Subject Leadership Review of Literature
Foulkes. SEC (2009). Subject Leadership, Review of the Literature and Research.
Subject/Curriculum Leadership Programme
Module 4 – (Code 003) – Sharing and Reflecting - Essay
Review of the Literature and Research
Type in ‘What makes an effective leader/manager?’ into any search engine, and instantly thousands of definitions appear. The terms are frequently used, but rarely defined consistently.
The National College of School Leadership define them separately stating that ‘Leadership is about having vision and articulating, ordering priorities, getting others to go with you, constantly reviewing what you are doing and holding on to things you value. Management is about the functions, procedures and systems by which you realise the vision.’
In their discussion paper ‘Transforming School: a discussion paper’(March 2007), Estyn states that ‘The most significant features of good leadership are a strong sense of direction, a clear focus on teaching and learning and a relentless emphasis on raising standards’. Interestingly, they don’t define management at all.
Northouse P (2004) identifies four common themes in leadership. These are; that ‘leadership is a process, it involves influence, it occurs in a group context and it involves the achievement of goals’. There is an overlap between Northouse’s common themes and the ideas of many others including Grint’s (1997) ideas of four ‘problems’ (process, position, philosophy and purity) and Blanchard and Hersey’s ‘Situational Leadership’.
In recent years, Leadership has begun to be aligned with business and management theories and models. This has led some to question the differences between leadership and management. In his book ‘The new meaning of educational change’, Fullan (1991) states that leadership is related to ‘mission, direction and inspiration’ whereas management is related to ‘designing and implementing plans, working effectively with people and getting things done’. In his book ‘Managing on the
Subject/Curriculum Leadership Programme
Module 4 – (Code 003) – Sharing and Reflecting - Essay
Review of the Literature and Research
Type in ‘What makes an effective leader/manager?’ into any search engine, and instantly thousands of definitions appear. The terms are frequently used, but rarely defined consistently.
The National College of School Leadership define them separately stating that ‘Leadership is about having vision and articulating, ordering priorities, getting others to go with you, constantly reviewing what you are doing and holding on to things you value. Management is about the functions, procedures and systems by which you realise the vision.’
In their discussion paper ‘Transforming School: a discussion paper’(March 2007), Estyn states that ‘The most significant features of good leadership are a strong sense of direction, a clear focus on teaching and learning and a relentless emphasis on raising standards’. Interestingly, they don’t define management at all.
Northouse P (2004) identifies four common themes in leadership. These are; that ‘leadership is a process, it involves influence, it occurs in a group context and it involves the achievement of goals’. There is an overlap between Northouse’s common themes and the ideas of many others including Grint’s (1997) ideas of four ‘problems’ (process, position, philosophy and purity) and Blanchard and Hersey’s ‘Situational Leadership’.
In recent years, Leadership has begun to be aligned with business and management theories and models. This has led some to question the differences between leadership and management. In his book ‘The new meaning of educational change’, Fullan (1991) states that leadership is related to ‘mission, direction and inspiration’ whereas management is related to ‘designing and implementing plans, working effectively with people and getting things done’. In his book ‘Managing on the
Cited: from http://www.12manage.com/methods_blanchard_situational_leadership.html Fullen M. 1991. The New Meaning of Educational Change. London: Cassell. Gosling J, Murphy A. 2004. Leading Continuity. Exeter: Centre for Leadership Studies, University of Exeter. Mintzberg H. 1976. The Manager’s Job: Folklore and Fact. Harvard Business Review. 55(4): 49-61. TTA. 1998. National Standards for Subject Leaders. London: TTA. Busher H and Harris A. 2000. Subject Leadership and School Improvement. London: PCP. pp183-196. Hay Management Consultants. 2000. The Lessons of Leadership. London: Author. Goleman D, Boyatzis R and McKee A. 2002. Primal Leadership. Boston: Harvard Business Review. Field K, Holden P and Lawler H. 2000. Effective Subject Leadership. London: Routledge. pp 221.