Abstract of the talk:

 

Leadership Competencies – Optimisation Vectors for Changes within School Organisations in Pre-university Education

 

Invited Speakers

Ion STEGAROIU1*, Ion CUCUI2 and Daniela PAHOME3

1 Professor VALAHIA University Targoviste, Targoviste, 130146, Romania.

2 Professor VALAHIA University Targoviste, Targoviste, 130146, Romania.

3  PhD VALAHIA University Targoviste, Targoviste, 130146, Romania.

*stegaroiuion@yahoo.com

 

 

Abstract: Conducted from an interdisciplinary perspective, this study analyses the causality between the educational leadership dimensions and the process of change within school organisations underlain by the ontological triad: Vision – Higher-order Values – Competencies.

 

Based on the principle of objective causality, modelling the three components involves use of some specific concepts and theories.

 

From an exhaustive approach, the informational corpus of the paper comprises: the humanistic perspective and the pragmatic perspective on the leadership process, the methods to co-build the vision, the value orientations of the members of the school organisations and the cognitive determinatives of leadership.

The study includes benchmarks taken over from reference papers of UNESCO, European Commission and Eurostat and complies with the following methodological principles: close relation between comprehension and explanation of concepts, unity between use of statistical and casuistic methods and moral commitment of the researchers to formulating ascertaining judgments and evaluative judgments.

 

The study sample comprises 446 respondents who assumed the role of leader. They have management and executive positions within school organisations in Dâmbovița County.

 

Following the questionnaire, analysis is made of the impact of the following leadership competencies: assuming the position of leader within the organisation (providing some responses to the current issues of an organisation, inspiring trust, managing collective emotions and being proactive), sharing a common vision within the school organisation (the values of the leader are in close connection with the values of the organisation and the co-built vision determines every organisation member to excel oneself), reunion of the supporters around the organisational vision proposed by the leader (adaptation of the leadership style, facilitation of biunivocal relations and approach of the critical thinking), reunion of the members around the organisational vision (anticipation and definition of the organisational change dynamic, implementation of new educational practices and better quality of school life, social responsibility), influence of the leader (creating conditions for the freedom of speech and motivating each member in relation to the activity carried out within the organisation) and valorisation of the organisation members’ contributions.

 

The results of the study are in line with the emergent studies which demonstrate that leadership may be acquired and developed.

 

The reflections on the theoretical and practical aspects have outlined the following conclusions: the current society imposes high level of demands in relation to teaching staff; therefore, educational leadership represents a vital element in building the future. The development of the educational leadership process is determined by the following factors: complex organisational environments (multi-skilled teaching staff), internationalisation of the organisations (compatible rules and regulations), solving problems remotely (due to information and communication technologies), outsourcing functions (creating the organisational value based on durable partnerships, which are external to the organisational environment) and decentralisation of activities (flexible organisations which should meet the needs for change). The quality of the leadership determines the evolution or the involution of the school organisation.

 

Keywords: leadership, vision, values, competencies, organizational change