Leadership Styles in a School Setting

In the Sinigua’s case study, the top leadership (administration) is faced with the responsibility of providing the support to the staff (subordinates) when they express interest in new opportunities. Another challenge is addressing the differences in the community’s “perspective, concerns and desires” (p. 11). There was a need to make changes in the leadership roles and responsibilities in the school during different times, something that could easily cause confusion and ambiguity.

The kind of leadership theory emergent in the case study is the path-goal theory. It is introduced by the fact that the administration provides the staff with the necessities to accomplish their goals. The administration absorbs ideas from the teachers and parents and supports them in implementation. It is also responsible for motivation of the stakeholders to achieve success. There are several problems encountered in the process of establishing or offering leadership following the Path-Goal Theory.

When the group or followers have varying opinions, their contributions can prove valid and important in achieving goals or even setting new ones. It can be a real problem to include multiple opinions or make decisions while still considering all feasible inputs. Another problem is the need to change the leadership style in the process, according to the nature of the situation at hand, resulting in no static guidelines on how to offer leadership.
The Sinigua administration had to encourage the stakeholders to keep trying out new ideas and had to provide support and take a risk for every new suggestion. There is no practical outcome definition in the risks taken to enhance innovation. When risks were being taken by the stakeholders, the administration had no clear vision of what the exact outcomes would be. Another complication lies in the way that leaders offer to help the subordinates in achieving their goals but have to avoid the problem of the dependency. It is not clear to which level the help should be offered to the staff.
As different leadership styles are applied in the school setting, it proves important to consider the outcomes of the style used before application. Following the Path-Goal theory involves use of different styles for different occasions and relying on the subordinates to come up with new ideas or take risks. This helps in instilling confidence and trust. The theory proves successful in offering leadership to a group of already determined and knowledgeable staff and highly motivated students. References Bartholomay T. & Wallace T. , A Case Study of School Leadership.