Linking educational leadership styles to the HR architecture for new teachers in primary education.

Eva Vekeman,Martin Valcke,Geert Devos

doi:10.1186/s40064-016-3378-8

Abstract

This study aims to gain insight in the relationship between principals’ leadership styles and the configuration of different HR practices for new teachers in primary education. Besides the longstanding interest in educational leadership as a key element in teacher and student performance, there is a growing interest in strategic human resource management (SHRM) in the educational sector. However, few educational studies link educational leadership to SHRM. In particular, this study examines the relationship between principals’ instructional and transformational leadership style and principals’ strategic and HR orientation in configuring HR practices for new teachers. Data were gathered using a mixed methods approach, including interviews with 75 principals as well as an online survey of 1058 teachers in Flemish primary education. Qualitative interview data were transformed and analysed together with the quantitative survey data using logistic regression and ANOVA analyses. The results indicate that both instructional and transformational leadership is associated with the strategic orientation of principals. The HR orientation, on the other hand, is not reflected in the principals’ leadership style. Recommendations for further research in this area are discussed.

Highlights

Researchers have made strides documenting the importance of human resource management (HRM) (e.g. Arthur 1994) and strategic human resource management (SHRM) for employees’ and organisations’ performance (e.g. Wright and Snell 1998)
As the purpose of this study is to gain insight in the configuration of a bundle of HR practices for new teachers by principals and its relationship with principals’ leadership style, this particular mixed methods study attempts to answer the following research questions: 1. How do principals configure a bundle of HR practices for new teachers?
Qualitative results: How do principals configure a bundle of HR practices for new teachers? Administrative HRM In total 38 principals were classified in the administrative HRM type

Summary

Introduction

Researchers have made strides documenting the importance of human resource management (HRM) (e.g. Arthur 1994) and strategic human resource management (SHRM) for employees’ and organisations’ performance (e.g. Wright and Snell 1998). Researchers have made strides documenting the importance of human resource management (HRM) (e.g. Arthur 1994) and strategic human resource management (SHRM) for employees’ and organisations’ performance Only recently attention has been given to the importance of (S)HRM in improving and developing schools (Leisink and Boselie 2014; Odden 2011; Runhaar and Runhaar 2012; Smylie and Wenzel 2006). The awareness has grown that school leaders can have a tremendous effect on student learning through the teachers they hire, how they assign those teachers to classrooms, how they retain teachers and how they create opportunities for teachers to improve (Horng and Loeb 2010). Outside the educational field, HRM and leadership were separate research areas for many years (Liu et al 2003; Vermeeren 2014).

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion