The below figures and research information bring attention to the variety of perspectives which school principals or administrators might adopt as a leader. This, in effect, defines the way in which their teachers will lead their students.
Inspirational Effect- Sharing Visions and Being a Role Model (Szeto & Cheng, 2018, p. 373):
The principal’s approach to sharing their vision is detected through their interactions with teachers. The principal is seen as a role model who sets high expectations and provides various opportunities to share their vision. They do this by modelling good decision-making and by considering teacher perspectives and ideas.
Empowering effect- Emphasizing Curriculum Development & Facilitating Teachers’ Professional Development (Szeto & Cheng, 2018, p. 374):
Principals place emphasis on curriculum development and encourage teachers’ professional development through principal–teacher interactions. Principals also offer different learning opportunities and recommend that teachers participate in decision-making for overall curriculum development and delivery.
Allowing Effect - Enabling Autonomy to Motivated Teachers (Szeto & Cheng, 2018, p. 374):
This approach to teacher leadership development is based upon the"laissez-faire" principal leadership style, where principals give the impression of being invisible in the school (Szeto & Cheng, 2018, p. 374). "Laissez-faire" leadership might have an ‘allowing’ effect on teachers. Since these teachers are already motivated to work on their own, their autonomy allows for leadership development to occur (Szeto & Cheng, 2018, p. 375).
Figure 1 (p. 366) is a conceptualization of teacher leadership within teacher-principal relationships. In addition, the frequency and content of principal–teacher interactions are shown to have various influences on teacher leadership development within the four boundaries of classroom, subject, team and organization (Szeto & Cheng, 2018, p. 366).
Laissez-faire Leadership(Stein et al., 2016, p. 1007):
The principal or administrator avoids making decisions and is essentially absent in their schools. Unfortunately their responsibilities go unmet and teachers lack guidance and support. This is the least effective leadership approach and often leads to low productivity, lack of innovation, weak connection among teachers and high levels of conflict among different staff members.
Transactional Leadership(Stein et al., 2016, p 1007):
The principal implements contingent rewards and management-by- exception contingent rewards (Bass, 1998).
In contingent reward transactions, the principal sets goals and then rewards teachers with either praise or material rewards for meeting these goals.
In management-by-exception, the principal uses corrective behaviours to manage their teachers by intervening if their goals are not met or if teachers are not performing as anticipated.
Transformational leadership(Stein et al., 2016, p. 1007-1008):
The principal builds on these transactions by challenging their teachers to take risks. Principals are role models for their teachers and secure respect and trust in their professional relationships. They motivate and inspire their teachers to commit to the school's vision and engage them in problem-solving and solution development. Transformational principals or administrators inspire teacher efficacy through behaviors such as promoting teacher empowerment, building community and encouraging innovation.
Figure 2 (p. 1024) illustrates the many avenues through which principal leadership style can shape teacher leader efficacy and one external source of influence that was particularly relevant to our study—the teacher leaders’ characteristics. (Stein et al., 2016, p. 1026).
Developing quality teacher-principal relationships should never feel like a battle between both professionals. However, teachers and principals may clash when discussing which leadership styles are best to implement within the same school environment. In regards to instructional leadership practices, this can become challenging for teachers to handle if what they have to offer differs from those of their principals or administrators. I believe that the foundation of maintaining one's value in their work place is to stay true one's professional practices and perspectives on their best leadership practices.
One way to improve teacher leadership in schools is to focus on improving the quality of teacher-principal relationships. This would result in having more committed and effective teachers (Price, 2012, p. 69). Teacher satisfaction is also associated with positive work conditions within a school, which would be directly related to the principal’s leadership style (Van Maele & Van Houtte, 2012, p. 886). Principal leadership plays a large role in determining how teachers feel about their ability to lead change (their sense of efficacy) (Stein et al., 2016, p. 1007). It's no surprise that the improvement of one's instructional practices is significantly impacted by how principals support their leadership efforts (Stein et al., 2016, p. 1006).
The climate of a school is influenced by the leadership practices of principals and administrators. Principals define their school climates through discipline policies and their interactions with their staff. In fact, positive and effective communication styles improve perceptions of school climate by both teachers and students (Gray et al., 2017, p. 206). Additionally, quality teacher-principal relationships and interactions may influence a school's culture. Interpersonal relationships built upon these interactions often influence the development of teacher leadership in more positive ways (Szeto & Cheng, 2018, p. 365).