I rarely work in schools these days, but when I do, it is a
pleasure to work under the guidance of the TL at our local Secondary College.
She has two subordinates and a handful of student volunteers to co-ordinate.
She builds relationships with students well, considering many of them are
fleeting or irregular library patrons, and she is also a favourite with
colleagues, as she is affable, helpful and steers clear of staff factions.
The TL has identified "promoting reading for
pleasure" as the key vision of her library. She puts a lot of energy into
guiding students' borrowing choices and challenging them to read voraciously
and widely. Her vision has enthused the whole English department. She is also
professional in her outlook and conduct, generating trust and respect from her
colleagues (Browning, 2013). She promotes creativity in her team, actively
asking for opinions and contributions from subordinates. She runs professional
development sessions for the staff on internet research, databases and using
the online encyclopaedia.
I've always known that this TL is a great boss, but now
having studied "organisational theory" and "leading change"
I can name those qualities that make her leadership great. She is a
transformational leader because she has vision, integrity, and encourages
creativity and professional growth (Marzano, Waters, and McNulty, 2005). She is
approachable, listens actively and is
keen to further her own understanding of new technologies. Her leadership
shines from within the school organisational structure; it does not impose from
above. She is also an active member of the IT team, which meets thrice a term
to discuss policy and new technologies. As a team player she exhibits the
qualities of a change agent (Aguilar, 2012).
One day a SOSE teacher approached her, asking how he could
encourage better research skills in his year 9 class. The TL invited me into
the conversation. I offered to put together a pathfinder for him using a wiki.
She was happy to let me work with the SOSE teacher to provide a pathfinder for him. Her faith in my ability
motivated me to do my best. As Winzenreid (2010, p. 71) states, if people are
valued, their productivity grows.
By contrast, one of my supervisors in the public library is
professional, brisk, and difficult to approach. She has what Bush and
Middlewood (2013, p. 17) term a managerial leadership style: focussing strongly
on functions, tasks and behaviours. Although Winzenreid (2010, p. 72) would
describe it as a coercive style, one that stifles creativity and innovation.
She is part of the OHS team and the Band 6 group, but she rarely defers to
subordinates. The work atmosphere under her leadership is gloomy; you do the
work and don't offer suggestions.
The organisational structure in the public library is more
hierarchical than the Secondary school. There is a Library Management tier
(Human resources, IT and Collection Manager), a band 6 tier (Principal
Librarians, Marketing and Early Years Co-ordinator) then branch managers and
finally library officers. Casuals, like myself, are the bottom rung. Apart from
occasional opportunities to give feedback to the marketing department, there is
for me, little sense of belonging to a team or appreciation for a job well
done. Perhaps the public library could learn something from embracing
transformational leadership.
References
Aguilar, E.
(2012). 'Effective teams: The key to transforming schools?' Edutopia: What
works in education. Retrieved 10 March 2014 from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/teacher-teams-transform-schools-elena-aguilar
Browning, P.
(2013). Creating the conditions for transformational change. Australian Educational Leader. 35(3)
p14-17
Bush, T.,
& Middlewood, D., (2012). Leading and managing people in education. (3rd
Ed). Los Angeles, Ca: Sage Publications
Marzano,
R.J., Waters, T., & McNulty, B. A., (2005). Some Theories and theorists on
leadership. School leadership that works: from research to results (pp. 13-27
Alexandria, Va.: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.
Winzenreid,
A. (2010). Visionary leaders for
information, Wagga Wagga, NSW: Centre for Information Studies, Charles
Sturt University.
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