Systemically oriented leadership: leading multi-school organisations in England

Constantinides, M. (2022) Systemically oriented leadership: leading multi-school organisations in England. Journal of Educational Change, (doi: 10.1007/s10833-022-09456-4) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

This paper takes ecological systems theory as a conceptual basis for defining and examining the main aspects of ‘system leadership’ in a large-sized multi-school group, such as a multi-academy trust (MAT) in the context of England. The theory provides a sound framework for understanding the processes and interactions involved in this notion of leadership which is framed within an educational ecosystem as a complex set of interconnected elements. Such an approach focuses on MAT leadership strategies able to create and guide a holistic conception of educational change in the market-oriented and decentralised educational system of England. Data were drawn from interviews with eight MAT leaders and analysed alongside documentary evidence. The findings provide specific insight into the daily work of executive leaders acting as system leaders seeking to create and sustain achievement-centred and practice-focused systems MAT-wide. They demonstrate the social and developing as well as the organisational aspects of system leadership in MATs and the ways in which different elements of the environment influence executive leaders in thinking and acting systemically. This paper adds value to existing knowledge on MATs and the ways in which they are led by system players. It broadens the frame of reference of leadership beyond the individual school to consider features of the broader system and environment. Complexity and ecological perspectives provide essential tools to understand more deeply educational change and have the potential to analyse notions of leadership across multi-school groups.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions.
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Constantinides, Dr Michalis
• Authors: Constantinides, M.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education
• Journal Name: Journal of Educational Change
• Publisher: Springer
• ISSN: 1389-2843
• ISSN (Online): 1573-1812
• Published Online: 22 April 2022
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2022 The Author
• First Published: First published in Journal of Educational Change 2022
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License