to be somewhat more expressive than men. The present study seeks to determine whether there are gender‐related…
Abstract
Purpose
Folk theory and empirical studies generally indicate that women tend to be somewhat more expressive than men. The present study seeks to determine whether there are gender‐related emotion‐expressiveness differences among senior executives and to explore the extent to which there are emotion expressiveness differences by organizational position.
Design/methodology/approach
The levels of self‐reported expressiveness among senior organizational leaders (781 males, 669 females) were examined. Differences by gender and position were explored using ANOVAs.
Findings
In several key positions, including CEOs, males reported themselves to be significantly more expressive than females. However, differences between male and female expressiveness were not observed for certain executive positions. Further, both males and females reported statistically significant low levels of expressiveness.
Research limitations/implications
Professionals charged with addressing conflict within organizations may find themselves handling socio‐emotional aspects of leadership if executives are not fulfilling this responsibility. Further, organizational initiatives, such as organizational learning, may be hindered if executives do not engage in managing the emotional aspects of leadership. Finally, the reasons for gender‐role reversal found in the present study should be explored in future research.
Originality/value
This study adds to the literature on gender, emotion, and leadership. There are two primary contributions of the present study. First, female executives tend to report themselves as less expressive than male executives; this is in contrast with research that suggests that women are better at emotional expressiveness than men. Second, executives are, in general, not focusing on the socio‐emotional dimensions of leadership, which is a well‐accepted element of successful leadership.
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This chapter uses findings derived from interviews with 13 Ontario (Canada) secondary school principals to identify conditions that contribute to emotional labor, experienced in…
Abstract
This chapter uses findings derived from interviews with 13 Ontario (Canada) secondary school principals to identify conditions that contribute to emotional labor, experienced in their work. Five workplace conditions that heighten participating principals' emotional labor emerged from the interviews, including advocating for students, work intensification, navigating their local policy context, managing workplace conflict and crises or tragedies in the school community. The findings suggest a need to clarify legislated expectations and responsibilities placed on principals to accurately reflect their work and counter the impact of work intensification. Principals could benefit from additional supports to deal with the impact(s) of work intensification, shepherding the school through crises or navigating shifting policy contexts and conflicts in the workplace. Rather than treating the symptoms that result from emotional labor, concrete efforts are needed to change the culture of the principalship in order to maximize the impact of leadership on student achievement.
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Serafín Antúnez, Patricia Silva and Charles L. Slater
Directing schools of high complexity in disadvantaged social contexts with high rates of emigration requires skills for emotional leadership. Directors with self-managing…
Abstract
Directing schools of high complexity in disadvantaged social contexts with high rates of emigration requires skills for emotional leadership. Directors with self-managing capacities are needed to manage their own emotions. They also need to mobilise people (teachers, students and families) by focussing on their feelings of satisfaction, identification with the group, belonging, joy, success, unity and cohesion.
The content of this chapter presents the study of the emotional management of directors who perform their work in two highly complex schools in Catalonia, Spain. The views of these directors as well as teachers and families examine: (1) the construction of their professional identity, (2) their social and ethical commitment to the community, (3) the orientation towards the values of social justice and (4) their emotional leadership practices focussed on personal attention towards all of the actors in the school community.
The chapter concludes with 10 suggestions that can be useful to improve the professional practice of school directors. These should also be taken into account when designing and implementing initial and ongoing training programmes for school leaders and to inspire ideas for future research.
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Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Abstract
Purpose
Reviews the latest management developments across the globe and pinpoints practical implications from cutting‐edge research and case studies.
Design/methodology/approach
This briefing is prepared by an independent writer who adds their own impartial comments and places the articles in context.
Findings
The emotionality of school leadership is an area that has not been explored in depth to date. However, there is growing evidence that the affective world of school leaders is both complex and intense. School leaders are confronted on a daily basis with a variety of emotions that are inextricably linked to personal, professional, relational, political, and cultural issues.
Practical implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that have influenced some of the world's leading organizations.
Social implications
Provides strategic insights and practical thinking that can have a broader social impact.
Originality/value
The briefing saves busy executives and researchers hours of reading time by selecting only the very best, most pertinent information and presenting it in a condensed and easy‐to‐digest format.
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