8 EDCAL April 16 , 2018
Exemplary K-12 leaders from followers ’ perspective
Fran Hansell is a K-8 Principal in Petaluma City Schools , Sonoma County . The following dissertation on Exemplary K-12 Superintendents and the Behaviors They Use to Create Personal and Organizational Meaning was for her doctorate in organizational leadership , earned at Brandman University , Irvine . This summary focuses on her second research question : To what degree do followers perceive the behaviors related to character , vision , relationships , wisdom and inspiration , help to create personal and organizational meaning .
This country is at a profound time in its evolution . It is manifesting a new reality – a new paradigm – a new potential for life on planet earth ( Myss , 2006 ). In the postmodern , pluralistic world , there is a moral imperative for understanding how meaning impacts oneself and others in organizations . At the core of most definitions of leadership are two functions : “ providing direction ” and “ exercising influence .” Each of these functions can be carried out in different ways , and such differences distinguish many models of leadership from one another .
Adam Grant ( 2013 ) at Wharton Business School suggested that there are strategies that leaders should leverage when it comes to creating more meaningful work . They understand that people want to be part of something significant – something larger than life . They want to do important work and contribute and be appreciated . They want to relate to other people they trust and respect . And perhaps most of all , they want to make a difference . In short , they want to create meaning in their own
Paid Advertisement
Hansell
lives and strive toward a shared vision in making a positive impact on others . People are driven and inspired when they believe what they do serves importance beyond themselves . They long for this meaning .
Sir Ken Robinson ( 2015 ) shared groundbreaking work on creativity in education in his book , “ Creative Schools : The Grassroots Revolution that ’ s Transforming Education .” He causes his readers to rethink purpose and behaviors and to create meaning with a sense of urgency . Maximizing meaning in the organization with a commitment to the cause is a complex issue . It balances empowerment and independence but involves employees in decision making that will lead to meaning making and maximize self-potential . A leader ’ s greatest role is to create an environment where the business and employees can thrive .
When people find meaning in their work and feel that it matters , they give their all . Employees must feel they have purpose and are valued by their leader to create individual and organizational meaning . Ulrich and Ulrich ( 2010 ) contended that when people find meaning in their work , they find meaning in life . Once leaders understand what excites , motivates and brings meaning to their lives , then they are in a position to help followers find significance in their work .
While theory and research on leaders and leadership abound , follower theory has been given short shrift . Fortunately , recent research pays attention to the role of fol-
lowers in the leadership process . Effective leaders develop the sense of community and shared purpose that is essential for cooperative effort in all organizations .
Although leadership deals heavily with persuasion and inspiration , Mintzberg ( 2013 ) contended that the leader also executes strategies into results and influences others to achieve organizational objectives . It ’ s about building organizations that leave the world a better place ( Sisodia et . al ., 2014 ). The meaning for followers may come from relational opportunities , the work environment , or the work itself . When followers find meaning , they want everyone in the organization to win . High-performing organizations go to great lengths to capture , understand , and act upon insights from their followers . They take special measures to motivate and recognize employee performance .
Significance – the deeply felt desire to be accepted , respected and connected to other human beings – pulls at human heartstrings . It is suggested that the power of recognition can change just about anything .
Five domains
The five domains of meaning – character , vision , relationships , wisdom and inspiration and the degree of importance to which followers perceive them – create personal and organizational meaning , lacks evidence of a theoretical framework that explores all five domains holistically as a construct for creating meaning personally and within the organization .
For the purpose of this study , the operational definition of character is aligned with a value system promoting ethical thoughts and actions based on principles of concern for others through optimism and integrity , while being reliable , transparent and authentic . Having a clear vision creates commitment to the organization and brings out passion in the people . Exemplary K-12 superintendents are respectful and empathize with their followers . They place an emphasis on motivating and recognizing followers who give an “ extra degree ” of effort . They lead the way to a healthier work environment by listening and building positive relationships .
Likewise , wisdom enables decision making and meaning to effect movement in a positive direction . It significantly predicted citizen behavior directed at organizational behaviors . Wise leaders look to build social interactions that create potentially empowering environments and relationships develop . Furthermore , wise leaders are able to pick up clues and meaning from interactions with followers , allowing for a better understanding of their needs to create organizational meaning . Inspiration brings out greatness in teams , performance and results .
