Thinking while leading. Understanding school leaders' daily thinking

Abstract

What do school leaders think while performing their jobs? What is the nature of these thinking processes? And what is their function, with regard to the day-to-day leadership in the school? These questions are central to the research reported in this book. A naturalistic, interpretive research approach has been taken, to gain more insight in the 'how' of daily leadership. Three approaches to studying the thinking processes of school leaders are explored: tacit knowledge (explored using cognitive maps), problem solving and vision. It is found that the way school leaders' thinking processes influence their actions depends to a large extent on their personal history and the specific circumstances in which they work. A model is presented to describe the way school leaders use their personal vision to influence the process of collective sensemaking in schools.