Transformational Leadership

A Brief Overview
&
Guidelines for Implementation

Prepared By: Jim Cashin

Patti Crewe
Jason Desai
Lisa Desrosiers
Janet Prince
Gabrielle Shallow
Stephen Slaney

Prepared For: Dr. Dave Dibbon

Education 4361

Date: December 11, 2000

Table of Contents
Introduction ................................................................................................2
Types of Leadership.....................................................................................2
The Traditional School Leadership Model....................................................7
Trends Affecting the Roles of Teachers.......................................................12
Transformational Leadership.......................................................................17
The New Role of the Teacher......................................................................21
The New Role of the Principal.....................................................................27
Recommendations.......................................................................................33
Conclusion..................................................................................................35
Bibliography................................................................................................36

Introduction

Transformational leadership is a process in which the leaders take actions to

try to increase the awareness of what is right and important. As well, it is a
process to raise motivational maturity and to move beyond the persons' own
self-interests for the good of the school or society. These type of leaders
provide others with a sense of purpose that goes beyond a simple exchange of
rewards for effort provided.
The transformational leaders, in many different and unique ways, are proactive.
These leaders attempt to optimize not just performance, but development as
well. Development encompasses such things as the maturation of ability,
motivation, attitudes, and values. They convince others to strive for a higher
level of achievement as well as higher levels of moral and ethical standards.
Through the development of their teachers, they optimize the development of
their school as well. High performing teachers build high performing
organizations. It was the goal of this study to examine the system as it is, and
why it isnt working, as well as transformational leadership and how it can
change the roles of teachers and administrators. This manual will attempt to
offer realistic strategies for implementing this new leadership model, and will
argue why a transformational system will help to improve the educational
community as a whole.

Types of Leadership
Leadership can be defined as the trait, or traits, that allows one to lead or direct
others toward a definite result, goal, or objective. What makes a leader? What
are the styles, or modes of operation, that allows one person to be an effective
leader while others are not? Clearly not all leaders have the same methods of
convincing others to follow them. The army general and the social democrat
would not employ the same tactics in having others follow. The present day
Pope and sixteenth century Machiavelli would have divergent views as to the
proper style of leadership. Principals of different schools may also have
contradictory views as to the best method of leadership. Discussed in this paper
are: command leadership, manipulative leadership, paternalistic leadership,
contingency based leadership, and values based leadership. Not all traits of one
style of leadership are necessarily unique to that style. There is a certain
amount of crossover in traits, yet there are definite differences that discriminate
one style of leadership from the other.
Command leadership refers to a style of leadership that demands that followers,
or subjects, automatically obey the orders that they have been given. This style
of leadership is used by dictators, military officers, and police officers in some
situations. This type of leadership requires that people accept the authority of
the individual or controlling group. Their right to lead has to be founded in law
or their ability to force their will upon their followers. Soldiers or sailors obey
the orders of their commanding officer, not because they are swayed by his or
her persuasive arguments, not because of their charismatic charm, not because
they are necessarily convinced of the moral superiority of the path being
dictated to them, but because they are required by military law to obey the
orders. Of course a good military officer will inspire her or his troops and will
lead them because the soldier accepts the sound judgement of his or her
decisions. Even with military law on their side, an officer knows that mutiny
may occur if their authority is abused. This style of leadership is not as
common as it used to be in Western society as people are not as likely to accept
being dominated in this manner.(Leading Change P. 5)
Niccolo Machiavelli, a sixteenth century Italian diplomat, advocated in his
book, The Prince, that princes should learn how to be deceitful and use
whatever information is at hand, or whatever means is available, to achieve
their goals. The means and steps taken would be dictated by what was
expedient.(Ibid. 5) This attitude takes leadership beyond simple expedience and
pragmatism to outright manipulation of the followers. Most, if not all, leaders
try to influence their followers and convince them to follow a particular path.
The leader will chose to chart a course that allows her or him to achieve their
desired goals within what is politically pragmatic. A manipulative leader will
use deceitful methods to achieve their goals. Richard Nixon, former president
of the United States, demonstrated aspects of a manipulative leader when he