SAFETY
Continued from page 1
safety planning committee to consult with first responder entities , in addition to law enforcement agencies in developing a comprehensive school safety plan .
• Requires that the comprehensive school safety plan , and any updates to the plan , be shared with the law enforcement agency and other first responder entities .
• Requires school districts and county offices of education to conduct drills , at least once per year , on their tactical responses to criminal incidents .
• Requires schools to consider the most cost-effective method of preparing pupils and staff for an active shooter situation , while balancing the physical and psychological risks associated with such drills .
• Requires school resource officers and school-employed mental health professionals to be integrally involved in the planning , implementation and evaluation of active shooter drills .
• Requires CDE to provide general direction to school districts and county offices of education on what to include in a school building disaster plan .
• Requires CDE to develop a compliance checklist for developing a comprehensive school safety plan , post it on the home page of the department ’ s website and update as necessary .
It serves as an important domain that elevates levels of positive affect , increases overall involvement of individuals in tasks , inspires individuals to set goals and work diligently to achieve them , and gives greater sense of purpose and overall meaning in life .
Conclusions
The quantitative research produced data from an electronic survey with multiple questions . Responses were gathered from 36 followers working directly with three exemplary K-12 superintendents . This allowed the researcher to better understand the degree of importance to which followers ’ perceived character , vision , relationships , wisdom and inspiration were used in creating meaning .
The Survey of Leadership Behaviors that Contribute to Personal and Organizational Meaning yielded an overall score for each of the domains of meaning . The scale , and each of the behaviors was measured , ranging from 1-6 , with 6 being “ critically important ” in the organization , an absolute must ; its absence would severely inhibit the leader ’ s effectiveness and the overall health of the organizational culture ; and 1 being “ not important ” in the organization ; its absence would have no effect upon the leader ’ s overall effectiveness nor the organizational culture . All survey respondents perceived the interplay of the five domains “ important ” for exemplary leaders in creating personal and organizational meaning .
The survey results indicated that leader behaviors do have a significant impact on followers ’ perceptions of what it means to be an exemplary leader in the organization . The scores indicated that most followers believe exemplary leaders should behave in an ethical manner when dealing with others ( character ). Most followers ’ perceptions also found the need for exemplary leaders ’ behaviors to reflect organizational vision when making decisions ( vision ).
Overwhelmingly , followers believed that creating an environment of trust among leaders and team members in the organization was important ( relationships ). Similarly they believed inspiring team members in a way that generates enthusiasm within team members ( inspiration ) and taking action by doing the ‘ right thing ’ in a variety of organizational settings creates meaning ( wisdom ).
Overall , character was found to be the most important domain with the highest percentage in the very important and critically important categories with 146 respondents ( 85.9 percent ) and the highest mean score of 5.3 . Character and relationships evidenced a higher degree of importance than inspiration and wisdom , although they were found to interplay through the other domains frequently .
• Requires CDE to develop best practices for reviewing and approving school safety plans and share these with each school district and county office of education .
• Requires CDE to conduct a statewide survey by January 1 , 2020 and every other year thereafter , to determine whether schools have submitted their comprehensive school safety plans and whether those plans have been reviewed by the relevant school district or COE .
AB 2497 , Cooper , School Gun Violence Protection Fund .
This bill would impose a tax on gun retailers at a rate to be determined . The revenues from this tax would go to a School Gun Violence Protection Fund , that would establish a competitive grant to support the hiring of middle school counselors .
This bill also requires all schools grades 6-8 , to have an onsite school counselor during school hours . Their primary responsibility would be early detection and warning of threats of violence .
AB 1983 , Waldron , School safety – facility and emergency . This bill would require each school district , before the commencement of the 2019-20 school year , to contract with a local law enforcement agency to provide a full security assessment of the school district ’ s facilities and emergency practices .
ACSA ’ s Carrillo is closely tracking all school safety legislation . If you have questions on these bills or similar legislation , please contact him at icarrillo @ acsa . org .