Navigating the ethical quagmire: an in-depth analysis of ethical leadership practices amidst turbulence and multiple deprivation in four Zimbabwean schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT This paper presents findings from part of a qualitative case study that explored ethical leadership in four Zimbabwean high schools in the context of turbulence and multiple deprivation as conceptualized, experienced and practiced by school heads, heads of department and teachers. By making use of social constructivism on ethical leadership, data was generated and analyzed utilizing thematic analysis as well as Multiple Ethical Paradigms, Turbulence Theory and African Philosophy of Ubuntu. To generate data, semi-structured interviews, document reviews and questionnaires were used. The findings revealed that ethical dilemmas affected ethical school leadership practices and identified ethical dilemmas faced by the school personnel. This paper argues that leaders that care, are just, critical and professional; who are knowledgeable of the different levels of turbulence; are ethically grounded and operate within the spirit of Ubuntu; acknowledge their agency should be able to ethically deal with the ethical dilemmas. What needs to be highlighted are the values of ethical leadership training and democratic leadership processes which help sustain ethical leadership practices thus enabling their schools to flourish. Hence, this paper postulates that, due the various challenges faced by the school personnel, they are hindered from making ethical decisions.