EDD 510 – Seminar in Advanced Administrative Thoughts

Synergistic
Leadership Theory

Niña Marie M. Mesina

Presenter
 Share something about a leader/school
head that you admire and explain what
characteristics, values, and traits you see
in this leader that help them to be
effective?

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Introduction
Synergistic Leadership Theory (SLT) is a 21st century
leadership theory that provides a framework to examine
and reflect on the feminine voice in educational
leadership (Irby, Brown, & Yang, 2009).

This theory gives consideration to the necessity of the

alignment and harmony of four interconnected elements
of leadership.

These elements include:

(a) organizational structure, (b) leadership behaviors, (c)
external forces, and (d) beliefs, attitudes and values.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

 Figure 1. depicts the SLT's
four equal and interactive
factors which are identified by
four stellar points with six
interaction pairs.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Tetrahedral Model for the
Synergistic Leadership Theory
Synergistic
Leadership Theory
• Modern Theory
• Multiple possible elements working together
• Focuses more on the “group” than the “leader”
• Socially Just
• Gender inclusive
• Relevant to both male and female leaders

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

 Definition of Terms
Gender Inclusive
Operationally defined as the acknowledgment of the female perspective and
experiences in conjunction with the leadership attributes inherent to both males and
females (Irby, Brown, Yang, 2009).

Organizational Structure Attitudes, Beliefs, and Values

Operationally defined as the characteristics of an Operationally defined as foundations for the guiding
organization and may range from a collaborative feminist principles that influence leadership behavior as
style structure to a tightly bureaucratic structure (Irby, demonstrated through actions (Irby, Brown, Yang, 2009).
Brown, Yang, 2009).

Leadership Behavior External Factor

Operationally defined as behaviors which are Operationally defined as factors that are outside the
characteristic of both male and females in leadership organization and not controlled by the leader of the
positions and may range from autocratic to nurturer organization (Irby, Brown, Yang, 2009).
(Irby, Brown, Yang, 2009).

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

 The SLT focuses on the
interconnectedness of four
particular factors:

ORGANIZATION LEADERSHI ATTITUDES, EXTERNA

AL P L
BELIEFS,
STRUCTURE BEHAVIOR AND FORCES
VALUES
SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510
 Tetrahedral Model for the
Synergistic Leadership Theory
 Organizational Structure

• Inc lude s p rom ot ing , nu rt uri ng and

caring , rewa rdi ng p rofess ion al
deve lopm en t,
a nd va lui ng me mb ers of th e
o rg ani zat ion
- (Irby, B rown, Yang , 2009 )
 Organizational Structure

In a study of six female leaders, Muller

(1994) investigates empowerment as a
leadership component. The female leaders in
the study empowered others by fostering
individual growth and creativity and
recognizing the growth potential of others.
 Organizational Structure

These female leaders empowered the

organizational structure of the work
environment by strengthening and valuing
individuals which lead to greater successes
of their organizations.
 Organizational Structure

According to Eagly, traditional ways of

managing are being challenged and
approaches to leadership which are typically
observed by female leaders were examined.
 Organizational Structure

The ability to communicate, collaborate

and form networks are valued more in
today's work culture.

These attributes which are traditionally

attributes of female leaders, have lead to a
greater acceptance of
females in leadership positions.
Leadership Behavior
• Depending upon the concern, female
administrators may demonstrate
leadership behaviors along a
continuum ranging from autocratic to
collaborative decision making.

• Along this continuum, inclusive,

nurturing and task-oriented behaviors
a r e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f s y n e rg i s t i c
l e a d e r s h i p t h e o r y.
Leadership Behavior

• Grogan (2005) in a study on female

superintendents reported that
women enjoy teaching and view
themselves as educational leaders
t h a t a ff e c t s t u d e n t l e a r n i n g .
Leadership Behavior

• Specific behaviors include those ascribed to female

leaders such as interdependence, cooperation,
receptivity, merging, acceptance, and being aware
of patterns, wholes, and context (Grogan, 1998;
Gupton & Slick, 1996, LeCompte, 1996), as well
as those ascribed to male leaders, including self-
assertion, separation, independence, control, and
competition (Marshall, 1993).
 Beliefs, Attitudes, and Values
• Beliefs, attitudes, and values impact upon a
leader's decision making and are
consequently reflected in the organization.
Valuing character, ethics, and integrity,
respecting the need for professional growth,
and building trust and support among
employees are elements of SLT as outlined
in the tetrahedral model (Irby, Brown, Yang,
2009).
 Beliefs, Attitudes, and Values
• Female leaders are perceived as effective
when the beliefs, attitudes, and values of an
organization are perceived to be genuinely
reflected in her behaviors (Kawakami,
White, & Langer, 2000).
 Beliefs, Attitudes, and Values
• For 21st century leaders, understanding the
attitudes, values, and beliefs of themselves
and of the individuals they lead is critical to
moving the vision of the organization
forward

