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The context
The study firstly synthesises the key findings of chaos and complexity theory, and then demonstrates how these findings have evolved into a large body of business literature. The main body of the dissertation shows how these findings can be transferred to school leadership and how the literature on educational management and leadership already embraces, albeit implicitly in many cases, the core elements of complexity thinking.
Methodology
Initially the dissertation was intending to test complexity theory against actual practice in schools and discern the degree to which it has verifiable validity as a model for planning and progressing school leadership. This proved to be a larger task than possible within a Master dissertation and so a simpler piece of qualitative research was done instead. This is placed in an appendix with and accompanying summary of the methodology underpinning it. The in-school research was not looking to evaluate the degree of validity, but merely to confirm that complexity language and the theoretic paradigm deriving from complexity theory did have some mileage in describing what goes on in schools. Further work by NCSL research associates would be encouraged in this area of research. The study is, then, essentially a literature based piece of research that works with three bodies of material: the scientific, the social science/business and educational leadership. The threads that link these diverse literature bases together are teased out and made explicit. An evaluation of the validity of these ideas is made and in particular of whether general principles are transferable from one discipline to another. This is a philosophical issue as well as academic as quantum thinking is postmodern in nature so hits linguistic and conceptual problems of transferred meaning.
National College for School Leadership 2003 1
connectedness and commitment; as leaders, they work closely with people and are emotionally connected to them.
This descriptor is an almost definitive assessment of what successful school leadership looks like, yet it derives from complexity theory. Morrison makes the bold claim in his key book on complexity and school leadership that: Complexity is a reality; it is happening; it is working in practice, whether we like it or not. Though its message is unsettling, for it argues that long-term planning is futile, that control is a chimera, and that the power of bosses is limited, it is descriptively accurate. (2002) Complexity helps describe what actually happens. Perhaps further investigation into how leaders can use complexity to shape events will cause an emergence of a new leadership paradigm across our schools.
References
Allix, N M, 2000, Transformational Leadership: democratic or despotic? Educational Management and Administration, 28(1), 720 Hargreaves, A and Fullan, M, 1998, Whats Worth Fighting For Out There? Guidelines for Principals Toronto, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto Morrison, K, 2002, School Leadership and Complexity Theory, London, RoutledgeFalmer Spears, L C, 2001, Recent Commentary, Indianapolis, The Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership [www.greenleaf.org/leadership/read-about-it] Stacey, R D, 1996, Complexity and Creativity in Organisations, San Francisco, Berrett-Koehler
Acknowledgements
Many thanks to the schools which helped shape these thoughts: King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford Chelmer Valley High School, Chelmsford
Thanks in particular to these staff and former staff at Hull University in the International Leadership Centre within the Institute for Learning: Professor John West-Burnham Professor Brent Davies Derek Bowden