Educational Leadership

and Management
Lecturer : Ms. Janet Au Yeung
Lecture 8
Lecture 8

Theories of Leadership
• Strategic leadership
• Curriculum leadership
Strategic leadership
 Which is more important? The present or the future?
 Whilemany tend first to address current administrative
and managerial issues to build confidence and
organizational ability before moving to a more strategic
and futures activity, is there a need for a concurrent or
parallel view of leadership development on building
strategic capability within the school?
 Strategic thinking:
The process by which an organisations’ direction-givers can rise above the
daily managerial processes and crises to gain different perspectives of the
internal and external dynamics causing change in their environment and
thereby giving more effective direction to their organization.

Such perspectives should be both future-oriented and historically

understood. Strategic thinkers must have the skills of looking both
forwards and backwards while knowing where their organization is now, so
that wise risks can be taken by the direction-givers to achieve their
organization’s purpose, or political will, while avoiding having to repeat
the mistakes of the past.
 Garratt (2003:2)
What do we comprehend about “strategy”?

https://youtu.be/Fjo1TPe5isw
What do we comprehend about “strategy”?
 Strategy might be thought of as a perspective, as
a holistic way of looking at things.
 Strategydoes not get involved in the detailed
day-to-day activities but is concerned with the
broad major dimensions of the organization.
A medium- to longer-term time framework is
useful when considering strategy.
 Strategy can be used as a template against which
to set shorter-term planning and activities.
Nine-point model of strategic leadership
 Background
 Insightsgained from the National College for School
Leadership (NCSL) research project “Success and
Sustainability : developing the strategically focused
school”, based on detailed case studies of leaders in
primary, secondary and special schools to analyse their
strategic processes, approaches and leadership.

5 4
organizational individual characteristics
abilities of strategic leaders
 5
organizational
What strategic leaders do? abilities

 Key activities:
1. Direction setting
2. Translating strategy into action
3. Aligning the people and the organization to the
strategy
4. Determining effective intervention points
5. Developing strategic capabilities
1. Direction setting
 Setting up a framework of where the organization
needs to be in the future

Vision Moral purpose and

Futures perspectives values

How are
Strategy
they
Current actions and
connected
Operational planning ?
reactions

 Function of strategy is to translate the moral purpose and vision

into reality
Moral purpose and values
(why we do what we do) (Short-term)
Operational planning
Strategy
(How to get there,
what kind of
Vision structure to put in Current actions and
Futures perspectives place) reactions
(where we want to be and
what sort of organization we Function of strategy
want to be in the future)

 “Strategy” is translating the vision and moral purpose into action.

 A delivery mechanism for building the direction and the capacity
for the organization to achieve that directional shift or change
 It is about marshalling your resources and looking with a future
perspective in order to achieve the maximum potential in an
organisation
2. Translating strategy into action – develop strategic and
organizational processes

 ABCD approach of translating strategy into action:

Articulate 1 Strategy

Build 2 Images, Metaphors, Experiences

Create 3 Dialogues – conversations, Cognitive/mental map,

Shared understanding

Define 4 Strategic perspective, outcome orientation,

formal plans

Davies, B. (2002:204)
 2. Translating strategy into action – develop strategic and
organizational processes (cont’d)

 ABCD approach of translating strategy into action:

• Oral (strategic
conversations)
• Written (formal Articulate 1 Strategy
statement &
plans that are
clearly Build 2 Images, Metaphors, Experiences
distinguishable
from operational
short-term plans) Create 3 Dialogues – conversations, Cognitive/mental map,
• Structural (org. Shared understanding
infrastructure
that supports and
develops the Define 4 Strategic perspective, outcome orientation,
strategic
approach, e.g.
formal plans
strategy mtgs
separated from
the cycle of Davies, B. (2002:204)
operational
meetings)
 2. Translating strategy into action – develop strategic and organizational
processes (cont’d)

 ABCD approach of translating strategy into action:

• Build common
understanding :
envisioning a Articulate 1 Strategy
clear and
understandable
picture of what Build 2 Images, Metaphors, Experiences
this new way of
operating would
look like ; Create 3 Dialogues – conversations, Cognitive/mental map,
alternative Shared understanding
perspectives &
experiences
Define 4 Strategic perspective, outcome orientation,
formal plans

Davies, B. (2002:204)
 2. Translating strategy into action – develop strategic and organizational
processes (cont’d)

 ABCD approach of translating strategy into action:

• Create a shared
conceptual or
mental map of Articulate 1 Strategy
the future :
involves the
process of Build 2 Images, Metaphors, Experiences
enhancing
participation and
motivation to Create 3 Dialogues – conversations, Cognitive/mental map,
understand the Shared understanding
necessity for
change, through
strategic Define 4 Strategic perspective, outcome orientation,
conversations
formal plans

Davies, B. (2002:204)
 2. Translating strategy into action – develop strategic and organizational
processes (cont’d)

 ABCD approach of translating strategy into action:

• Define the
desired outcomes
and the stages of Articulate 1 Strategy
achieving those
outcomes :
identifying a Build 2 Images, Metaphors, Experiences
series of projects
that need to be
undertaken to Create 3 Dialogues – conversations, Cognitive/mental map,
move the Shared understanding
organization from
its current to its
future state Define 4 Strategic perspective, outcome orientation,
formal plans

Davies, B. (2002:204)
3. Aligning the people and the organization to the strategy

 Organisational change has 2 principal aspects :

 Change in mission and strategy
 Change in culture and behaviour
Wilson(1997:1)

Participation
• Building commitment
Strategic
Strategic capability* (cf.
conversations capacity: only
Motivation resources)
• Improved commitment
Capability : mix of skills and
and efforts
competencies possessed by the
people in the organization which
is needed to achieve the task
4. Determining effective intervention points – the
right things at the right time (Timing)
 Leadership intuition vs rational analysis
 Strategic abandonment :
 togive up acceptable current practice to make
capacity available for future improved practice
5. Developing strategic capabilities

 Stalk et al (1992) : strategic capabilities

 Prahalad and Hamel (1990) : core competencies

Branches : short-term abilities, e.g. delivery of the latest

curriculum innovation, blame culture, assessment of learning

Roots : fundamental capabilities of the school,

e.g. fundamental understanding of T/L; problem-solving
culture, assessment for learning
Deploying a repertoire of strategic
approaches in schools
 Classification of strategic approaches:
1. Strategic planning
2. Emergent strategy
3. Intrapreneurship or decentralized strategy
4. Strategic intent

Boisot (2003)
Deploying a repertoire of strategic
approaches in schools (cont’d)
 Classification of strategic approaches:
1. Strategic planning
- you know where you want to go
- you know how to get there
- you know how to recognize it when you have arrived
Deploying a repertoire of strategic
approaches in schools (cont’d)
 Classification of strategic approaches:
2. Emergent strategy
When an organization responds to new challenges,
certain responses will be more successful than others.
As the organization replicates the successful activities
and does not replicate the less successful ones, it
builds a strategic framework to guide future action.
Deploying a repertoire of strategic
approaches in schools (cont’d)
 Classification of strategic approaches:
3. Intrapreneurship or decentralized strategy
 Occurs when organisations find difficulty coping with
the detail of strategic direction and planning in a
complex and ever-changing environment
 The centre of the organization will lay down core
values and key strategic directions but will give the
subunits in the organization the freedom to work out
the detail of the strategy.
Deploying a repertoire of strategic
approaches in schools (cont’d)
 Classification of strategic approaches:
4. Strategic intent
 A framework in which the organization sets key
strategic goals which “stretch” the organization to
new levels of performance
 Not a detailed vision where the organization would
see where they are going, but a feeling of where
they may be heading
 4
individual characteristics of
Nine-point model of strategic leadership strategic leaders

