Seven Sides of Educational Leadership

Are these the most appropriate metaphors?

The selection of the metaphors is perhaps the most contentious aspect of the Seven Sides of Educational Leadership. It was of interest that Steven Downes recently commented positively on the selection of metaphors and then went on to suggest his own:

"....my metaphors for educational leadership are a bit different: the terraformer, the mad scientist, the bioengineer, the starship builder, the extraterrestrial, the navigator, and the guys on Star Trek who wear the red shirts."

In many ways this can be taken an endorsement for the multiple metaphor approach and people will always feel more affinity towards some metaphors which have a deeper personal significance to them than to others.

However, the metaphors which feature in the Seven Sides of Educational Leadership have emerged and been tested over a ten year period in a variety of education settings. It is the collective influence of the metaphors which shape the culture. It would be interesting to find out what type of culture might be created by Steven's metaphors - but one thing is for sure-  it would be a very different culture from that created by reference to the Seven Sides of Leadership.

Are there too many metaphors in this model?

There is a danger of a "supermarket" approach towards metaphors, where we just keep filling our basket with metaphors to cover up any weaknesses or inadequacies (excuse the irony here of using another metaphor).

The real danger with having too many metaphors is that they lead to a superficial understanding of the issue under consideration.

However, Alvesson 2002, perhaps makes the key distinction between a series of disconnected metaphors and those which are applied in the Seven Sides of Education Leadership

"Complex understanding is perhaps more often derived from a synthesis of different metaphors than from a single sharp-profile picture" p 23

The use of metaphors in the Seven Sides approach is not to provide alternatives for people who prefer one metaphor over another - which is often the reason for increasing the number of metaphors in any model - but to capture the complex reality of the cultural change process.

The metaphors are not alternatives - they are sides of a systemic perspective. which would be incomplete without reference to all sides.

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Why can't I use my own metaphors?

There is nothing to prevent anyone from creating their own model by using different metaphors.

However, different metaphors will support the creation of a different culture.

It would be possible to create a set of metaphors which underpinned the Hitler's behaviour in the Third Reich. I won't have go here but such a set of metaphors would explain and underpin not only Hitler's behaviour but that of others within his regime.

So what metaphors might other leader's or organizational cultures use?

Microsoft? Churchill? Apple? George Bush? News Corp? Al Queda? British Army? Enron? Hell's Angels? Walt Disney?

None of the above would operate to a common set of of metaphors, although there may be overlap between some.

The point to be reinforced here is that the metaphors used in the Seven Sides of Educational Leadership are linked to the creation of a particular culture - not an accidental or arbitrary selection.

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Educational Leadership Links

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development - USA

Centre for Educational Leadership - Manchester

National School Boards Association - Leadership Toolkit

British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society

NFER - Leadership Research

University Council for Educational Administration

Stanford Educational Leadership Institute

The Wallace Foundation - Educational Leadership

University of Otago - Educational Leadership Centre

Links

Educational Leadership Links

Imagining a culture

The metaphors used in the Seven Sides of Educational Leadership are linked to the creation of a particular culture - not an accidental or arbitrary selection. So what is this particular culture?

By adopting the Sculpting perspective I will imagine the culture which underpins the Seven Sides of Educational Leadership.

I'll start off with the notion of hierarchy in organisations. An over-emphasis on hierarchy has a debilitating influence upon an organisation. If people can only do things because they are given approval by their leader then there exists an in-built limit to the potential of the organisation.

Hierarchies are important structural elements of a successful organisation – enabling clear lines of responsibility and accountability. However, hierarchy must not signify any implication that the opinion of someone further up the hierarchy is likely to be “better” than anyone lower down. 

Such an approach values the potential contribution made by everyone in the organisation and encourages ‘real’ participation. In this sense we are attempting to create a culture which shares responsibility for success.

The belief is that by encouraging participation we are tapping into people’s intrinsic desire to do something fulfilling in their working lives. Such an enabling culture connects with the values of duty, service and commitment which underpin every person who works in education, although sometimes lurking beneath the observable behaviour of some people.

Such an organisation has faith in people and trusts that by providing such an environment that people will respond in kind.

A common characteristic of an overly hierarchical organisation is the way in which it handles information i.e. “knowledge is power”. The culture to which we aspire is one where all information – aside from personally confidential information – is shared with everyone, and, more importantly, where leaders are prepared to engage in dialogue about that information. Through dialogue we shape our future together.

This idea of shaping our future together provides a foundation for success by recognising that together we achieve much more than if we were to do it by ourselves.  The development of a community of people who value and care for each other regardless of position is a fundamental element what we seek to build.

Yet such a culture cannot be created overnight, it requires patience, stamina and a capacity to see long-term consequences for short term actions.

Within such a culture everyone is accountable for the success of the organisation. The aim is to move away from the dominant definition of accountability as liability and blame - towards an understanding which sees accountability as personal commitment, where people can operate at a level far beyond any negative line of consequence which can paralyse and destroy creativity and personal satisfaction.

By adopting an appreciative approach towards people, ideas and practice we build an optimistic and enthusiastic culture where anything is possible. If such a mentality is combined with a reflective and 'critical' eye - where ideas and opinions are open to dialogue and improvement -then an exceptionally powerful momentum can be created - a momentum which is characterised by a determination to do things "well".

For such a culture to be introduced, developed and sustained the leader must ensure that their behaviour reflects the values which have been outlined above. It is in this respect that The Seven Sides of Educational Leadership provides the greatest leadership challenge, for the temptations to make quick changes for personal benefit; relying upon hierarchy to push things through; denigrating others;  dismissing alternative opinions; and adopting a management-centric perspective towards the change process are difficult to resist.

Yet leaders who are committed to substantive change in their organisation might find the some of the ideas and tools contained within this approach helpful in resisting these temptations and in translating the theory into  daily practice.

Don Ledingham, Langshaw, January 2007

Key words   

Hierarchy; participation; sharing; enabling; creative; open; committed; duty; service; caring; connected; professional; long term; stamina; patient; humble; substantive; critical thinking; promote autonomy; optimistic; appreciative; trusting; ambitious; intentional; accountable; humane; people-centric; courageous; enthusiastic; living out in practice

Management Competencies and the Seven Sides

So where do management competencies fit within the Seven Sides of Educational Leadership?

Many leadership programmes are built around a set of management competencies which the prospective leader must master e.g.  Scottish, Australian. However, most qualifications and frameworks do not promote any one culture over another.

However, it could be argued that without a cultural context the leader has no conceptual framework to enable their behaviour to be connected and purposeful.

The Seven Sides of Educational Leadership provides a particular cultural context for the leader to apply their leadership competencies.   

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Making sense of a complex process

How often have you set about the change process with a really coherent picture about what you are going to do?  I'm not talking here about a development or formal action plan - but about the myriad of seemingly trivial things we are called upon to do on a day-to-day basis

The reality is that the pressure of the job dominates our ability to stand back and see things in a coherent manner. The consequence of this "blind" activity is that some of the things we do will work but many will not.

However, by internalising the Seven Sides of Educational Leadership the leader can begin to make sense of the many random contacts and activities which will dominate their day. It is only by being able to see the connections between seemingly disparate acts that we can possibly begin to line these activities up into some sort of logical picture and generate a momentum for change.

If you feel that you lack control over your work and that the job seems to manage you - as opposed to you managing it - then the seven sides might be able to help you to bring some coherence and shape to your leadership practice.

To analyse a problem

When setting out to analyse a problem we often focus upon the areas where we probably feel most comfortable.  Different perspectives might include people, processes,  money, policies, or resources.

The Seven Sides of Educational Approach provides a balanced perspective on any problem which is much more likely to enable the leader to establish a strategy which will result in success. In one sense the model provides the leader with a three (or should that read seven) dimensional picture - as opposed to the limited perspective if we were to rely upon on our own preferences.

The additional benefit of the approach is that the process of analysis directly links to the development of an organic solution which emerges through the consideration of the problem from each of the perspectives.

The integrated "whole" which is derived from this form of analysis is a powerful and manageable model which the leader can develop, translate into practice and communicate with others.