Exploring the Role of Positive Leadership for Mobilizing Innovative Practices: A Social Network Approach

Abstract

The importance of positive leadership for school and district improvement is receiving increased attention (e.g., Cherkowski, 2018; Seashore Louis & Murphy, 2018). In particular, it is suggested that positive leadership, when implemented effectively, can influence behavioural outcomes (e.g., collaboration among school staff), attitudinal outcomes (e.g., job satisfaction), leader-related outcomes (e.g., trust for leadership), performance outcomes (e.g., collective efficacy) as well as a wide variety moderating and mediating variables for these outcomes (Murphy & Seashore Louis, 2018; Eva, Robin, Sendjaya, van Dierendonck, & Liden, 2019). At the same time, there is little evidence about the role of positive leadership in relation to the mobilization of innovative teaching and learning practices, particularly practices that advance well-being and positive mental health for students and teachers. The mobilisation of such practices is of increasing importance in education systems that are ‘self-improving’: i.e. which rely on teachers and schools understand what effective practice comprises and then sharing this practice widely (Brown, 2020). Correspondingly, this paper reports on a study which examined the associations between perceptions of positive school leadership, their behaviours as regards to innovative practices, and their connections to others within a multi-school network. The overarching research question guiding our work is, “How do perceptions of positive leadership alongside information about their school roles and social connections influence the potential for mobilizing innovative practices?” We begin the paper by outlining several principles of positive leadership that are important for understanding the development of social capital in support of well-being and positive mental health. Following this we next introduce the notion of networks in education and how networks represent opportunities for channeling embedded social capital towards achieving school improvement targets, particularly in relation to mobilizing effective practices. We then posit several hypotheses about the mobilization of innovative teaching and learning practices related to well-being within the framework of positive leadership and education networks.