1st Edition
Improving Schools Using Systems Leadership Turning Intention into Reality
It is easy to underestimate the impact that school organisation has on the behaviour, effectiveness, engagement and creativity of the teachers, staff and students who work within it. It also has a marked effect on the well-being of staff members, and how families and the community relate to the school. Attempts to improve school organisation are often short term "initiatives" that only cover only one or two aspects of what it takes to organise a school effectively.
Improving Schools Using Systems Leadership, in contrast, provides those involved in the design and delivery of educational services with a coherent and easy-to-follow framework to help run an effective organisation. Based on theory, real data on education improvements at school and regional level, and case studies, this book demonstrates how Systems Leadership can be used to improve school organisation. It integrates models of leadership, teamwork, capability, structure and systems to help make them more effective in improving the learning outcomes of students and also sustain this improvement over time.
This book explains how Systems Leadership can and has been applied in schools to bring clarity to the purpose, structure and systems within a school and have a major impact on its success. As such, it is an essential text for school leaders and managers looking for practical tools to help improve the working lives of the people within their organisation, and hence their effectiveness.
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1. From the Headmaster to the School Leader
Part 1 Understanding the Concepts and Tools of Systems Leadership
Chapter 2. Understanding the Impact of Organisation on Well-Being
Chapter 3. Organising Work: Understanding Complexity
Chapter 4. Our Capability to Do Work
Chapter 5. What Do We Mean by "Culture"? The Universal Values Model
Chapter 6. The Tools of Leadership: Building a Culture
Chapter 7. Systems and Structure
Chapter 8. Behaviour and Symbols: How They are Used to Create Change
Chapter 9. Social Process: Authority and Authoritarian
Chapter 10. The Work of Team Leadership and Membership
Part 2 Implementing Change
Chapter 11. The General Context: Critical issues in Education
Chapter 12. The Context of Far North Queensland
Chapter 13. The Work of the Principal
Chapter 14. Implementing Change
Part 3: Results and Outcomes
Chapter 15. Regional Data
Chapter 16. Case Studies
Chapter 17. The Benefit of Foresight
Glossary
Bibliography
Index
Biography
Ian Macdonald is a Chartered Psychologist and founder and director of Macdonald Associates, an international organisational consultancy. He is also an Honorary Fellow at Brunel University, teaches at Surrey Business School and works with NHS Wales. He continues to consult to a wide range of organisations around the world.
Clive Dixon has been a teacher, principal and executive director of schools and was the Regional Director of Education and Training in Far North Queensland from 2007 to 2013. Clive currently works as a consultant, coaching school leaders using Systems Leadership in schools.
Tony Tiplady is an experienced educator, trainer, Indigenous youth specialist, mining operations manager, organisation effectiveness coach, Systems Leadership coach, consultant and practitioner.
In the highly technical field of education, the missing ingredient is often a strong, positive culture. Systems Leadership is essential for a school leader to build highly effective social processes to position their school to improve student outcomes. Applying the models, tools and concepts of Systems Leadership has enabled me to turn intention into reality and create the conditions in my school where people can work productively to their potential. Systems Leadership has been instrumental in my development as a principal.
Bruce Houghton, Principal, Bentley Park College, Queensland, Australia
The SLT principles outlined in this book have changed the way I think, plan and act as a leader. Using them has distinctly helped me in successfully creating and leading positive cultural change across a range of schools and colleges.
Noel Rawlins, Principal Western Cape College, Queensland, Australia
Improving Schools Using Systems Leadership has the potential to become a pivotal compendium within the global literature on Systems Leadership. Concepts and foundations are introduced and applied to schooling and the work of the principal, concluding with the pertinent question, what does this mean for schools? This book is a must read for educators of our future generation of leaders.
Paul Lynch, James Cook University, Queensland, Australia