directed his henchmen to commit crimes, such as burglary, that would give him
information that would solidify his position of power and influence. His famous
statement, I am not a crook, was proven to be false and his presidency
came to an abrupt halt when he was impeached. History shows that
manipulative leadership, as advocated by Machiavelli, often succeeds in the
short term [ but ] almost always fails ultimately because expediency cannot be
concealed forever.
(Ibid. 5)
Paternalistic leaders also try to manipulate their followers but, unlike
Machiavellian manipulators, they act altruistically for the benefit of their
followers. (Ibid 6) The underlying assumption with this style of leadership is
that the leader knows what is best for his or her followers. Ergo, the followers
are not capable or competent to make their own decisions on the
pertinent topic. An example of this style of leadership is exemplified by the
head of the Roman Catholic Church, the Pope. The Pontiff is assumed to be
infallible in matters relating to spiritual issues. Catholics the world over are
expected to submit to the directives of the Church on these issues. Often,
paternalistic styles of leadership are rejected by the followers. Despite the trend,
this has not been the case with the Catholic Church.
Contingency leadership has at its core that effective leaders do whatever the
circumstances require.(Ibid 7) It is different from manipulative leadership in
that the manipulative leader has greed or personal gain as a driving force or a
major motivation. This situational style of leadership, while on the surface
appearing logical and prudent, has a serious drawback for a leader. Under
normal circumstances a leader can be considerate of their followers wishes.
When the situation demands this same leader may take a hardline stance with
his or her followers. The result is that the normal trust has been broken and it is
difficult for the leader be seen in the same light as previous. An example might
be a business leader who under normal circumstances is seen as a fair and
effective boss. When labour difficulties arise the leader may deem that a tough
stance is necessary for the good of the company. Union members may see this
as a personal attack upon their goals of making a good living. Their trust in the
boss has been destroyed. The boss will have a more difficult time leading
people because his motives will always be questioned by some members of his
or her staff. One of the dangers of this style of leadership is that upon assuming
leadership roles reasonable men and women become tyrannical.(Ibid. 8) The
leader does not have a specific principal that acts as a guiding light in charting
a course for her or his followers. Therefore, they drift from idea to idea and
from plan to plan.
An alternate to contingency based leadership is values-based leadership.
Values-based leaders listen to their followers because they respect them and
because they honestly believe that the welfare of followers is the end of
leadership (and not that followers are the means to the leaders goals). (Ibid.
9) The values-based leader is always cognizant of the needs and desires of his
or her followers. This is not to suggest that the values-based leader submits to
the every whim and desire of the followers. Within provincial politics, the
electorate may desire to have a state of the art hospital in every community in
the province. The good leader would not submit to pressure of this sort because
she or he knows that it is in the best interest of the followers that they not build
so many hospitals. If the leader acquiesced to these demands the province
would soon see their finances in a state of bankruptcy. However the values-
based leader would look at the bigger picture and see that what the followers
desired was good health care that was accessible to all. The result would be
regional hospitals that all followers could access and the province afford. The
values-based leader operates by some moral principal and has a vision of what
his or her followers want and need. In the end, the leaders vision becomes
[the followers] vision because it is built on the foundation of their needs and
aspirations. (Ibid. 10) A leader who convinces their followers to work toward
some goal has caused people or ideas to change. This type of leadership does
not depend on circumstances: it depends on the attitudes, values, and actions of
leaders.(Ibid. 11) The values-based leader does not lead in isolation but
inspires others to lead also. The leader then becomes a leader of leaders. In this
situation the leader is no longer the only driving force, but has inspired others
to work toward the common goal and participate in the transformation of their
society, business environment or group. Values-based leadership does not have
room for the cynicism of manipulative or contingency based leadership, it is
based on moral principles that respect the followers vision and wishes as well
as those of the leader. People are resistant to change because it disrupts their
normal patterns in life. The values-based leader will overcome this chronic
and inevitable pattern of resistance in only one way: by building an alternative
system of belief and allowing others to adopt it as their own. That is the essence
of values-based leadership.(Ibid. 14)
Leadership styles can be as multifaceted as can the personalities of the leaders.
It is difficult to place a leader neatly in one box and categorically state that they
are a particular type of leader. On occasion even Hitler listened to his followers
advice yet it would be difficult to think of him as anything but a command
leader. It would be more precise to say that leaders are defined by the style of
leadership that they most often, or most consistently, exhibit.

