The solitary style of educational leadership once embodied by the “Lone Ranger” is now a thing of the past. Today, effective leadership relies more heavily on relational competencies than on other skills, enabling leaders to forge meaningful connections and enhance social capital both within and outside their educational institutions. This is a time to build connections beyond the organization, fostering relationships and expanding opportunities for social and educational change. This approach involves positioning leaders at the “edges” of their organizations, so they can extend their influence outward and spread their wings, building connections with the whole educational ecosystem. “Leading from the edge” involves exploring new opportunities that begin at the organization’s border. The “edger” leader pushes the borders of their organization and is capable of socially transforming their environment from the margins. This chapter argues that networks should not exist in isolation within their ecosystems and that neither educational professionals nor their organizations should be isolated. Educational leaders must therefore be able to link their network with others to strengthen the educational ecosystem and support connected autonomy. From the macro, meso, and micro levels, this new form of leadership makes distinct contributions to the development of networks and the promotion of educational change across a diverse ecosystem that includes, but is not limited to, schools. This chapter explores leadership both within and across these educational levels, concluding that “edgers” exemplify a dynamic and inclusive vision of leadership.

错误:搜索内容不能为空,请输入英文关键词
错误:关键词超出字数限制,请精简
高级检索

Leading Change from the Edges: A Network-Based Perspective

  • Cecilia Azorín,
  • Mireia Civís

摘要

The solitary style of educational leadership once embodied by the “Lone Ranger” is now a thing of the past. Today, effective leadership relies more heavily on relational competencies than on other skills, enabling leaders to forge meaningful connections and enhance social capital both within and outside their educational institutions. This is a time to build connections beyond the organization, fostering relationships and expanding opportunities for social and educational change. This approach involves positioning leaders at the “edges” of their organizations, so they can extend their influence outward and spread their wings, building connections with the whole educational ecosystem. “Leading from the edge” involves exploring new opportunities that begin at the organization’s border. The “edger” leader pushes the borders of their organization and is capable of socially transforming their environment from the margins. This chapter argues that networks should not exist in isolation within their ecosystems and that neither educational professionals nor their organizations should be isolated. Educational leaders must therefore be able to link their network with others to strengthen the educational ecosystem and support connected autonomy. From the macro, meso, and micro levels, this new form of leadership makes distinct contributions to the development of networks and the promotion of educational change across a diverse ecosystem that includes, but is not limited to, schools. This chapter explores leadership both within and across these educational levels, concluding that “edgers” exemplify a dynamic and inclusive vision of leadership.