The C-19 pandemic has triggered a change in society in many ways. It disrupted operations across various sectors and highlightedthe importance of solid leadership in times of need, and the education sector is no exception.
Importance Of Organizational Leadership In Education
As educational institutions had to shut down, the pandemic triggered a breakneck-speed transformation of almost all administrative and academic processes, which would not have been possible without strong organizational leadership.
Furthermore, the pandemic also brought forth uncertainties around education, leading to learning loss and burnout among students. Not to mention the stress induced by e-learning, which can lead to burnout and exhaustion in both students and teachers.
Although the end of the pandemic is in sight, the need for progressive educational leadership is steadily growing. But what is organizational leadership, and how can you achieve it?
What is organizational leadership?
Leadership within education isn’t just efficient operational management. Genuine leadership is about understanding the capabilities of your staff, encouraging communication, and offering constructive criticism that fuels growth. The objective of organizational leadership is to inspire and motivate employees to work together toward a collective vision.
Strong leadership skills are an absolute must if you aspire to become an educational leader and advance your career as an educator. After all, bringing about effective organizational change and guiding and supporting everyone during a difficult period requires good leadership. One of the best ways to develop the hallmarks of effective leadership and advance to a higher position is by pursuing further education in educational leadership. There are many online school leadership programs with a flexible schedule that can easily be accommodated into your routine as an educator.
As an educational leader, the well-being of students and teachers and the efficient functioning of the organization should be your highest priority. Today we present four tips to help you improve your leadership skills by leaps and bounds. Keep scrolling if you wish to learn more.
1. Encourage lifelong learning
Education leaders should work to foster an environment where learning and the application of new information are highly valued. You can nurture a spirit of cooperation that benefits teams and the organization itself by promoting an environment that encourages learning, creativity, and constructive criticism.
To cultivate a learning organization, you can, for example, hold open forums where educators can discuss rules and processes that were effective in the past but no longer meet the institution’s goals. For example, you can hold frequent meetings with experienced educators to discuss issues they’re encountering in the classroom and ways the school system may better assist students and educators.
Leading by example in terms of how much you learn may do wonders for creating an organizational culture that values education. As an educational leader, you can set an example for your employees by keeping up with the latest research, attending educational seminars, encouraging open communication, and prioritizing personal growth.
2. Leverage technology to transform educational processes
As an educational leader, your primary responsibility is to prioritize the need of students. In today’s highly competitive academia, higher education institutions must adopt a systematic approach to adopting tech to provide students with an environment that facilitates and maximizes learning. With a coherent plan for adopting tech, educational leaders can do more than just facilitate tech literacy among students; they can even address concerns of accessibility and personalization.
Below we have outlined a few use cases of how institutions have been leveraging tech to empower learning:
- Educational institutions can use data analytics and machine learning to support student pain points, ensure efficient resource allocation, and streamline student experiences.
- Educators can leverage AI tools to facilitate a collaborative learning environment to increase student engagement and participation in class.
- Educational institutions can leverage technology to create personalized lesson plans for students with special needs, which can help them improve their grasp of the subject.
The success of every contemporary educational institution depends on its leaders being receptive to new ideas and technological developments.
3. Familiarize yourself with best practices for change management
Change is inevitable, and education leaders require a firm grasp of change management. It helps them navigate tricky organizational situations, such as a lockdown or something more toned down like a new employee.
Change management starts with determining what change is required. Sometimes change is unavoidable and needs a reactive response, while other times, it results from deliberate policy decisions made by those in authority. Knowledgeable leaders in any organization will know when and how to implement change by combining methodical thinking, collaboration, and analytics.
Furthermore, everybody reacts to change differently. Some reactions will be more volatile than others. Therefore, education leaders need to hone their communication and, presumably, conflict resolution abilities to successfully steer people, teams, and the whole institution through the transition.
4. Prioritize student well-being
Research shows that effective school leadership has considerable influence over student outcomes. Prioritizing students’ well-being can significantly elevate learning outcomes. According to a study by Wallace Foundation, effective leadership by school admin can cause a significant increase in student learning outcomes compared to ineffective school leadership.
Educational leaders must be constantly realigned to achieve educational equity to influence positive outcomes. As the effects of good leadership are not confined to a classroom, it only makes sense for education leaders to invest time and effort into strategies that can deliver quantitative results.
School admins can influence positive learning outcomes by introducing policies that support learning and providing growth and development opportunities to teachers to advance their knowledge. Following are a few ways school admin can have a positive impact on student outcomes:
- Planning, creating, and implementing instructional materials according to research-based methodologies.
- Facilitating the achievement of regional objectives by providing teachers with the resources they need in terms of materials, facilities, and financing
- Allocating funds in a manner that supports curricular objectives and provides training for educators with implementation responsibilities.
Leaders in education at all levels have the power to shape their students’ educational experiences and results via the choices they make at the strategic and organizational levels.
Bottom Line
Decisions ranging from handling work-from-home policies to addressing and supporting teachers’ concerns can be made much more effectively with effective organizational leadership. Strong leadership at all levels of education can streamline decision-making processes and improve communication across the board. We hope you found this article helpful; follow these four tips to improve your leadership skills and bring about effective organizational change.