The Traditional School Leadership Model

Fifty years ago, most people would have looked ahead to the year 2000 and
envisioned a world with talking computers, cars that fly through the sky, and
clothing that resembles what astronauts wear. Now that weve begun the new
millennium, we see that although many things have changed, many things have
also remained the same. The day-to-day life inside most of our schools, for
instance, has changed very little. The traditional roles of teachers and
administrators, and the gap between the two are still practiced and maintained
in many schools. This section will describe these traditional roles, and will
attempt to identify some of the problems with these traditions.
Traditionally, a teachers day centers around their classroom, one room, a
chalkboard, one big desk, and between twenty and forty smaller desks. Most
schools have a few TV/VCR units that can be signed out when necessary, and
some teachers make use of overhead projectors.
During the day, the teacher meets with several groups of students. In most
cases, the teacher lectures or works through examples while the students take
notes. The occasional hand is raised, and a question is asked or answered
(Marsh).
Outside class time, teachers generally spend their time doing paperwork,
attendance reports, marking, photocopying, etc. Quite often, teachers have
very little contact with other adults, maybe at lunch time if they arent on
cafeteria duty. Communication with the administrators is frequently restricted
to an annual performance evaluation, or discussions of discipline problems. As
is the nature of the job, teachers spend most of their time with students or by
themselves. They are left to interpret their classroom according to the merits of
their own impressions without reference to or input from any outside sources
(Marsh).
Teachers are handed a new curriculum every few years, given a half-day
inservice on its implementation, and sent on their ways. Very often, teachers
do not feel that they are given adequate training to work effectively with new
programs. Curriculum development is done by an outside source, and the
opinions of teachers are not sought or offered. Teachers are told which books
students should read, and in what order they should learn things. These
decisions are handed down from above. Teachers are then left to make their
own decisions about methodology in isolation. It is rare even for teachers
teaching the same course to consult each other on their approach (Marsh).
The type of leadership that traditionally exists in schools is often referred to as
command or dominance leadership. In essence, one person leads, the
others follow. One person makes the major decisions that affect the entire
group. Policy is made by one person and handed down. Input may be asked
for or given, but the decision itself is left up to one individual (Ryan, 1999). In
the case of schools, this one person is almost always the principal.
In the traditional school, the principal rules with an iron hand and the
organizational structure is based on rules, duty, and consequences. Curriculum
is almost always determined and defined by an outside source, usually a school
board or Department of Education. The principal is often responsible for
organizing the curriculum, and for directing its implementation. The
principal oversees all the teachers, and is the person to whom they all
answer. Principals are responsible for running the school as a whole. They
organize finances, impose budgets, and they manage student discipline
problems. They plan the schools schedule, allocate the resources, and they
manage all other aspects of administration.
The U.S. Department of Education emphasizes the need for schools to work in
a way that honors the experience and contribution of all its members. This
structure does not however, exist in most schools. The relationship between
teachers and administrators is often quite adversarial. The command mode of
leadership requires teachers to be obedient and subservient to their
principals. Aside from evaluations and discussions of discipline, teachers find
that their contact with the administration often stems from a failure on their part
to comply. This type of system tends to place the importance on
obedience. True competence as a teacher is often not evaluated at
all. Teachers may spend their spare time planning new and creative lessons, or
they may not bother and simply do the bare minimum. The truth is, that taking
the time to create fascinating lessons, results in no recognition, while the failure
to do so, results in no criticism (Marsh).
Ideally, we would like schools to be well run and productive
organizations. Schools should be focused on the students, and facilitate
learning. Teachers and administrators should work together, collaboratively
and productively, to establish and implement policy. Unfortunately, the
traditional model of leadership in schools simply does not accomplish this
goal. The traditional model has administrators making policy in isolation from
teachers, and teachers implementing policy without reference or input from
their colleagues or from outside sources. When administrators establish a
hierarchical form of authority, as they do in the traditional model, they are
communicating to the teachers the assumption that they are subordinates who
do not share the same goals as the administration, and that they must be
monitored in order to force them to be productive. This structure tells teachers
that their knowledge is not valuable, and that their input would not be an asset.
This attitude is further communicated in the form of teacher inservices. Most
inservices take the form of a lecture given by a so-called expert, who is
brought in from outside, and is usually not a classroom teacher. This simply
isnt a logical approach. Teachers are the ones responsible for implementing
policy. They are well equipped by their experience to spot potential problems
in curriculum development. They are the only ones exposed to the classroom
on a regular basis, and yet, their consultation is not sought when making
policy. Teachers possess a wealth of knowledge of the dynamics of the
classroom, and they have a feel for what will work and what will
not. Unfortunately, teachers are not invited to take part in decision making, and
they fail to step forward and ask to be included because they work in a system
that, essentially, tells them they dont know anything (Marsh).
We are losing teachers. The current situation in schools is such that it is nearly
impossible for the best and most dedicated of our teachers to maintain their
vision and their ideals in the face of reality. A survey confirms that not more
than fifty percent of women and only thirty percent of men are still teaching six
years after they begin ( Farber, 1991). There is a massive amount of literature
on school reform and restructuring, and most of it focuses on leadership as
being the key to change. The current system of leadership in schools is not
working. Teachers are one of our most valuable resources as a society, and yet,
with every move we make, we are telling them that the knowledge they hold is
not valuable and that their input is not required, even on matters in which they
could be considered experts.
In 1993 a forum was called for teachers to discuss education reform. The
general consensus was that teachers did not feel that they were taken
seriously. By dismissing the expertise and experience of teachers, reformers
are alienating the only members of the educational community who can really
make a difference in the lives of the students (Marsh).
Typically, policy makers give themselves thrice the time to make policy than
they give teachers to implement it, lacking the realization that change does not
occur immediately. This slowness to make change is often misinterpreted by
administrators as a resistance to change on the part of the teachers. Teachers
tend to react with skepticism and protest when confronted by administrative
dictates of change, but this is not necessarily a resistance to the change
itself. Research shows that teachers are much more responsive to reform when
they feel that they are participating in decision making, and that their input is
valued (Marsh).
It is a simple fact that people work more effectively and are happier in their
work when they feel valued and respected. Teachers are valuable resources as
well as wealths of useful knowledge. The structure that currently exists in
schools is failing to tap into this knowledge. Teachers are, perhaps, the best
judges of what will and what will not work in the classroom environment, and
their input should be sought after. As a society and as an educational
community, we have to start talking about reforms, not just of curriculum and
approach to students, but also reforms of how teachers are viewed and valued
by the public. We need to move towards a system where all our resources are
being used to their full advantage, a system where teachers are respected
participants, not just subordinates.