In the SLT, attitudes,
beliefs, and values are
depicted as dichotomous,
i.e., individual or group
would either adhere or not
adhere to specific attitudes,
beliefs, or values at a certain
point in time.
Examples include:
1. Believes in the importance
of professional growth for all
individuals including self, or
does not believe that
professional development is
important.
ZIMCORE HUBS | DESIGN THINKING
 Examples include:

In the SLT, attitudes, 2. Has an openness to change;

beliefs, and values are does not have an openness to
depicted as dichotomous, change.
i.e., individual or group
would either adhere or not
adhere to specific attitudes, 3. Values diversity; does not
beliefs, or values at a certain value diversity.
point in time.

ZIMCORE HUBS | DESIGN THINKING

 Examples include:

In the SLT, attitudes,

beliefs, and values are 4. Believes that integrity is
depicted as dichotomous, important for all involved in
i.e., individual or group
schooling; does not value
would either adhere or not
adhere to specific attitudes, integrity.
beliefs, or values at a certain
point in time.

ZIMCORE HUBS | DESIGN THINKING

 Beliefs, Attitudes, and Values

• Daresh (2001) recognized the

interconnectedness of attitudes, values,
and beliefs with the leader, others, and
the organization.
External Forces

• External forces are those influencers outside

the control of the organization or
• the leader that interact with the organization
and the leader and that inherently embody a
set of values, attitudes and beliefs.
External Forces

Bolman and Deal (1997) acknowledged

there are uncontrollable forces outside the
organization that affect the system itself and
cause dissatisfaction for various groups within
the system. External forces that impact
educational organizations are diverse.
External Forces
Building administrators must be the cheerleader that
encourages students and teachers to perform at high
levels. Effective administrators remove personal
agendas and political posturing to address external
pressures using a team approach (Hargreaves, 2004).
The charismatic building administrator understands
that the provision of social and emotional supports is
critical to the success of teachers (Groves, 2005).
Contributions of the
Synergistic Leadership Theory
The SLT:
(a) adds a theory reflective of female’s leadership experiences and voice
to existing male-biased leadership theories,

(b) enhances relevancy of theory presented in leadership training

programs, and
(c) creates a framework for describing interactions and dynamic
tensions among leadership behaviors, organizational structures,
external forces, and attitudes and beliefs.
Contribution:
Add to Existing Male-Biased Leadership Theories
and, in General, to the Discourse of Leadership Theory

Leadership theories in education and business

management traditionally have omitted the female
perspective. Most of those theories are gender biased, were
written using the masculine voice, and were validated using
male participants (Holtkamp, 2001).

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

 Shakeshaft's (1989) analysis of five leadership theories indicated
gender biased language and the lack of females in research studies.
Irby and Brown (1995) examined 13 leadership theories consistently
found in educational administration textbooks and courses for:
 
1. The inclusion of the female experience and attitudes.
2. Gender as a significant variable in development of the theory.
3. Females in the sample population.
4. Use of non-sexist language.
5. Generalizability of the theory to both male and female leaders.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Eight generalizations emerged

An analysis of nine additional leadership theories

in 1999 by Irby, Brown, and Trautman (1999)
further validated the exclusionary premises related
to leadership theory.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

 These analyses reaffirmed Shakeshaft and Nowell's
(1984) allegation that conceptualization of leadership
theory was formulated through "a male lens" and was
"subsequently applied to both males and females“.

The SLT purposefully includes the female voice and

adds to the discourse.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Leadership Theory Generalizations

1. "Great men" leadership models excluded the female

experience in theory development.

2. Theory development was limited to males, as

corporate leadership positions were exclusive to
males.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Leadership Theory Generalizations

3. Male-dominated agencies and/or corporations sponsored

many of the studies which led to leadership theories:
military, Xerox corporation, General Electric, American
Management Association, Exxon, Bell Telephone Labs,
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.

