Boss or leader in times of change
Leadership is a critical requirement when initiating change, fact or fiction? Theories and models are reviewed in comparison to a changing world. Khan (2017) reviewed adaptive and transactional leadership finding neither leadership theory meets all the requirements of a leader. She inferred that the adaptive leadership has an edge in higher education’s leadership needs. Leadership theories vary and through our assigned reading, I still haven’t found one answer that fits all. Kahn’s comparison shows me that every leadership theory has pros and cons, my thoughts on which theory aligns with my approach. I can appreciate Castelli 2015 thoughts on reflective leadership and believe I tend to follow this theory. In my first statement, I posted a true or false question, answering this question opens a conundrum of variations and definitions. However, I am a firm believer that when the proper leadership theory is introduced at the right time and place it will have a profound influence on the outcome of change. Weller & Anderson (2013) examine resilience and the system’s ability to bounce back from change, external forces may still derail the project. Having a robust and resilient system, in my opinion, helps to absorb some of the Shock’s and possibly smooth out the roller-coaster ride. Properly enacted leadership that is flexible and adaptable will remove obstacles, and make the ride even smoother.
References
Al-Haddad, S. and Kotnour, T. (2015) ‘Integrating the organizational change literature: a model for successful change’, Journal of Organizational Change Management, 28(2), pp. 234–262. doi: 10.1108/JOCM-11-2013-0215.
Castelli, P. (2016). Reflective leadership review: a framework for improving organizational performance. Journal of Management Development, 35(2), 217-236.
Huggins, K. (2017). Developing Leadership Capacity in Others: An Examination of High School Principals’ Personal Capacities for Fostering Leadership. International Journal of Education Policy and Leadership, 12(1).
Khan, N. (2017). Adaptive or Transactional Leadership in Current Higher Education: A Brief Comparison. The International Review of Research in Open and Distributed Learning, 18(3).
Weller, M., & Anderson, T. (2013). Digital Resilience in Higher Education. European Journal of Open, Distance and E-Learning.