Trends Affecting the Roles of Teachers

When we think of trends, we think of things such as fashion, technology and

social trends. These trends are all around us and are a part of our lives. We see
them on television, hear about them on the radio and we even buy the new
trendy item when they arrive on store shelves. We are always fascinated and
curious as to what this new trend is and we are drawn towards them. Following
the latest trends is the thing to do today and in order to keep up with and be a
part of the rest of society we must be aware of the changes. Once we are aware
of these changes we must become a part of this new trend in order to be on the
same page as everyone else.
This kind of a situation applies to just about everything and everyone in the
world today. Companies that use computers must constantly monitor the latest
technology being introduced to the market in order to remain competitive with
rival companies. Clothing companies must keep the shelves stacked with
clothes that are in demand if they want to stay open. Car companies must be
aware of what the latest demand is in vehicles in order for their employees to
keep their jobs. As these examples suggest, the key to success is to follow and
keep pace with the trends that are constantly occurring.
The situation is no different in the school setting either. Schools and their staff
must constantly be aware of the ever changing world trends in order for their
students to be able to face society successfully.
Over the past decade the role of the teacher has widened and deepened. The
teachers are expected to make a difference in the lives of students while
becoming experts in managing change. It is still undetermined how far these
changes will go, but there is no doubt that radical changes in the teaching
profession is needed in order for the students to benefit from the ever changing
world (Fullan, 1996).
One of the trends that teachers in todays classroom face include classrooms
with a multicultural setting. More and more we see the classroom filled with a
mixture of cultures. The teacher must become aware of this and adjust
accordingly. When planning their lessons, the teacher must remember to make
reference to the minority cultures in his or her particular class. Referring to the
majority culture only presents a disadvantage to everyone in the class. Not
only do the minority cultures feel left out of the conversation and material in
the class, but the majority culture is not given the opportunity to learn about
other cultures in the world. As well, when group projects are scheduled,
teachers can ensure that there is a good mixture of cultures in each group. This
will give all the students a chance to work together in a multicultural
setting. Today people are moving to all parts of the globe in order to find
occupations. They will be much better prepared mentally for a job in Japan if
they had the opportunity to learn about and work with someone familiar with
the Japanese culture in school.
Teachers must also be aware of gender and sexual issues in the classroom and
in the school in general. The teacher must protect himself or herself more
carefully based on issues of gender and sexuality. For instance, a male teacher
must be very cautious when around a female student, especially if they are
alone. A male teacher should never be in this situation because many rumours
or court cases can arise from such an incident. Furthermore, a female teacher
must ensure that she treats the males in her classroom with the same respect she
shows her female students or vise versa. These are real issues that teachers do
find themselves in and if they do not want to risk losing their job, or worse,
they must avoid the above situations.
Another trend teachers face is the reality that parents are becoming more
involved in the schools. More and more parents are speaking out about the way
their children are being taught and what their children are being taught in
schools. Parents are taking on a more active role and teachers must be on their
toes at all times in order to satisfy these parents.
Furthermore, there used to be a time when teachers could discipline the
children in the classroom and the children would pray that their parents do not
find out about it because the teacher was always right. Parents did not question
the actions of the teacher. Unfortunately this does not occur any
longer. Nowadays the parents are very protective of their children and if the
teacher has to discipline a student, the teacher can be sure that they will hear
from the parents of the child demanding an explanation for little Billys
detention.
Another trend facing teachers is the ever changing and increasing information
and communication technology. Since computers have moved into the
classrooms, technology has exploded as an educational issue. Just like reading
and writing, the ability to use a computer is becoming a prerequisite for student
success, as well as a life skill. Computers have reached most schools in Canada
and in 1995, Newfoundland became the first province with full internet
access. Despite the fact that most schools are faced with reductions in public
education budgets, schools are working hard to expand the role of technology
in the curriculum (website-ccsd....).
What this means for teachers is that they must learn how to use and become
familiar with computer technology if they expect to teach it to their
students. As well, it brings to the classroom a wide variety of
opportunity. Students can learn so much from computers and it is up to the
teacher to decide what information the students should be learning. The
teacher must also be aware of what to stay away from because the internet also
has a harmful downside. It is so easy for students to get access to pornography
sites or sites related to hate crimes, and so on. It can be very dangerous and it
is the responsibility of the teacher to monitor what the student is searching for
on the computer.
New learning concepts is also an issue for teachers. The traditional way of
learning is no longer accepted in todays society. This traditional way of
learning had students listen to the teacher and answer questions that were given
to them. They would sit in rows and do individual seat work for the day. It
was a boring set-up and the majority of learning relied on
memorization. Today, learning takes on a more interactive approach. The
classrooms are not always arranged in rows, but take on the shape of
circles. Students work together in groups where they discuss and exchange
ideas amongst one another. As well, films are used to help students understand
topics discussed in class on a more appealing scale. Bringing in guest speakers
is another affective method to help get the point across to students. When
students see that the material they are studying has some use in the outside
world, they seem to enjoy learning it more. This can also be accomplished by
going on field trips. Students can apply what they have learned to a real
situation. For example, if student are learning about how fish are processed,
take them to a processing facility so they can see first hand how it is
accomplished. This is a much more interesting and easier way for students to
learn.
Teachers must prepare well in advance for these types of activities to take
place. It takes a lot of time and effort for teachers to have this type of a
setting. It requires the teacher to become very creative and in control of the
situation. However, the results are very rewarding, for both students and
teachers. When students are able to apply information, you know you have
done a worthwhile job.
Unfortunately, violence is something teachers come to expect in the run of a
school day. More and more school kids are fighting on school property and
even in the classroom in front of the teacher. Of course the teacher cannot
ignore this kind of a confrontation. It is a serious matter that must be dealt with
accordingly in order to prevent the situation from escalating any further.
Sometimes however, the situation does escalate further, putting the whole
school population in danger. In the past few years, students and teachers being
killed by fellow classmates at school is not that uncommon. This is a reality
that teachers and students must keep in the back of their minds while in
school. For example, last week in Calgary a student was stabbed to death by a
friend on school property over a small amount money. This should not be
happening yet we hear about this and other horror stories involving school
violence in the news too often. The incident at Columbine High School in
Colorado is real and still on the minds of many people around the world
especially teachers, students, and parents of students. It can happen anywhere
and teachers have to keep a closer eye on their students in a way they never had
to before. Any strange behaviour should be reported immediately for it could
mean the difference between life and death. Hopefully, this kind of a trend will
not stay long. However, with the recent incident in Calgary this does not seem
to be the case thus preventative measures is something schools must look into.
Trends are constantly changing, and although they may be difficult to keep up
on it is essential in order to stay ahead. The success of the students, teachers,
and school depends on it.

