Approaches to Leadership

Day and Bakioglu have suggested that career life cycles for headteacher follow patterns similar to those found for teachers by Huberman. Taking this work as a basis, five principals were interviewed. In the analysis of their perceptions of their leadership, differences in their beliefs about their roles emerged and appeared to be influenced by the length of their experience in the role. In trying to understand the nature of these differences, Senge's notion of `creative tension' between current reality and vision seems to be one means for explaining such differences. In effect, experience may lead to the lessening of creative tension by the intrusion of current reality into principals' vision of schools and of what is achievable.