RESULTADOS DE DIFICULTAD DE ESCUCHA Y ANÁLISIS DE RESULTADOS

The previous section spoke of the theoretical underpinnings that govern this study. This sub- section focuses on leadership theory. Leadership in educational institutions involves the school, parents and the community dealing with issues that at times may be very difficult. The easy thing to do is to sweep it under the carpet. As difficult as these situations may be, it does provide leaders with opportunities to demonstrate their abilities and skills as leaders

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(Sparks, 2013). It may mean pointing out issues that others may prefer to go unspoken. This invariably means making difficult decisions.

A common perception that is held by most is that leaders must have the expertise to resolve all the issues that may arise (Heifetz, 1994). In some cases, they do; however, there may be times when leaders do not have the capacity to solve these problems. It is at these times that adaptive leaders are required. Leaders who thrive in situations where there are contestations and challenges.

Adaptive leadership theory may be seen as a framework that helps organisations to thrive in a challenging environment (Heifetz, 1994). School leadership especially the principal and the DP are constantly faced with challenges and contestations in various forms from parents, learners, staff and the DOE. Heifetz (1994) further posits that adaptive leadership is not positional or authority based, but rather focuses on organisational change by encouraging actions that would challenge the status quo of an institution. Adaptive leadership can be seen to be follower based which takes into consideration the input of others (Heifetz, Grashow & Linsky, 2009). Heifetz (1994) contends that anyone can, therefore, be a leader as it does not depend on a person’s position or authority. Adaptive leadership depends on diversity and is actually a contradiction to bureaucracy as the emphasis is not on an individual genius on the top, but on a group of collaborative collective intelligence at the bottom (Heifetz, Grashow & Linsky, 2009). An adaptive leader would encourage people to find new ways to solve problems when dealing with challenges that may lead to the inevitable change of beliefs, norms and values (Northouse, 2012). In this study, the lived leadership experiences of deputy principals were studied to gain an understanding of how they enacted their leadership duties in order to address the inevitable challenges they may face. I also attempted to determine whether their socialisation in the different contexts of their lives impacted on their decision- making strategies.

In addressing change, problems may manifest themselves in two ways: technical problems and adaptive challenges. The residence of technical problems is in the head and it requires intellect and logic for resolution (Heifetz & Linsky, 2004). These problems may be resolved by expert knowledge. A DP experiencing problems with the Maths syllabus may call the Maths subject advisor to assist with the challenges she is experiencing. Ideas that are put forward may be successfully implemented with minimum complications. In contrast, adaptive challenges reside in the heart and it requires a change of habit or way of working in order to be resolved (Heifetz & Linsky, 2004). In a school context, if the DP wants to introduce a new

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sport due to the changing demographics of the school, he may have to be prepared to endure a season or two of losses to bridge the gap between where they are to where they want to be. They may encounter contestations as not everyone may be willing to accept replacing an old sport with a new one. This transition would require the school; under the leadership of the DP who is generally in charge of extra-mural activities, to embark on adaptive changes in bringing about the necessary change of habits and beliefs through collaboration and experimentation that would enable them to break new ground.

Among the many leadership strategies that may be utilised, an adaptive approach to leadership may be useful in dealing with the day to day leading of the school (Heifetz, 1994). The DP is constantly faced with challenges as he/she tries to bridge the gap that may exist between the Principal and the staff (Beltramo, 2014; Kwan, 2009). These contestations may necessitate the challenging of the current beliefs and the status quo of the school (Northouse, 2012). Deputy Principals who adopt an adaptive approach to these challenges may be better equipped to bridge this gap and maintain staff happiness. I also believe that the occupational socialisation; including the mentorship of DPs, is of vital importance for them to be in the frontline of leadership.

Adaptive leadership is an innovative way of dealing with issues and problems that may on the surface look easy and not very complicated to find solutions to. It enables leaders to draw on their experiences and looks at the bigger picture and be willing to endure a period of supposed “chaos” to enjoy relative success in the future. Adaptive leaders are creative in the way they deal with problems and encourage educators to look for solutions rather than offer them. These solutions; when they do manifest themselves may result in individuals having to change their attitudes, the way they think and the way they do things. Although there appears to be a disorder at first, there is an underlying sense of equilibrium that exists.

2.5 Chapter Summary

This chapter began by discussing the recurring debates that surround the practices and experiences of DPs. It went further to deal with the theoretical framework that framed this study. In this sub-section I discussed Occupational Socialisation as well as Adaptive Leadership Theory. The identity of DPs was then discussed. Next to be highlighted were their roles and responsibilities as well as the challenges and contestations that made up their day. I concluded the chapter by discussing their relationship with the principal and lastly looked at

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the professional development of the DP. The next chapter highlights the methodology that was used to conduct this study.

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CHAPTER THREE

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter explored the justification of the choice of methodology. I firstly rationalised the choice of using the interpretive paradigm as a world view to explore the lived experiences of the deputy principals. Following this was the validation of choosing the qualitative research approach for this exploration. Further to this, this chapter justified the choice of using a narrative inquiry to understand their lived experiences. Purposive sampling was then explained as the method of choosing the samples to be studied. Following this was the alignment of the data generation methods to the method of enquiry. Semi-structured interviews, collage inquiry and artefact study provided rich data to be analysed. Lastly, I touched on the ethical considerations that needed to be adhered to when conducting such studies.