Transformational Leadership

In 1978, James McGregor Burns first proposed the idea of Transformational

leadership that was later expanded by Bernard Bass (Liontois, 1992). Although
they based their work on business executives, army officers and political
leaders, the principles of transformational leadership can be extended to
schools (Liontois, 1992).
 One of the first instances of transformational leadership has been
documented in businesses and has become known as the stakeholder
theory. There has been a gradual shift away from the type A business, where
control is highly centralized and differences in worker status is maintained, to
the type Z business that is based on facilitated (decentralized) power which is
manifested through other people rather than over other people (Leithwood,
1992). The stakeholder theory views business firms as being composed of
various constituencies (workers, managers, customers, suppliers, and so forth),
all of whom have a legitimate strategic and moral stake in the organization but
may have different values, beliefs and so forth. Therefore, in order to achieve
an organization that will be beneficial to every shareholder, the people must
come together and cooperate on the basis of values, interests and social choice
(Bass and Steidlmeier, 1998). In schools, it deals with finding a way to become
successful in collaboratively defining the essential purpose of teaching and
learning and then empowering the entire school community to become
energized and focused (Liontos, 1992).
Leithwood (1992) defines transformational leadership as a leadership that
facilitates the redefinition of a peoples mission and vision, a renewal of their
commitment and the restructuring of their systems for goal accomplishment (p.
9). It is a relationship of mutual stimulation and elevation that converts
followers into leaders and may convert leaders into moral agents (Brubacher et
al., 1994). Hence, transformational leadership must be grounded in moral
foundations (Bass and Steidlmeier, 1998).
Transformational leadership contains four components: idealized influence
or charisma, inspirational motivation, intellectual stimulation, and
individualized consideration (Bass and Steidlmeier, 1998). Bass and
Steidlmeier (1998) state: if the leadership is
transformational ,its charisma or idealized influence is envisioning,
confident, and sets high standards for emulation. Its inspirational
motivation
provides followers with challenges and meaning for engaging in shared
goals and undertakings. Its intellectual stimulation helps followers to
question assumptions and to generate more creative solutions to problem.
Its individualized consideration treats each follower as an individual and
provides coaching, mentoring and growth opportunities(p.3).
Authentic transformational leadership then, is characterized by high moral and
ethical standards in each of these four domains.
Authentic transformational leaders are required to promote within their
organizations ethical policies, procedures and processes. They need to be
committed to a clearly stated, continually enforced code of ethical conduct and
they should foster an organizational culture with high ethical standards to
eventuate in the internalization in all the organizations members of shared
moral standards (Bass and Steidlmeier, 1998). The inspirational appeals of the
authentic transformational leader tend to focus on the best in people. Leaders
are genuinely concerned about the good that can be achieved for their group
and they openly bring about changes in the followers values by the merit and
relevancy of their ideas and mission to their followers ultimate belief and
satisfaction (Bass and Steidlmeier,1998). Bass and Steidlmeier (1998)
conclude that leaders are authentically transformational when they increase
awareness of what is deemed to be right, good and important, when they help to
elevate followers needs for achievement and self- actualization, when they
foster higher moral maturity in their followers, and when they move followers
to go beyond their self-interests for the good of their group (p.6).
Despite the fact that transformational leadership is regarded, by most, as a
leadership that involves moral maturity and moral uplifting of followers, its
ethics have been questioned. Its critics have suggested five arguments against
its ethicalness. First of all, they believe that because transformational
leadership uses impression management, it lends itself to amoral
puffery. Secondly, they consider it as antagonistic to organizational
learning and development that involves shared leadership, equality, consensus
and decision-making. Thirdly, they believe that it encourages followers to go
beyond their own self-interests for the good of the organization, and therefore,
engage them irrationally in pursuits of evil ends contrary to the followers
best interests. Fourthly, they regard it as a leadership that manipulates followers
and in effect, causes them to lose more than they gain. Finally, they suggest
that transformational leadership lacks the checks and balances of countervailing
interests, influences and power in order to avoid dictatorship and oppression of
a minority by a majority (Bass and Steidlmeier, 1998).
Bass and Steidlmeier (1998) however, purpose that these critics fail to see
the positive aspects of transformational leadership. Rather than being unethical,
authentic transformational leaders identify the core values and unifying
purposes of the organization and its members, liberate their potential and foster
a pluralistic leadership and satisfied followers (p.18).
Transformational leaders are in pursuit of three major goals: helping staff
members develop and maintain a collaborative, professional school
environment; fostering teacher development; and helping teachers solve
problems more effectively (Leithwood, 1992).
Helping staff members develop and maintain a collaborative, professional
school environment. In a collaborative school environment the staff members
often talk, observe, critique, and plan together. The norms of collective
responsibility and continuous improvement encourage staff to teach one
another and as a result, learn how to teach better (Leithwood, 1992). Some of
the strategies used by leaders to build and maintain collaborative school
cultures include involving the staff members with setting goals and reducing
teachers isolation. In order to support cultural changes, they use bureaucratic
mechanisms such as selecting new staff members who are already committed to
the schools mission and priorities (Leithwood, 1992). The school leaders,
are therefore, responsible for actively communicating the schools cultural
values, norms and beliefs and sharing leadership with others by delegating
power to specific school improvement teams (Liontos, 1992).
Fostering teacher development. Leithwood (1992) suggests that teachers'
motivation for development is enhanced when they internalize goals for
professional growth (p.10). This process is facilitated when they engage in
establishing a school mission to which they are committed. Teachers
development can be enhanced by giving them a role in solving non-routine
school improvement problems and ensuring that the goals are clear, explicit and
challenging but not unrealistic (Leithwood, 1992).
Helping teachers solve problems more effectively. In order to achieve any
meaningful school improvement, staff members need to work harder. Hence,
some teachers have come to value transformational leadership because it acts as
a stimulant for engaging them in new activities and putting forth that "extra
effort" (Leithwood, 1992). However, Leithwood (1992) uncovered practices
that leaders primarily use to help staff work smarter but not harder
(p.10). These leaders ensure a broader range of perspectives from which to
interpret the problem. Additionally, they assist group discussions of alternative
solutions, avoid commitment to preconceived solutions and narrowly biased
perspectives by keeping the group on task. The most significant belief held by
these leaders is that their staff members, as a group, could develop better
solutions than the principal alone (Leithwood, 1992).
According to Leithwood (1992), transformational leadership has a sizable
influence on teacher collaboration and a significant relationship exists between
its aspects and the changes of teachers attitudes toward school improvement
and altered instructional behavior (p.12). In order to bring about this change,
the transformational leader must foster the modal values of honesty, loyalty and
fairness and the end values of justice, equality and human rights (Bass and
Steidlmeier, 1998). Many of the problems that are experienced by principals
and teachers relate to questions of values, ethics and vision (Brubacher et al.,
1994). Hence, transformational leadership has become a benchmark in the
workings of many educational institutions, which has resulted in new roles for
the principal and teachers.

