School Principals' Systems Thinking: Antecedents and Consequences

• In Event: 67.052 - Understanding School Leadership Through Organizational Theory

Abstract

Although research shows the benefits of applying a system thinking perspective to school management, research in the educational field has been limited. This study investigates the mediating role of principals’ system thinking in the relationship between instructional leadership and the job attitudes of middle-leaders. A Structural Equation Model from a sample of 226 middle-leaders indicates that principals’ system thinking mediated the relationships between instructional leadership and the middle-leaders’ organizational commitment and job satisfaction. By integrating research from both educational and non-educational literatures, this study contributes to deepen our understanding regarding the antecedents and consequences of the principals’ systems thinking as a leadership framework in complex school systems. We discuss the implications of these findings to both theory and practice.

Authors

• Pascale Sarah Benoliel, Bar-Ilan University

• Haim Shaked, Hemdat Hadarom College of Education

• Nadav Nehama, Bar-Ilan University

• Chen Schechter, Bar-Ilan University