E NCAPSULATED I ONIC L IQUIDS TO ENABLE THE PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF AMINO

In South Africa, (educational) leadership has, historically, been extremely authoritarian.

In reaction to this, a more facilitative style of leadership and management has emerged.

Unfortunately, this has sometimes become too laissez-faire, allowing many voices to be heard, without giving adequate guidance or rigour. This has resulted in a lack of direction and purpose. What is needed is an approach to leadership and management which recognises the need for directiveness within a culture of negotiation, and a commitment towards building autonomy (empowerment) for all participants (Heron, 1992: 27).

In this regard, educational leaders play a seminal role in the process of developing a particular culture within a school.

Heron (1992: 28) maintains that, in an effective and democratically run school, directiveness is an essential aspect. He describes three main styles of leadership, all of equal importance:

 Directive – Directive Leaders need to be give instruction at appropriate times in appropriate ways. Consultation and negotiation are not always necessary or advisable, and leaders need to be given the trust and prerogative to make decisions and steer the school on a particular course with clarity when necessary. Hierarchical or directive leadership is often important in the initiation of development processes within schools.

 Consultative- there are times when it is absolutely necessary for leaders to consult and negotiate. Without consultation and negotiation, it is unlikely that there will be shared ownership of any change process, and implementation of ideas is likely to be constrained by a lack of commitment. Good leadership and

management means ensuring that appropriate consultation and discussion take place as part of school life. A consultative leadership and management style is particularly important when development processes are in place: it is at this point that it is important to consult with people about the specific decisions and choices relating to the on-going development of the school.

 Autonomous- Autonomous Leaders need to know when to delegate authority so that they do not hold the reins of power unilaterally or in an unchecked fashion.

Delegation of responsibilities provides an opportunity for other members of the school community to take responsibility for, and to participate in, the life of the school in a more meaningful way. Delegation of tasks allows for the sharing of control and responsibility-an important aspect of democracy.

Heron claims that all three of these leadership and management styles need to be operating when a school is attempting to build a democratic ethos. They are interrelated, and any one in operation without others will result in an unbalanced situation.

2.11.1 Leadership training

Leadership training has become an important component in the quest for standardisation and control. It has become a basic departure point that leaders must be trained to be able to perform as expected. Training has thus become an important prerequisite to becoming a principal (Levine, 2005).

Bush (2003) identifies three models of leadership:

 Transformational leadership;

 Participative leadership;

 Political and Transactional leadership.

According to Bush (2003), this form of leadership assumes that the central focus of leadership ought to be the commitments and capacities of organisational members.

Higher levels of personal commitment to the organisation, and greater a capacity for

accomplishing goals, are assumed to result in extra effort and greater productivity (Leithwood, Jantzi, and Steinback,1999: 9).

Leithwood (1994) conceptualises transformational leadership along eight dimensions:

 building school vision;

 establishing school goals;

 providing intellectual stimulation;

 offering individualised support;

 modelling best practices and important organisational values;

 demonstrating high performance expectations;

 creating a productive school culture; and

 developing structures to foster participation in school decisions.

2.11.2 Participative leadership

Leithwood et al.(1999: 9) asserts that participative leadership assumes that the decision-making processes of the group ought to be the central focus. This model is underpinned by three assumptions:

 participation will increase school effectiveness;

 participation is justified by democratic principles; and

 in the context of site-based management, leadership is potentially available to any legitimate stakeholder.

Sergiovanni (1984: 13) points to the importance of a participative approach. This will succeed in strengthening staff ties and easing the pressure on school principals. The burdens of leadership will be less if leadership functions and roles are shared, and if the concept of leadership density were to emerge as a viable replacement for principal leadership. The participative model is consistent with the democratic values of new South Africa. The introduction of School Governing Bodies (SGBs) for all schools and the prominence given to SMTs, suggests a firm commitment to participative decision-making. McLennan and Thurlow (2003: 6) refer to an emerging paradigm, a growing

emphasis on building relationship in education. The development of SMTs in South African schools provides the potential for participative leadership, but there is little empirical evidence to suggest that it is supplanting, or even supplementing, the principal‟s singular leadership.

Bush and Heystek (2003), Karlsson (2002) and Harber and Trafford (1999) point to the need for co-operation between principals and SGBs if governance is to be effective.

Maile (2004) notes the importance of setting up democratic structures, but this requires thoughtful planning, and parents need to be supported and informed. Karlsson (2002:

332), in a study of six schools, states that principals are dominant in all meetings because of “their power position within the school, level of education in contrast to other members, first access to information taken from education authorities, and because it is the principal who executes the decisions taken”.

Given the nature and requirements of the NCS, the leadership styles outlined by Heron above are suitable and relevant for implementation by the SMTs. NCS demands that there be consultation between leaders and teachers, particularly when development processes takes place, such as designing assessment programmes and activities for a particular grade or grades. NCS is a transformational curriculum; therefore, necessarily, its implementation needs transformational leaders.

2.12 THE ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE SCHOOL MANAGEMENT