The New Role of the Teacher

 The knowledge and skill base of what teachers need to know, and be able to do,
has been broadened and deepened compared to the traditional role of the
teacher. In todays day and age the new role of the teacher will incorporate
many new domains and take on many new roles. These include: making a
commitment to moral judgment, deepening their understanding of pedagogy,
increasing knowledge in their field, having an understanding and working
knowledge in technology, working in highly interactive and collaborative ways,
working in new structures, developing the habits and skills of continuous
inquiry and learning, and becoming experts in the change process.
Teachers of the future will inevitably have to make a commitment to moral
purpose. This means that teachers will have to make a difference in the lives of
all students more prominent, more active, more visible and more
problematic. This must be and integral part in the conceptualization of the
teacher. Although many teachers already have moral purpose, they do not
conceptualize it in this way. The new role of the teacher involves pushing
moral purpose to the forefront and integrating it into all aspects of teaching
(Fullan, 1993).
Teachers must substantially deepen their understanding of pedagogy and
critical pedagogy. Pedagogy is defined as the production of knowledge, values,
and identities. Teachers will continually work on personal vision encompassing
both moral purpose and a much more sophisticated knowledge of teaching and
learning. The shift away from teaching the transmission of knowledge, to
pedagogy, the production of knowledge, is important for teachers in todays
society (Simon, 1987).
Critical pedagogy is fundamentally concerned with understanding the
relationship between power and knowledge. Knowledge is socially constructed
and deeply rooted in power relations. Critical pedagogy asks how and why
knowledge gets constructed the way it does, and how and why some
constructions of reality are legitimated by the dominant culture, while others
are not. Therefore teachers must use these guidelines to gain an understanding
of critical pedagogy:
1) Taking your time
2) Tossing the texts
3) Asking: but why?
4) Reflecting
5) Conceptualizing and articulating our own philosophy
6) Understanding why and how our beliefs change
7) Naming the power structures: critically reflecting and acting on them
8) Relearning and Unlearning
9) Acknowledging the powerful emotions of power, racism, classism and
sexism
10) Understanding/being able to articulate new global realities
11) Challenging our long held assumptions about teaching and learning
12) Entering into dialogue
13) Recognizing the contradictions in our own life
14) Recognizing our own power, expertise, knowledge and role
15) Seeing with new eyes
16) Taking time and creating a safe place (McLaren, 1998).
The knowledge base for being an effective teacher has increased dramatically
over the past decade. Teachers today must understand how diverse, multi-
ethnic students learn and develop, and must draw on a repertoire of teaching
strategies to meet a wide range of individual needs. Therefore, teachers today
must incorporate multidimensionality into their teaching practice. This refers
to the large quantity of events and tasks, which take place in the classroom. A
classroom is a crowded place in which many people with different preferences
and abilities must use a restricted supply of resources to accomplish a broad
range of social and personal objectives. It will be the role of the teacher to
incorporate effective, innovative, teaching strategies in order for all students to
learn in a positive environment (Doyle, 1978).
Teachers of today will also need to be skilled in the vast world of
computerization and technology. Technology takes a special place in the
classroom as a powerful tool for childrens learning by doing. Children's
traditional classroom tools such as pencils, notebooks, and texts are still vital.
However, for children to assemble and modify their ideas, access and study
information, they are inadequate. Computers, video, and other technologies
engage children with the immediacy they are used to in their everyday
lives. Therefore, it is not what equipment is used in the classroom, but how
that equipment is used that will make the difference. The new role of the
teacher will be significantly more complex. They will have many roles: project
manager, tutor, and lecturer. The teacher will be a member of a team, and not
the focus of the classroom. They will provide technical assistance and creative
consultation, rather than directing the children in the creation of narrowly
defined tasks (Forman, Pufall, 1998).
Teachers in todays society will have to understand that the computer
revolution has created an unexpected byproduct. The consequence of this has
been the emergence of a generation of children weaned on multidimensional,
interactive media sources. A generation whos understanding and
expectations of the world differ profoundly from that of the generations
preceding them. Teachers today must give these children the education
necessary to succeed in our technologically intense, global world. New forms
of educational practice that build on children's native learning abilities and
technological competence, must replace the existing methods. There are many
schools that remained in the past, while our children have been born in the
future. The result is a mismatch of learner and educator. However, it is not the
children who are mismatched to the schools; the schools are mismatched to the
children. Only by revising educational practice in light of how our culture has
changed can we close this gap, and reunite our schools with our children and
the rest of our society. The teacher will play an active role in this transition by
having an increased knowledge base and utilizing interactive methods to foster
a positive learning environment for all students in a vastly changing
environment.
Todays teacher must also work in highly interactive and collaborative ways
avoiding the pitfalls of wasted collegiality, while working productively with
other teachers, administrators, parents, business, and community
agencies. This will widen the knowledge base for the teachers of the future
compared to teachers of the past. In doing so, teachers must become
committed to, skilled at and involved in collaborative work cultures inside and
outside the school. (Fullan,1995). The teacher can also develop partnerships
within the community with local business agencies to improve relationships
and open direct communications between the students and the outside world.
The new role of the teacher will require working in new structures. These
structures will include clustered students, require team teaching, provide
common planning time, links to parents and community, and participation in
wider networks of leaning. Teachers today will spend much less time in
classroom teaching, more time interacting with other teachers, more time
preparing for and assessing learning, and sharing a common work room inside
the school (Fullan, 1993).
Teachers today must also be experts in content and develop the habits and skills
of continuous inquiry and learning. They must always try to seek out new
ideas inside and outside their own setting. Therefore, teachers must lead the
way in being continuous learners throughout their careers. With so much to
learn in an ever-changing profession, improvement is a never-ending
proposition. The new role of the teacher will also require teachers to move
beyond the principal as an outside link, and take leadership into their own
hands (Goodland, 1994).
As we advance toward the future, our entire society is changing in a dynamic
global context. Major institutions, including government, industry and finance
are seeking ways to restructure. This will increase their flexibility and
effectiveness in the climate of change. Education is one of the key sectors in
our society that can prepare us for this new world and ensure our success. In
todays society change is inevitable. Therefore, it is important that teachers
become experts in the change process. Teachers must have an understanding of
how to initiate change despite the system, how to understand and manage the
implementation dip, how to simultaneously help create collaborative
cultures and manage conflict.
The new role of the teacher will be one that is gradually mainstreamed into the
classroom over time. Most educators who use technology to implement the
alternative types of pedagogy and curriculum are referred to as "pioneers".
These are the people who see continuous change and growth as an integral part
in their profession, and are the ones who are willing to swim against the tide of
conventional operating procedures. However, to achieve large-scale shifts in
standard educational practices, many more teachers must alter their pedagogical
approaches. There must also be a reform in school management, institutional
structure, and relationships with the community. This requires that "settlers"
(people who appreciate stability and do not want heroic efforts to become an
everyday requirement) must be convinced to make the leap to a different mode
of professional activity - with the understanding that, once they have mastered
these new approaches, their daily work will be sustainable without
extraordinary exertion.

