Hubris syndrome in the relationship between School-Heads and Board-Chairs in private commercial secondary schools in Botswana: Implications for school leadership

Abstract

This paper explored two issues as follows: (a) whether hubris syndromes have manifested in the leadership behaviour and working relationships of the school heads and board chairs in private commercial secondary schools; and (b) the implications of these findings for school leadership. The participants of the study were the school-heads and board-chairs working in 10 commercial private secondary schools located in the urban and peri-urban areas of Gaborone, Botswana. These schools were selected conveniently, based on the willingness of the school-head/board-chair to participate, the ownership structure, and the duration of the school-head/board-chair joint working relationship. Documents such as reports and newsletters were the main data sources. These were analyzed using content analysis and frequency counts. The findings revealed elements of hubris in the leaders’ correspondences. Among the board-chairs, the symptoms of hubris included excessive confidence whereas, among the school-heads, the symptoms of hubris included an identification with the organisation. One factor that may account for these finding is the ownership arrangement of the private schools. Many had the board chair as the owners. Various implications for school leadership have been discussed.