HMEF5023 EDUCATIONAL
LEADERSHIP
SHAPING TOMORROW’S LEADERSHIP
AND ORGANIZATION
LEARNING OUTCOMES
Explain the change process;
Describe how to bring about change initiated by the leader and change as a
collaborative process between all parties, leaders and subordinates;
Organise the school to have a strategic advantage to achieve the school objectives;
Manage knowledge effectively;
Establish the school as a learning organisation.
INTRODUCTION
Leadership of nations and organisations takes on a different form
other than what is normal.
The followers cannot be fooled into obeying the leader without questioning
him.
They must be satisfied with the decision of the leader, use rational, logic and
reason as the guiding principle in all actions.
As the result of this change, leadership takes a different shape.
Participative leadership, empowerment of followers and collective decision making
are the norm.
INTRODUCTION
Leaders of the future should be shaped to fulfil the requirements and
specifications of the present era and the future.
Leaders should be educated, trained and exposed to the changes that are happening
in society and be adaptable to future changes.
A rigid leader will either make way for an adaptable leader or has to shape
himself to fit the requirements of the present and the future.
Inflexible leaders have no place in our fast changing world.
MODELS FOR WORKING
& ORGANIZING
Understanding change
The process for initiating top-down transformation
Process for Initiating Bottom-up Transformation
UNDERSTANDING CHANGE
A culture of change consists of great rapidity and nonlinearity on the one hand
and equally great potential for creative breakthroughs on the other.
The paradox is that transformation would not be possible without accompanying
messiness.
In Malaysian Education - change of the medium of instruction.
Understanding change and the after effects of the process would be a good asset
for leaders
UNDERSTANDING CHANGE
As a leader in a school, the principal plays an important role to lead the
teachers, students and the parents towards the path of change.
The principal needs to have knowledge about the change process and
the right attitude towards the need for change.
A change might not achieve its target if the people who are to be involved in
the change process do not give their cooperation.
They need to be convinced and the task of the leader becomes heavier and
he needs other skills, such as communication skills, human relation skills
and resilience.
The process for initiating top-
down transformation - 8 step
process - Kotter (1991)
Establishing a sense of urgency
Creating a guiding coalition
Developing a vision & strategy
Communicating the change vision
Empowering broad-based action
Generating short-term wins
Consolidating gains & producing more change
Anchoring new approaches in the culture
Process for Initiating Bottom-
up Transformation
Mobilize commitment to change through joint diagnosis with people
in the organisation of business problems.
Develop a shared vision – organize & manage for competitiveness.
Foster concerns for the new vision, competence to enact it, and
cohesion to move it along.
Spend revitalisation to all departments without pushing if from
top. Institutionalise revitalisation through formal policies, systems,
and structure.
Monitor and adjust strategies in response to problems in the
revitalisation process.
Strategic advantage planning
Strategic advantage planning is the process of creating a competitive
advantage over other organizations.
In the case of education institutions, strategic advantage planning can help
them to attract more students, retain them, and provide them with a better
educational experience.
Here are five factors that contribute to strategic advantage planning with
examples in education institutions:
Strong Leadership
Strong leadership is an essential factor that contributes to strategic
advantage planning.
In the context of education institutions, the leadership should be able to provide a
clear vision, communicate effectively, and make sound decisions.
For example, the president of a university may set a goal to increase enrollment by
10% over the next five years. The president then communicates this goal to the
faculty and staff, who work together to develop strategies to achieve this goal.
Innovative Curriculum
Offering an innovative curriculum is another important factor that
contributes to strategic advantage planning in education institutions.
An innovative curriculum can help an institution to differentiate itself from
competitors and attract more students.
For example, a business school might offer courses on emerging
technologies such as blockchain, artificial intelligence, and machine
learning, which are in high demand among students and employers.
For example, a school with a strong emphasis on project-based learning
may be able to engage students in hands-on, collaborative projects that
build critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Resources
Having access to sufficient resources, such as funding, facilities,
and technology, can help a school to provide high-quality
education and support services.
For example, a school with a well-equipped computer lab may
be able to offer more advanced computer courses and attract
students who are interested in technology.
Staff
The quality and expertise of a school's staff can greatly influence
its success. A school with highly qualified and motivated teachers
and administrators may be better able to provide effective
instruction, mentorship, and support to students.
For example, a school with experienced and enthusiastic science
teachers may be able to offer advanced science courses and
attract students who are interested in STEM fields.
Technology Integration
Technology integration is an important factor that can help
education institutions to provide a better educational experience
to students.
For example, a university might use a learning management
system to provide students with access to course materials,
assignments, and discussion forums. The university might also use
virtual reality to simulate real-world situations for students in fields
such as engineering and healthcare.
Student Support
Providing strong student support services can also contribute to
strategic advantage planning in education institutions.
For example, an institution might offer tutoring services, career
counseling, and mental health services to help students succeed
academically and professionally.
Partnerships and Collaborations
Collaborating with other institutions, businesses, and organizations
can also contribute to strategic advantage planning in education
institutions.
For example, a university might partner with a local hospital to
provide clinical experience for nursing students. The university might
also collaborate with local businesses to provide internships and job
opportunities for students.
For example, a school that partners with a local museum may be able
to offer field trips, internships, and guest lectures that enhance its
curriculum and expose students to real-world experiences.
Culture
The values, norms, and expectations that shape a school's culture can greatly
influence its ability to attract and retain students, staff, and community
support.
For example, a school with a strong culture of inclusivity and diversity may be
able to create a welcoming and supportive environment for all students,
regardless of their backgrounds or identities.
ORGANIZING FOR STRATEGIC
ADVANTAGE
Manpower planning should consider recruiting the right people for
the right posts to ensure that the best suited person holds the post
to best meet the planned objectives within the targeted period.
Skilful and educated workforce is an advantage for the successful
implementation of any development programme or change.
Positive attitude and work ethics of the workforce.
ORGANIZING FOR STRATEGIC
ADVANTAGE
The existing demographic/geographical/policy advantage.
The leader should be strong in the sense that he gets the support of
the majority of the people.
This strong support helps in achieving the objectives of the
development and change programs.
All this characteristics could be established if the leaders and
society are willing to change.
WORKING AND ORGANISING IN A
WIRED WORLD
Multi-
tasking
Information
and
Knowledge
Management
MULTI-TASKING
Jack of all trades and master of all.
Strategic leadership
- Ability to inspire others to voluntarily
ensure
- make long term forecasts & strategies to
the survival
- Ability to translate the strategic plans into short-
term activities
INFORMATION AND
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT
The principal can draw a schedule for the utilisation of the Internet by
the students outside school hours as part of the co-curriculum
activities including seeking information for their assignments.
The school can appoint senior students who are knowledgeable
about the use of the Internet as mentors to other students.
Classes for learning to use the softwares provided by computer
companies can be held for the students so that they can master the
skills of using the computer.
Competitions can be held for the students such as designing web
pages to create interest and awareness among the school
population regarding the usefulness of the computer.
The school can develop an informative web site for others to
communicate with the school.
The school can develop relationships with other schools across the
globe through their web sites.
Information and knowledge exchange between the schools across the
globe will be beneficial to all parties.
The students can become “ambassadors” for Malaysia to foster
goodwill among the students around the globe.
LEADING PEOPLE IN THE
ORGANISATION OF THE FUTURE
Leaders should be able to visualise the future for these visions
Provide precise guides to action and allow reasonable discrepancies in need of
attention to be detected in the school so that actions can be taken to rectify these
discrepancies.
These visions should be widely shared so that they will become points for
discussions and shared collective decisions.
STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP
The ability to inspire others to voluntarily make day-to-day
decisions to enhance the company’s long term viability.
The ability to make long term forecasts and strategies to ensure the
survival as well as the healthy existence of the organisation.
The ability to translate the strategic plans into short-term activities
that lead into financial ability and profit.
Principal who develops a vision for the school to achieve and at the
same time he becomes an inspiration to the teachers, students and
parents to achieve the objective of the vision by ensuring the
achievement of the objectives of the short-term development
programmes.
The most difficult part of this strategic leadership is the ability to
continuously inspire one’s followers
He has to devise means to inspire the followers such as laying out
one mission after another to be accomplished.
