Abstract
Research into what is effective leadership in different cultures provides guidance for leaders moving from one culture to another (House et al, 2014). There is a paucity of empirical research into how culture impacts effective educational leadership in culturally diverse communities, which provides the direction and focus for this study. The cultural backgrounds of staff can impact what they expect about i) how leaders communicate, ii) what actions help build trust and collaboration and iii) how decisions can or should be made (Hofstede, 1991; Meyer, 2014). This study analyses the extent to which school leaders adapt their behaviours in response to the cultures of their staff. Findings suggest that leaders in schools do adapt their actions, most often using different communication styles but also methods of building collaboration and trust, and decision-making structures. Culture impacts what are effective leadership practices (Dorfman et al, 2012) and educational leaders need to understand these potential impacts if they work in culturally diverse communities. This is important to consider for school leaders and leadership preparation programmes.
Highlights
It is a truism to say that school communities are becoming more diverse, with immigration and refugees impacting national systems globally (Brooks and Jean-Marie, 2015)
The present study explores leadership behaviours in culturally diverse school communities whose stakeholders include a mixture of western and non-western backgrounds and cultures, and analyses the extent to which school leaders’ behaviours respond to the cultures of the staff with whom they work
After collating and analysing the data from each of the cases the following findings and themes emerged. They are presented according to the research questions, numbered 1 to 5, as follows: 1. In what ways, if any, do international school leaders adapt their communication styles to fit the expectations of the cultural groups within their staff?
Summary
It is a truism to say that school communities are becoming more diverse, with immigration and refugees impacting national systems globally (Brooks and Jean-Marie, 2015). While the nature of the international school sector is changing, with increasing numbers of such schools catering principally for local affluent families rather than for the globally-mobile expatriate students traditionally found in such schools, there continue to be thousands of school leaders working within culturally diverse communities of both students and staff. Much of the current research on culture and leadership in schools is comparative, comparing concepts, structures or behaviours between nations or cultures. It has most often focused on western influenced cultures, with other cultures receiving less attention. The research explores what the leaders did and why, when relating to their staff, in order to better understand what effective leadership means in these school communities. The conclusions may be of value to leaders in other groups, who have similar dynamics at play in their communities
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