What newly appointed heads actually do!

Kelly, Anthony (2005) What newly appointed heads actually do! 2005 AERA Annual Meeting, , Montreal, Canada. 11 - 15 Apr 2005.

Record type: Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Abstract

All major writers in the field of commercial management, from those espousing behaviourist and contingency theories to those espousing transformational approaches, have highlighted the importance of early years in-post. Indeed, research from the commercial sector suggests that the initial stage of leadership is critical to subsequent and long-term success. It is more than a question of credibility, though it is that at a minimum; it impacts on the confidence, actualisation and motivation of self and others. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some incumbents never fully recover from bad starts, and others recover only just in time and with disproportionate effort as they pass through (what could be termed) ‘zones of bewilderment’.
Despite the tendency to draw on experience from the commercial sector when it comes to theorising about school leadership, there is a paucity of research on comparisons between commercial and educational management, and more particularly on comparisons between early years in-post for headteachers and early years in-post for managers of commercial companies. This paper presents findings from a research project, which followed a number of secondary school heads in the first year of their headship and a number of experienced heads, and makes comparisons with trainee and experienced managers in the commercial sector in terms of what they do, the nature of their common interactions and their leadership styles.

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