After every successful accomplishment they should celebrate to
mark every success.
Visionary leadership Managerial Leaders
Are most comfortable handling day- to-
Is future-orientated and concerned day events, and focus on the short- term
with taking risks. goals rather than long-term goals.
Visionary leaders are not dependent
on their organisations for a sense of Although sometimes applied as a
self, and organisational control is remedy for many organisations in a
maintained through a set of fast changing environment
commonly held values.
Visionary leaders are not readily embraced and unless they have managerial
leaders to support them.
Strategic leadership presumes that managerial and visionary
leadership can co-exist, and that strategic leadership is a
synergistic combination of the two.
A strategic leader has the ability of the visionary leader as well as
the managerial leader.
The development of a strategic leadership is important for long-
term school improvement.
Our Malaysian schools need leaders who can strategise the vision of
the schools and at the same time create keen interest among the
teachers and students to achieve the short-term goals continuously.
KNOWLEDGE MANAGEMENT AND
THE LEARNING ORGANISATION
Knowledge management is very critical for the survival of a nation because it is a
critical element of any business strategy.
Knowledge of the business strategy will allow the organisation to accelerate the rate
at which it handles new market challenges and opportunities, and it does so by
leveraging its most precious resource, collective know-how, talent and experience.
Knowledge management tells us that we should take stock in our
greatest, most precious organisational asset; intellectual capital.
EFFECTIVE KNOWLEDGE
MANAGEMENT
An individual learning component which focuses on developing
human intellectual capital by enhancing the knowledge of
individuals through formal class work, e-learning and mentoring.
An organisational development component which utilised adaptive
learning to create social capital through such devices as the use of
teamwork, partnerships and strategic alliances with other
organisations.
An intellectual property management component that deals with
knowledge that has already been converted into explicit form such
as patents, research reports and trademarks, with the objective of
generating greater revenues through licensing, brand extensions
and the creation of new products.
An innovation component which focuses on generative learning to
create new products and processes through creative thinking and
which manifests itself in forms such as “idea fairs”, and small grants
for exploring new ideas.
A knowledge management component which focuses on the explication
of the tacit knowledge that exists in the minds of organisational
participants and that knowledge which is embedded and in the process
and relationships of the organisation. Once it has been made explicit, it
can be stored and communicated throughout the organisation.
An information system infrastructure which enables the
components to operate and to be integrated into an overall
supporting structure for the effective knowledge organisation.
LEARNING ORGANISATION
A learning organisation is considered as an important factor that
will ensure the organisation to survive in turbulent times for it is
able to continuously learn from the information available and to
adapt and adopt new technologies to ensure the organisation is at
the cutting edge of new knowledge and technology.
LEARNING ORGANISATION
Learning organisation is an organisation where every member of the
organisation has to continuously learn and relearn because to be relevant at
all times one has to update one’s knowledge, skills and attitudes. It is a process of
lifelong learning.
This process of lifelong learning is also a cooperative process among members
where adaptation and improvement is continuous.
There is no such thing as “the best” product or service because a new idea and
product will become obsolete and needed to replace them.
Knowledge Management and Learning
Organisation in the School System
Learning organisation and knowledge management needs to be implemented in our schools.
Our future citizens need to be inculcated with the belief that changes occur continuously and
we have to adapt and improve in order to be up-to-date in everything.
Knowledge must be managed wisely through creative, innovative and critical thinking
processes so that new ideas of doing things can lead to new inventions and innovations.
The culture of the learning organisation should be developed in all schools where students
would seek knowledge wherever and which can lead to creativity and the creation of new knowledge.
SUMMARY
This topic has investigated the link between strategic leadership and leading change.
It is important that leaders must understand change and how it affects their schools.
To handle change effectively, leaders have to understand the process of initiating
top-down transformation and bottom-up transformation.
Change inevitably needs strategic leadership and it is necessary for leaders to know
the enactment of strategic leadership for change in their schools.
In the 21st century with the advancement of technology and in a digital world,
leaders need to understand how to lead in organisations where work ethics and
organisational structures are different from the 20th century.