Not so simple: The threats to leadership sustainability

This article begins by examining the possible meanings of ‘sustainability’, and argues that most meanings are prescriptive rather than descriptive in nature: they tend, either overtly or covertly, to recommend the particular end-states that writers desire. The article then looks at the threats to leadership sustainability, suggesting that a lack of sustainability is not only caused by excessive volume of work and lack of preparation for the role, but also by how different stakeholders view the role. Greater sustainability, it is proposed, comes from recognizing the ‘wicked’ rather than the ‘tame’ nature of the role, and of the need to apply solutions which reflect the ‘wicked’ nature of many leadership challenges. Finally, links are made between leadership sustainability and the sustainability of larger social, economic and environmental systems, suggesting that they have many similar causes and many similar remedies

Personality, moral purpose, and the leadership of an education for sustainable development

This paper describes how two primary head teachers, nationally recognised as role models for the development of an education for sustainable development (ESD) in their schools, manage the implementation of this area. In doing so, it shows how they adopt two very different approaches to ESD and to their job generally, and suggests that whilst there are some commonalities between them, educational leadership needs to be seen as driven by a moral purpose, engaging and re-engaging with each situation, entering into a dialectic with others’ visions, leading to the re-conceptualisation of problems in different ways. This not only suggests a continued tension between such uniqueness and standardised approaches to headship, but raises questions about current policy imperatives for developing models of sustainable leadership

Portraits of resilience: headteachers in two different cultures

This article provides two ‘portraits’ of headteachers in primary schools in England and Hong Kong, derived from semi-structured interviews with these individuals. Contrary to some claims that such a small sample is worthless, this article argues that what is most meaningful is sometimes derived from the singular and unique; that generalisations in education are as likely to be useful if they are ‘fuzzy’ generalisations as if they are from scientific or statistical generalisations; and that the individual case can strip away the clutter of large contexts and allow recognition of a common shared humanity. What these portraits also show is that responses to larger contexts are heavily dependent on personality and local context, and that if policy implementation and professional development are to have impact, then an attention to the personal and the local are going to be critical factors in any success in these areas

Values, priorities and responses: Comparing English headteachers' and Hong Kong principals' perceptions of their work

This article investigates the perceptions of English headteachers and Hong Kong principals on the kinds of pressures that they believed affected the way they did their job, and in particular the degree to which they felt their governments were affecting their leadership role. The research utilised semi-structured interviews to generate written ‘portraits’ of these individuals, which were then examined to answer questions about current pressures. The findings suggested that (1) there was considerable variation in the manner these individuals responded to key issues; (2) all individuals prioritised local concerns, and particularly with consideration to the children in their care; (3) there was a greater sense of embattlement from the English headteachers and a more critical approach to legislation, than from the Hong Kong principals, though with considerable individual variation in the degree of overt resistance shown; (4) whilst current educational reforms in Hong Kong seemed to favour the development of creativity more than those in England, there was within both national contexts evidence of the damaging effects of the pace and quantity of reforms

Leadership, the logic of sufficiency and the sustainability of education

The notion of sufficiency has not yet entered mainstream educational thinking, and it still has to make its mark upon educational leadership. However, a number of related concepts – particularly those of sustainability and complexity theory – are beginning to be noticed. This article examines these two concepts and uses them to critique the quasi-economic notion of efficiency, before arguing that the concept of sufficiency arises naturally from this discussion. This concept, originally derived from environmental thinking, has both metaphorical and practical impact for educational organizations and their leadership. An examination of three possible meanings suggests that while an embrace of an imperative concept of sufficiency seems increasingly necessary, its adoption would probably lead to a number of other problems, as it challenges some fundamental societal values and assumptions. Nevertheless, the article argues that these need to be addressed for the sake of both sustainable leadership and a sustainable planet

Education and globalization: redefining the role of the educational professional

This paper argues that current globalizing forces are profoundly affecting the policies of nation states, and particularly those in education, and producing a situation where educational professional work is both increasingly controlled and increasingly fragmented. This being the case, it is argued that professionals' understanding of the nature of their work and responsibilities needs to change quite radically. The article then argues the need for professional understanding of the global nature policy issues. It then examines some general meanings for 'globalization', suggests a number of specific kinds, and argues that there are specific mediations that occur at a number of different levels below this. It then argues that the combination of these global forces and the different mediations produce both an excessive standardization/control and an excessive flexibility/fragmentation of professional work, leading to a number of tensions in practice. The final section of the paper suggests that because of these global forces, 'normal' conceptions of the professional role need to be supplemented by further requirements if professionals are to have relevance in the twenty-first century

Educational leadership, the depletion of oil supplies and the need for an ethic of global sustainability

This paper argues that problems deriving from the depletion of global oil supplies are much more central to educational leadership than is normally appreciated, and suggests the need for a global view of educational purposes, and in particular a commitment by educators to an ethic of global sustainability. The paper describes how vital oil is to current societal functioning, before examining how much has been consumed and how much remains. After looking at the impact of the interaction of its usage with climate change and population growth, the paper then examines what this means for educational activity. It suggests that there are seven possible educational developments, all of which require future educational leadership thinking to embrace more fully an ethic of global sustainability