The New Role of the Principal

Principals as transformational leaders have taken on new exciting roles as they
continue to deal with the ever-changing face of education. These principals use
their knowledge and skills to work both internal and external to the school
organization to map new directions, to secure and mobilize old and new
resources, and to respond to present challenges and perceived future challenges.
Effective principals in todays school system assume that change is inevitable,
necessary and indeed, strive to cause it. This report will focus on 1) the
important traits and values that today's principals must possess in order to lead
transformationally, 2) principals as agents of change, 3) principals as managers,
and 4) their responsibility of ensuring inclusive education for a diverse school
community.
Traits and Values:
Deal and Peterson (1994) claim that principals must possess both technical and
symbolic traits. That is, they must think logically, but at the same time be
expressive and passionate, like that of an artist. Their technical roles include
planner, resource-allocator, coordinator, supervisor, disseminator, jurist,
gatekeeper, and analyst. With respect to symbolic roles, the principal is
regarded as historian, anthropological detective, visionary, symbol, potter, poet,
actor, and leader (Fullen, 1996). Principals who possess these traits can
facilitate internal leadership, communication within the system hierarchy,
management of the school environment, and assessment of the effectiveness
and development of school-based accountability.
 In addition to these traits, Patterson (1993) maintains that there are also certain
values that principals need for leadership in tomorrow's school. The first is
openness to participation: it is important to encourage teachers and students to
actively participate in any discussion or decision affecting them. The second is
openness to diversity: effective principals values diversity in perspectives,
leading to a deeper understanding of organizational reality and an enriched
knowledge base for decision making. The third value is openness to conflict:
resolving conflict in a healthy way leads to stronger solutions for complex
issues. The fourth is openness to reflection: reflecting on their own and others
thinking enables principals to achieve better organizational decisions. Finally,
last, but not least, is principals' openness to mistakes: effective principals
acknowledge their mistakes and learn from them.
It is not always easy to convince people that change is good. Principals must
be resourceful and creative in their efforts to bring about and respond to
changes. To be leaders of change, principals must immerse themselves in real
situations of reform and begin to craft their own theories of change constantly
testing them against new situations and against grounded accounts of others'
expectations (Fullan, 1996).
Principals as Agents of Change:
Change often encounters resistance, in some form or another, be it from
teachers, students or parents. This is a good thing. A culture that squashes
disagreement is a culture doomed to stagnate, because change always begins
with disagreement (Champy, 1995). The challenge for principals is to make it
easy for staff/students/parents to speak up about their concerns, really listen to
them, and pick up on cues and new ways of thinking. This generates myriads of
more productive actions and reactions to situations of change.
The dawn of the 21st century has seen many schools dealing with whole school
reform. This is especially true here in Newfoundland, as we change from the
denominational to an integrated school system. Principals are front and center
in this transition. The process of restructuring, retiming and reculturing of
schools requires that principals know that both individualism and collaboration
must co-exist. They must know that differences, diversity and conflict not only
are inevitable, but that they often contain the seeds of breakthroughs, both in
learning, and creating a new, unique school culture. It is critical that principals
share ownership of this reform with teachers, students and parents. Christensen
(1994) found the top behaviors of principals involved in whole school reform
were, communicating goals, sharing decision-making,
creating/articulating school vision and supporting staff.
The principal steeped in leadership for change recognizes the emergence of
School Councils as part of a systemic shift in the relationship between the
communities, and schools that is both inevitable and that contains the seeds of a
necessary realignment with the family and other social agencies (Fullen, 1996).
These councils help mobilize the forces and resources for change by
developing the skills of parents, teachers, students and principals as leaders in
group problem-solving, dealing with conflict, and making content
expertise accessible (1996). The principal, as an agent of change, is in the
middle, fostering, developing and supporting the council.
In short, principals as agents of change have to be prepared for, and embrace
resistance, share ownership of change, develop positive relationships with
school councils and navigate the complex two-way relationship between the
school and the state. Fullen (1996) suggests that principals who develop
leadership for change capacities, learn to control more of their own and their
community's destiny.
Principals as Managers:
Good principals know the importance of management. Traditionally, leadership
as it pertains to decision making has been viewed largely as principal-centered.
However, with the onset of the information age, schools have restructured, or
are in the process of restructuring themselves so that principals and teachers
work together to deal with todays leadership demands and prepare for
tomorrows. In a site-based management system, whereby teachers and
administrators work collaboratively to set the educational policy and agenda for
the school, the responsibility that once rested on the shoulders of the principal
is now spread out amongst the group. The principals vote in decision-making
carries the same weight as the teachers and therefore could be outvoted by
others on the committee on any number of decisions. This type of management
has developed a new understanding of and appreciation for the principals
role in the successful operation of the school. The usual tasks of the principal
remain unchanged; however as a result of the shared decision-making, the
principals role pertaining to the educational program has changed. Since the
educational agenda is determined by consensus, the principal must now
facilitate the building of that consensus. This involves finding and providing
sources of information, serving as a clearinghouse so committees are not
working at cross purposes to each other or system-wide goals, assisting staff
members in providing accountability and encouraging staff development and
experimentation (Strauber, 1990). While these, too, are traditional tasks of the
principal, the difference lies in the fact that the principal now works more
indirectly. Sharing decision-making may imply that the principal is losing
authority. On the contrary, since the principals sphere of communication is
much greater, the influence has actually increased. After all, when a principal
makes a decision alone, he or she is also alone in trying to implement it. By
contrast, when the group makes the decision, the group is ready to get to work
at it.
Principals Providing Inclusive Education:
Schools have changed a great deal over the past two decades. A major
difference is the cultural diversity in our schools today. The student population
in most urban schools is comprised of students from all over the world, Asia,
the West Indies, South America, Eastern Europe and Africa. This diversity
challenges principals to come up with ways to establish and maintain good
relationships with these diverse groups and to honor this diversity in both the
content and conduct of their schooling. James Ryan (1999) describes a number
of strategies principals can employ to overcome these challenges in his paper
Leadership and Diversity.
Establishing meaningful relationships with diverse members of the school
community involves a huge effort on the part of the principal. Accessibility is
key. This involves making it a priority to talk with people, getting the message
out that you are there for them. Ryan (1990) suggests that principals should
post welcoming signs in appropriate languages; send out welcoming
newsletters; take the initiative to talk to members of the school community; and
get out of the office. Other useful strategies involve getting out in the
community and attend meetings of community organizations. They have to take
the initiative to approach others.
With the demands that are placed on principals in schools today, they often
find themselves hearing what people are saying, but not really listening. If
principals make the effort to really listen, people will quickly realize when
they've been heard, and will begin participating in greater numbers than ever
before (Ryan, 1999). Principals can enhance listening by making the interactive
situation as comfortable as possible, providing translation services where
appropriate, comparing the speaker's experience to their own, asking questions,
and avoiding interrupting those who are speaking (1999).
Furthermore, in the effort of establishing and maintaining good relationships
with school communities, it is important to learn about the groups that make up
the community. Principals can learn a great deal by simply walking around the
school, by employing various forms of questionnaires, or by inviting parents
and other members of the community to share their thoughts at school-
organized meetings. Another important aspect of the relationship between
principals and school communities is that principals are obliged to raise
students', teachers' and parents' awareness of the realities of their respective
school communities. This can be done through holding information meetings,
orientation events, newsletters, newspapers, or school handbooks. In addition
they can arrange for both informal and formal meetings, or bring parents in to
assist with school activities or, like students, as formal learners (1999).
Providing inclusive education is just another of the many challenges that
principals are dealing with today. Principals who strive to be transformational
leaders, are much better prepared to take on this challenge, and are more likely
to see the results of their efforts quicker.
Conclusion:
One of the most important factors in creating an effective and efficient school
is its leadership. Principals who take on transformational leadership roles, will
work together with teachers, students, parents and the community to raise each
other to higher levels of morality and motivation and successfully achieve
educational reform. This paper reviewed only a few of the different roles that
transformational principals must perform. These roles are evolving into new,
more exciting roles on a continual basis as education progresses into the 21st
century.