 Combines five organizational abilities and four

individual characteristics of strategic leaders
4 individual
characteristics of
strategic leaders :

1. Have dissatisfaction or
restlessness with the present
2. Prioritise their own strategic
thinking and learning
3. Create mental models to
frame their own
understanding and practice
4. Have powerful personal and
professional networks
4 individual characteristics of strategic leaders :

1. Have dissatisfaction or restlessness with the present

Strategic leaders have the ability to live with the reality that
the organizational culture may not be as forward thinking as
they wish. It is the ability to live with the ambiguity of not
being able to change the organization fast enough, together
with the ability to maintain the restlessness for change and
improvement

Strategic leaders
Challenge ideas
Process to seek better ideas and processes
4 individual characteristics of strategic leaders : (cont’d)

2. Prioritise their own strategic thinking and learning

Strategicleaders model and develop creative thinking in the
wider group of staff and students in the school

3. Create mental models to frame their own

 Strategic
leaders create mental models and frameworks to
make sense of complexity, e.g.
 Awakening 
 Articulation 
 Alignment
4 individual characteristics of strategic leaders : (cont’d)

4. Have powerful personal and professional networks

 Strategic leaders constantly scan their
environment
 Locally

 Regionally

 Internationally

 They seek ideas to benchmark current practice with

those of colleagues in the wider educational
community
A model for strategic leadership
What are
Aconceptualization of strategic intelligence these?
which could be summarized as 3 types of wisdom:
Learning
People wisdom Contextual wisdom (the Procedural wisdom (a strategic Alignment
learning cycle that enables the Timing
(leading through developing ability to see the school in
appropriate choice of strategic approach Action
new skills, capabilities and relationship to the wider
and processes) Learning
understandings) community and the educational
world in which it belongs)

(Davies, B.J. (2004)

A model for strategic leadership
Aconceptualization of strategic intelligence
which could be summarized as 3 types of wisdom:
Learning
Procedural wisdom (a strategic Alignment
People wisdom Contextual wisdom (the learning cycle that enables the Timing
ability to see the school in appropriate choice of strategic approach Action
(leading through developing
relationship to the wider and processes): Learning
new skills, capabilities and
community and the educational • Strategic approaches
understandings) :
world in which it belongs) : - Strategic planning
• Participation • Understanding and - Strategic intent
• Creative thinking - Emergent strategy
developing culture
• Shared information • Sharing values - Decentralised strategy
• Motivation • Sharing beliefs
• Capability • Strategic processes
• Developing networks - Reflection
• Competencies • Understanding the - Creating a common language
external environment - Conversation
- Developing mental models
- Analysis
- Articulation
(Davies, B.J. (2004)
A model for strategic leadership How they
Aconceptualization of strategic intelligence are
connected?
which could be summarized as 3 types of wisdom:
Learning
People wisdom Contextual wisdom (the Procedural wisdom (a strategic Alignment
learning cycle that enables the Timing
(leading through developing ability to see the school in
appropriate choice of strategic approach Action
new skills, capabilities and relationship to the wider
and processes) Learning
understandings) community and the educational
world in which it belongs)

(Davies, B.J. (2004)

Conclusion
 Thestrategic leadership model examined
demonstrates that change for a strategically focused
school has to be in its people, through the way those
people relate to each other, in the context, through
shared beliefs and values, and in the procedures
established to focus on the future.
A final video

https://youtu.be/YXBJhrTNo90
 Reference

 Davies, B. (2005). 1. In The Essentials of School Leadership (pp. 10-30). essay, Paul Chapman
Publishing.
 Finding bearing…
 How do you make sense of how different elements discussed
today work together in practising strategic leadership?
An inspirational quote

“Before you are a leader, success is all about

growing yourself. When you become a leader,
success is all about growing others.”

– Jack Welch
(CEO of General Electric in 1981-2001)

SEE YOUNEXT TIME