Activity 2.

Adaptive Leadership

After watching the video, reflect on how the hurdles of Philippine education can be transformed
into opportunities that would benefit our learners. With the changing education landscape in our
country, what can be the necessary changes needed in school leadership that can help us
become adaptive school leaders and adaptable academic institutions to the disruptions in our
environment? Briefly, kindly write your thoughts in the discussion below. 

There were numerous hurdles in Philippine education since old age. From the curriculum to the
classroom to the teachers up to the bureaucracy system of the Department of Education. And
now within the face of this crisis, everything has been forced to change from face-to-face
learning to online learning, but this situation can be good because the nice thing this new normal
brought us is that it exposes what was wrong with our old normal yesterday and sets us up for a
higher normal tomorrow. 

 Nevertheless, the shape of online education was widely employed by many institutions even
before the pandemic. Now it is just extraordinary special because we cannot get away with this
situation. And since we want to confirm the standard of teaching, we may have to feature some
new elements to online instructions that may be transformed into opportunities that might benefit
our learners. These are as follows:
 Find ways to extend the interest in online courses to keep students.
 Flexible use of assorted teaching methods, like display screen, group debate, group
competition, role-playing, etc., to extend student participation. 
 Combination of teaching and research methods to encourage student’s passion for active
learning.

As an academic leader, I do not want this crisis to cause a permanent change to the education
system. There’s a little doubt that the sole problem facing the worldwide education community is
that face-to-face instruction is severely blocked. Many schools do not have online teaching, for
the time being and can only opt to suspend classes to avoid crowds.

Although online teaching is indeed a good way to solve problems, it doesn’t mean that it can
completely replace face-to-face classroom interactions. Humans are socially advanced creatures.
It is not only learning that needs face-to-face contact, but also communication. Objectively
speaking, online teaching can only guarantee the completion of learning in terms of content and
quantity. The absence of an emotional component in online education is viewed by literature as
problematic, especially in terms of basic education
(https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1811645).

Even the blended learning model requires a mix of face-to-face learning and online learning,
rather than one completely replacing the other. The development of recent teaching strategies
requires a gradual process. Sudden changes (especially forced changes) can only be counted as
compromised and helpless. Therefore, I still hope that this crisis will pass soon, and everything
will return to the normal track.
But for the meantime, as the COVID-19 Pandemic ravages the globe, it is essential to attend to
the academic needs of kids and youth during the crisis, and this calls for an honest educational
leader who can adapt strategically to the educational disruptions glocally.  

There is no “perfect” leadership style. ALL leadership exists to bring on change. If leaders are
simply keeping things as they are and maintaining, they are no leaders but simply managers.
Leaders constantly desire to create things better, to move the ball down the field, to disrupt
normal for greater results. There is no style that is best suited for change
(https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_87.htm). All of them should create change.
In these interesting times, this calls a sort of leadership style that is proactive, inclusive, and
transparent approach that does not downplay information or delay a response. The leader does
not just make changes, s/he must carefully recognize potential changes in the external
environment and consider the simplest path that will positively affect the organization.

According to Yukl and Mahsud (2010) "flexible and adaptive leadership involves changing
behavior in appropriate ways because the situation changes" (p.1). Adaptive leaders look not
only at the leader-follower relationship, but also consider external factors within the environment
within which leaders and followers operate (Glover, Rainwater, Jones, & Friedman, 2002).

Adaptive leadership allows leaders to mobilize "people to tackle tough challenges and thrive"
(Heifetz, Linsky, & Grashow, 2009, p. 14). Adaptive leaders are adept at knowing what the
issues are, defining them carefully, and finding appropriate solutions. Critics of adaptive
leadership state that while this theory is effective for organizations planning for change, many
organizations are proof against an adaptive leadership approach (Yukl & Mahsud, 2010). This is
often because adaptive leadership challenges beliefs, values, and norms, which can lead
individuals to resist the ideas and changes that emerge from an adaptive leadership approach
(Yukl, 2010).

However, adaptive leadership considers all factors that affect an organization, by properly
planning for a changing world, which makes an adaptive leadership approach useful and valid in
dynamic societies. 
It also reveals that in times of crisis adaptive leaders: 
 draw on a toolkit of skills and approaches, which are reactive and proactive.
 prioritize open communication.
 proactively triage and manage threats to their community.
 leverage expertise and skill from multiple stakeholders to facilitate the transition from a
crisis.
 work collaboratively to transform and build back better.
 support the wellbeing of their school community (while maintaining their health and
wellbeing) (https://www.aitsl.edu.au/research/spotlight/the-role-of-school-leadership-in-
challenging-times)

As identified above, adaptive leadership is effective in specific situations where change has
occurred; it may not be effective in managing the established order. However, it can be argued
that today, change is common and academic institutions need strategies to retort to the stress of
such change. An adaptive leadership approach allows institutions to contemplate situations
uniquely and choose actions based on what is needed currently rather than on traditions. For
these reasons, an adaptive leadership approach is also more valuable as a leadership approach
within the current situation of all educational institutions.

References:

https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2020.1811645. Educators’ emotions involved in the

transition to online teaching in higher education Dawn NaylorORCID Icon &Julie
NyanjomORCID.Received 13 Jan 2020, Accepted 13 Jul 2020, Published online: 02 Sep
2020

https://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newPPM_87.htm. The Four Principles of Change

Management: How to Support Change in Your Organization

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232567495_Why_flexible_and_adaptive_leadershp
_is_essential June 2010Consulting Psychology Journal Practice and Research 62(2):81-93
DOI:10.1037/a0019835. Project: Adaptive Leadership Behaviors

https://impact.fpg.unc.edu/glossary/adaptive-leadership Heifetz, R. A., Grashow, A., &

Linsky, M. (2009). The practice of adaptive leadership:Tools and tactics for changing your
organization and the world. Boston, MA: Harvard Business Press.

https://www.aitsl.edu.au/research/spotlight/the-role-of-school-leadership-in-challenging-
times)

https://www.indigenouspsych.org/Interest%20Group/Glover/2002AdaptiveLeaderODJ.pdf
Adaptive Leadership: When Change is Not Enough. Dr. Jerry Glover, Dr. Gordon Jones, and
Dr. Harris Friedman