Recommendations

In Transformational Leadership, leaders and followers raise each other to

higher levels of morality and motivation. The text looks at two schools: Horace
Mann Elementary School and Hollibrook Elementary. These were two
completely different schools, one with many rules and structure; the other was
very disorganized. Both schools were changed using transformational
leadership and the results were quite promising.
Transformational leadership involves thinking about ourselves, our jobs and
the nature of the education process. It involves everyone in the decision-
making process to achieve success. It assumes the staff as a whole can make
better decisions as a hole than the principal alone. Goals have been determined
to help staff members develop a professional school culture, foster teacher
development and solve problems more effectively. To accomplish these goals
there are a few strategies to consider. For one, principals could visit the
classroom and encourage the teachers to visit each others classes, taking
responsibility for other students, not just their own. It is very important to get
everyone involved in determining school goals, beliefs and visions at he
beginning of the year. As long as communication lines are open and the
teachers work together there will more likely be consistency among them in
their teaching and in handling situations. The Principal must have high
expectations of the teachers and expect their efforts and commitment to be
excessive, but also give this effort him/herself.
It is important to let them share ideas and experiment with new ideas, posing
questions for others to think about. The needs and wants of the staff should be
considered. Also, their attitudes and philosophies should be heard. Using
active listening will show them that they are cared about. When they feel this,
they will likely be more productive.
Bringing workshops to the school that can involve staff participation gives the
teachers an opportunity to share ideas. The principal might also hold his or her
own workshop and share new information from other conferences he/she
attended with staff members. When new staff are hired they should be
encouraged to participate in decision-making. They should be informed of this
type of leadership for the school and what it involves. Reflective thinking is a
process that parents, teachers and administrators can use for problem solving
and decision-making. Also, teachers who are not happy with this style should
be given the chance to transfer. This helps establish an environment where all
those present are willing to commit fully to the schools purpose. The
principal might also help teachers work smarter by placing individual problems
in a larger perspective of the whole school, therefore they can work together to
find solutions, and avoiding preconceived solutions. The principal should not
impose his or her opinion or perspective but support this group effort and guide
them by summarizing key points at meetings.
Also, action research teams or school improvement teams are a way of sharing
power. This gives everyone responsibilities and involves the staff in
governance functions. Those who do not participate might be asked to be in
charge of the committee.
Another suggestion is to find out the good things that are happening and
publicly recognize the work of the staff and students who have contributed to
improvements of the school. Writing private notes of appreciation for special
efforts is also quite effective. A principal elevates the teachers and him/herself
to higher levels of morality and motivation.
A principal should use bureaucratic mechanisms to support teachers, like
finding money for projects or providing time for collaborative planning during
workdays. They should try to help avoid problems of limited time, excessive
paperwork and other demands.
All of these ideas should help create a positive, productive learning
environment that serves to accomplish the schools purpose while promoting
positive relationships, open communication and support of teachers and
students.
The results thus far appear to be positive and studies have shown this
leadership style to have sizable influence on teachers attitudes towards
school improvement and altered instructional behavior. Some feel that this
form of leadership can remarkably improve student achievement. Others see it
as just one part of a balanced approach to creating high performance in schools.
Finding that balance is not so easy, but schools that are restructuring, moving
closer to a facilitative way should solve the problem.

Conclusion
 Transformational leadership in the school is a definite advantage for everyone
involved. Our children will benefit from attending school, but with
transformational leadership the environment in and around the school will
dramatically improve. Teachers and administrators working together, showing
each other support and appreciation, will not only promote improvement in
staff relations, but also benefits the students. A transformational structure will
help teachers to become more valued members of the education community,
and will in turn provide the students with more effective
instruction. Cooperation among the staff also sets an excellent example for the
students. All things considered, with the use of transformational leadership, the
children will be at a greater advantage to learn in a more enjoyable manner, and
teachers will be better able to meet the needs of each and every student.

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