Running head: BOARD FACULTY AND STAFF RELATIONS Board Faculty and Staff Relations Krystal T. Morris Grand Canyon University EDL-817 02/24/2021 1 BOARD FACULTY AND STAFF RELATIONS 2 Introduction Collaboration between various stakeholders is quickly becoming a key determinant of success within educational settings (Jovanovic et al., 2016). Educational leaders are now expected to form healthy and working relationships not only with staff members but also with the community. Collaborative leadership entails ensuring that stakeholders get a chance for shared leadership, an aspect that will make it easier for them to share pedagogical and instructional ideas (Jovanovic et al., 2016). This paper will focus on two collaborative leadership theories; the transformational theory of leadership and the synergistic leadership theory, and how they can facilitate the creation of collaborative relationships within a learning environment. Collaborative Leadership Theories Educational leaders deal with numerous challenges when seeking to guarantee the success of the school, staff members, support staff, and students. They are expected to set the standard, especially when it pertains to the expected shared mission and vision within an educational setting (Jovanovic et al., 2016). In addition, they also have to not only manage, but also support staff members and other employees by coming up with measures that allow for collaboration between the leaders and their subordinates. The leadership approach adopted by educational leaders determines whether there will be an effective collaboration between the stakeholders (Jovanovic et al., 2016). Other than those in leadership positions, stakeholders within an educational setting will comprise staff members, parents, and the local communities within which a school is situated. Local communities are included as stakeholders because they not only affected by the presence of the school but are also serve as an important source of support BOARD FACULTY AND STAFF RELATIONS 3 staff for the majority of learning institutions. Transformational Theory of Leadership The transformational theory of leadership can be initially traced back to James V. Downton who came up with the basic concept of this leadership theory (Korejan & Shahbazi, 2016). However, James McGregor Burns gets credited with expanding the concept introduced by Downton, and as such, showing the applicability of the theory. The main premise of this theory is that it is much better when people work as teams when seeking to achieve a common vision or objective. Thus, it aims to bring about positive change not only in people but also within social systems. Transformational leadership positively benefits not only the subordinates but also the leaders. When adopted within a workplace environment, it allows for leaders and subordinates to contribute to each other’s growth and development Korejan & Shahbazi, 2016). They do this by enhancing each other’s morale and motivation towards attaining their shared vision. Synergistic Leadership Theory Genevieve Brown and Beverly Irby are credited with coming up with the synergistic leadership theory (SLT) (Irby et al., 2002). One of the reasons Brown and Irby decided to come up with this theory was the fact that leadership theories used within educational settings were predominantly anchored on the experiences of white males. As such, they overlook the feminine point of view and the input they can have when it comes to leadership. The main aim of this theory is to ensure that all stakeholders, irrespective of their gender have a chance to participate in decision-making and assume leadership positions (Irby et al., 2002). The theory acknowledges that women have beneficial leadership attributes which can enhance the effectiveness of workplace collaboration which will lead to overall success. Effectiveness of the Collaborative Theories in a K-12 School Community Setting BOARD FACULTY AND STAFF RELATIONS 4 Transformational Theory of Leadership Transformational leadership can help educational leaders establish a mutually supportive culture focused on pushing stakeholders towards a shared objective (Jovanovic et al., 2016). In most cases, board members within a learning institution are the ones responsible for coming up with the shared goals every stakeholder should work towards achieving. Lack of collaboration between the various stakeholders, be it, staff members, parents, support staff, and local communities significantly undermines the attainment of these goals. Under this leadership approach staff members and support staff will be encouraged to embrace a greater sense of accountability and responsibility for the work they do. When this happens, they will feel empowered to offer up their ideas and input pertaining to how the school should achieve its goals, an aspect that will lead to overall success for all stakeholders (Jovanovic et al., 2016). The collaborative relationship formed under this leadership approach is not only between educational leaders and their subordinates but also between subordinates themselves. Courtesy of this collaborative relationship educational leaders will provide staff members and support staff with the resources and support they require to fulfill their duties (Jovanovic et al., 2016). In exchange, the subordinates will feel motivated to improve their performance levels and enhance their productivity. Transformational leadership creates a suitable environment for inter-staff collaboration within an educational setting. Staff members and support staff will get a chance to share knowledge and information, an aspect that will make them more effective at their jobs. Attaining a school's shared goals can only happen when all stakeholders can come together and support each other, something that transformational leadership allows to take root within an educational setting (Jovanovic et al., 2016). Synergistic Leadership Theory BOARD FACULTY AND STAFF RELATIONS 5 The adoption of policies with educational settings geared towards enhancing gender diversity resulted in more women getting a chance to become educators. As such, many learning institutions have numerous female staff members. Women have certain leadership tendencies and attributes that are quite different from men (Ardovini et al., 2010). For instance, they are more inclined towards focusing on empowering and developing their colleagues and subordinates. The exclusion of women from leadership and decision-making means that learning institutions cannot take advantage of such attributes. However, adopting a synergistic leadership approach will make it easier for educational leaders to establish a workplace environment characterized by stakeholder participation and collaboration. Empowering women to not only take up leadership positions but to also embrace leadership tendencies will allow learning institutions to take advantage of the feminine point of view and approach to leadership (Ardovini et al., 2010). These attributes are credited with enhancing workplace collaboration, an aspect that will make it easier to establish a mutually supportive culture within a school. Besides this, when everybody gets a chance to take part in decision-making, working together towards attaining a shared objective becomes relatively easy. However, this cannot get attained when a section of stakeholders feel isolated and left out. Conclusion Having a shared vision and set of goals is not sufficient for learning institutions, considering without the stakeholders working together and supporting each other achieving such objectives becomes challenging. However, adopting transformational and synergetic leadership will allow educational leaders to encourage the formation of collaborative relationships not only between the leaders and their subordinates but also between the subordinates. Such an environment makes it easier for everybody to work together towards the attainment of common goals and BOARD FACULTY AND STAFF RELATIONS 6 objectives. This happens because every stakeholder feels invested in the success of their learning institution, and as such will give their best to guarantee their success and that of the school. BOARD FACULTY AND STAFF RELATIONS 7 References Ardovini, J. Trautman, H.D., Brown, G., & Irby B. (2010). Including Female Leadership Experiences and Behaviors: A Qualitative Validation of Synergistic Leadership Theory. International Leadership Journal, 2(3-4), 22-52. Irby, B.J., Brown, G., Duffy, J.A. & Trautman, D. (2002). The Synergistic Leadership Theory. Journal of Educational Administration, 40(4), 304-322. Jovanovic, D., & Ciric, M. (2016). Benefits of Transformational Leadership in the Context of Education. The European Proceedings of Social and Behavioral Sciences. Doi: 10.15405/epbs.2016.09.64 Korejan, M.M., & Shahbazi, H. (2016). An Analysis of Transformational Leadership Theory. Journal of Fundamental and Applied Sciences, 8(3), 452-461. Overall Assessment Krystal, Thank you for the effort in authoring this paper. You provided details that were relevant to each required point. However, there were areas that were not completely developed and statements and assertions that needed to be supported with a reference. Please see my comments within the paper. I used comment feature of Word and the track changes feature. Please note that I did not highlight each grammatical and APA formatting error. Please let me know if you have questions. Overall, good work. Onward and upward, Dr. Flood
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