Leadership for Reforms in Canada, Jamaica, China, and Taiwan

• In Event: 75.049 - Globalized Contexts for Collaboration, Change, and Reform

Abstract

Hallinger (2010) calls reforms ‘a smorgasbord of imported education reforms’ such as school-based management, student-centered learning, ICT and more. Geert Hofstede’s cultural dimensions is used as the framework where each country has an index for each of the four dimensions. For example, the Power Distance Index (PDI) is high in Canada. Principals must rely on consensus building. PDI is low in Taiwan where authority continues to play a dominant role. Jamaica is in-between. Individualism (IDV) is very high in Canada, hence consensus building is used by leaders. This paper compared cultural leadership for reforms from the perspectives of principals and teachers to examine how principals used cultural leadership to implement reforms. Results and recommendations will be beneficial in all jurisdictions.

Authors

• Disraeli M. Hutton, University of the West Indies

• Peter Yee Han Joong, University of the West Indies

• Ming-Dih Lin, National Chung Cheng University

• Clyde Glasgow, Ontario College of Teachers