BUILDING THE CAPACITY TO ACHIEVE HEALTH & LEARNING OUTCOMES “Leadership is a Process” Marcia Rubin

what is leadership?

Leadership: Theory & Practice A process Involves influence Occurs in a group context Involves goal attainment The leadership literature corroborated our sense that Leadership is a process – not simply a structure or a matter of titles; Leadership involves influence – at least one group – and goals. Maybe a picture will help. Peter G. Northouse Leadership: Theory & Practice

A process, influence, a group, and a goal A process, influence, a group, and a goal. There is a lot of purposeful energy at work here. What do you notice in this picture? Who is leading? What kind of influence is taking place? What might the goal be? And look at those faces!

LEADERSHIP IS LIKE SWIMMING, IT CAN’T BE DONE BY READING ABOUT IT. WHAT IS LEADERSHIP? LEADERSHIP IS LIKE SWIMMING, IT CAN’T BE DONE BY READING ABOUT IT.

what is leadership? Leaders Manage the Future Managers Manage the Present

Team Leadership Teams are organizational groups composed of members who are interdependent, who share common goals, and who must coordinate their activities to accomplish those goals. Sounds like a Coordinated School Health Program to me.

Accomplishing Goals Begins with the leader’s mental model of the situation. The mental model reflects not only the components of the entire health program including programs, policies, and services but also the various goals and objectives confronting each district health committee or internal disciplinary team. It also encompasses the environmental and organizational contingencies that define the larger context of school health program. The leader develops a model of what the team goal is and what strategies might be successful in this context, given the environmental and organizational constraints and resources (Zaccaro et.al., 2001, p. 462). Within this perspective, leadership behavior is seen as team-based problem solving, in which the leader attempts to achieve team goals by analyzing the internal and external situation and then selecting and implementing the appropriate strategies to ensure team effectiveness (Fleishman et.al., 1991).

Functions of an Effective Team Leader Build the team Foster and promote positive relationships among team members Focus on the task at hand

Tasks START BY DOING WHAT IS NECESSARY, THEN WHAT IS POSSIBLE, AND SUDDENLY YOU’RE DOING THE IMPOSSIBLE. Francis of Assisi

Developing an Effective Team Create a positive climate Solve interpersonal problems Satisfy members’ needs Develop cohesion among team members

Achieving the Task Outline a plan Get the resources Make decisions Solve problems Adapt to changes

Teams that have clear goals and standards, effective structure, and efficient decision making will have higher task accomplishment.

Teams that can manage conflict, collaborate well together, and build commitment will have good relationships.

Teams that are well connected to and protected from their environment will also be more productive.

To be an effective leader, one needs to respond with the action that is required of the situation.

Leadership is About Making Well-Informed Decisions

Leadership Decisions Monitor or take action Determine if the issue is related to the task or to the people (relational) Act internally or externally

Diagnosing Group Deficiencies McGrath’s Critical Leadership Functions Monitor Action Diagnosing Group Deficiencies 1 Taking Remedial Action 2 Internal Forecasting Environmental Changes 3 Preventing Deleterious Changes 4 Source: McGrath’s critical leadership functions as cited in “leading Groups in Organizations,” by J.R. Hackman and R.E. Walton, 1986 in P.S. Goodman & Associates (Eds.), Designing Effective Work Groups (p. 76). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. External

Decision 1 Should I monitor the situation or act?

If you Choose to Monitor…………. Seek information to understand the current state of team functioning (internal & external) Interview team members Query others outside the team Survey stakeholders Assess group outcomes Organize, analyze, and interpret the information

Decision 2: Should I Intervene internally or externally?

Decision 3: If I choose to intervene internally, should I intervene to meet task or relational needs?

Relational Task Coaching Collaborating Managing conflict Building commitment Satisfying needs Modeling principles Task Goal Focusing Restructuring Facilitating decision- making Training Quality Control Internal Relational Actions Coaching team members in interpersonal skills collaboration (including, involving) Managing conflict & power issues (avoiding confrontation, questioning ideas) Building commitment and esprit de corps (being optimistic, innovating, envision, socializing, rewarding, recognizing) Satisfying individual member needs (trusting, supporting, advocating) Modeling ethical and principled practices (being fair, consistent, normative) Internal Task Leadership Actions Goal focusing (clarifying, gaining agreement) Structuring for results (planning, vision, organizing, clarifying roles, delegating) Facilitating decision-making (informing, controlling, coordinating, mediating, synthesizing, issue focussing) Training in task skills (educating, developing) Quality Control = assessing team and individual performance, confronting inadequate performance

Environmental Leadership Actions Networking (gather information, increase influence) Advocating and representing the team to the community Negotiating with Administration to secure necessary resources, support and recognition for the team Buffering team members from distractions Assessing environmental indicators of team’s effectiveness (surveys, evaluations, performance indicators) Sharing relevant environmental information with the team.

Conditions of Group Effectiveness Clear, engaging direction Enabling structure Enabling context Adequate material resources Expert Coaching

Characteristics of Team Excellence Clear, Elevating Goal Source: Larson & LaFasto, 1989

Characteristics of Team Excellence Results Driven Structure Source: Larson & LaFasto, 1989

Characteristics of Team Excellence Competent Team Members Source: Larson & LaFasto, 1989

Characteristics of Team Excellence Unified Commitment Source: Larson & LaFasto, 1989

Characteristics of Team Excellence Collaborative Climate Source: Larson & LaFasto, 1989

Characteristics of Team Excellence Standards of Excellence Source: Larson & LaFasto, 1989

Characteristics of Team Excellence External Support & Recognition Source: Larson & LaFasto, 1989

Characteristics of Team Excellence Principled Leadership Leadership is the central driver of team effectiveness, influencing the team through four sets of processes: cognitive motivational, affective, and integration. Cognitively the leader helps the team understand the challenges confronting the team. Motivationally, the leader helps the team become cohesive and capable by setting high performance standards and helping the group to achieve them. Affectively the leader helps the team handle stressful circumstances by providing clear goals, assignments, and strategies. Integratively, the leader matches members’ skills to roles and provides clear performance strategies, monitors feedback and adapts to environmental changes. Source: Larson & LaFasto, 1989 cited in Leadership: Theory and Practice byPeter G. Northouse (4th ed.)

Health Coordinators are Leaders