4. Sexist language was present, as leader/manager was

defined in male terms:
"he," "his," "fine fellow."
SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510
Leadership Theory Generalizations

5. Females, when mentioned, were not expected to have

the same career aspirations as males. Further, females
were expected to behave like males and/or to achieve like
males. If females did not produce the same results as
males, their results were simply ignored

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Leadership Theory Generalizations

6. While some of the theories advocated democratic

leadership styles, the theories themselves were undemocratic
because only one gender was represented in the theory
development. The theories were generalized to both males
and females, even though they did not take into account the
female experience or significantly include females in the
sample population for development.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Leadership Theory Generalizations

7. Several theories opposed paternalism as a leadership

style, yet they affirmed it in gender-biased descriptions
of leaders.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Leadership Theory Generalizations

8. Some of the theories recognized the need for a

participative, democratic, employee-friendly, and
consensus-building approach to leadership; however, when
these models were not present, theorists did not consider
this absence as attributable to the fact that female leaders
were not included in the theory development.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Implications for
School Leaders
Implications for school leaders include the recognition
that effective leadership in public schools in the 21st
century must include the balance of external forces,
leadership behavior, organizational structure, and
attitudes, and values and beliefs of organization.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Implications for
School Leaders

Leading complex educational organizations that

produce students ready to compete in a global market
requires the expertise of many.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Implications for
School Leaders
Using SLT as a lens to view modernist leadership theory
enables one to understand that women can lead
effectively without having to behave aggressively or in a
masculine manner
to be successful.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Implications for
School Leaders
Female administrators are encouraged to take a stand
when having to make tough decisions while being mindful
of the ripple effects that may result from the decision.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

Implications for
School Leaders

Similarly, female administrators are encouraged to utilize

a collaborative approach to decision making when
possible, never losing sight of the emotional needs of
individual members on the team.

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

 The Synergistic Leadership Theory
as a Framework for Analysis

The Synergistic Leadership Theory, used as a

framework for analysis of the following narrative
vignettes of female leaders, contextualizes leadership
and illuminates the multiple realities inherent in each
situation.
Narrative Vignette
Nancy
 Nancy served as superintendent of a rapidly growing
district in a community with sharp socioeconomic and
racial divisions (Reese & Czaja, 1998). Reflective of
those rifts, two discrimination lawsuits had been filed
against the district.

Narrative Vignette – Nancy

 When Nancy decided to initiate a cooperative effort with
area superintendents to build an alternative school in her
district, many parents began to attack not only the plan for
the alternative school, but also some of the previously
agreed-upon curriculum plans, including outcome-based
education and the National Reading Initiative with
computers.

Narrative Vignette – Nancy

 The goal of the disgruntled group was to bring a halt to all
new initiatives. One vocal, wealthy parent began a letter-
writing campaign to the local paper. Even the churches
and the Eagle Forum became involved in the attack.

Narrative Vignette – Nancy

 Because Nancy had failed to establish a participatory
environment that could foster change, she was unable to
gamer support for her decisions. As negativity mounted in
the community toward Nancy's initiatives, the board began
to perceive her as unsuccessful, and, ultimately, Nancy
was relieved of her duties as superintendent.

Narrative Vignette – Nancy

Narrative Vignette
Dr. Osburn
 Dr. Osburn, high school principal of New View, was
known as a collaborative leader who used participative
decision making to build coalitions and who promoted
empowerment (Brunner, 2000). Board members in New
View School District were initiating a search for a new
superintendent who could build the public's confidence in
the schools in order to gain community approval of a bond
to finance a new high school.

Narrative Vignette – Dr. Osburn

 The superintendent search committee did not believe that
including a female as a superintendent nominee would be
controversial, even though New View had never had a
female superintendent, and there were only two female
superintendents in the entire state.

Narrative Vignette – Dr. Osburn

 As a principal, Dr. Osburn had developed strong lines of
communication throughout her school and the community.
She was known as a listener who actively sought the input
of the teachers and others and who "got the best out of
people." Perceived as a collaborator, she was strongly
supported by the community, her campus, and the entire
district.

Narrative Vignette – Dr. Osburn

 The New View superintendency appeared to be the
perfect job for Dr. Osburn. The board's expectations of
leadership were aligned with her own leadership
behaviors; she and the board shared the same values and
the same vision of how to attain the District's goals; and
the community was open to the notion of a female
superintendent. Dr. Osburn was offered and accepted the
position.

Narrative Vignette – Dr. Osburn

 The Synergistic Leadership Theory provides a needed
framework for taking a macro-perspective of the
interactions among beliefs, external forces, leadership
behaviors, and organizations. Such perspectives are critical
in understanding the context of leadership and the impact of
multiple realities on
leadership success.
Conclusion
SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510
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Go d bl es s!

SYNERGISTIC LEADERSHIP THEORY - EDD 510

References:
Brown, Genevieve and Irby, Beverley J., "The Synergistic Leadership
Theory: Contextualizing Multiple Realities of Female Leaders" (2003).
Journal of Women in Educational Leadership. 75.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/jwel/75

Leonard, N., & Jones, A. (July 2009). Synergistic Leadership Theory

https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1071015.pdf