New and alternative metaphors for school leadership

Abstract

Metaphors are devices that help us connect new information and experiences to that which is already known to us (Lakoff and Johnson 1980). Research suggests that metaphors are an important aspect of processing new concepts (Boxenbaum and Rouleau 2011) and that metaphors are used more widely in education than one might initially realise (Guilherme and Souza de Freitas 2018). We connect new experiences to those that help us make sense of the unknown and we often absorb metaphors for knowledge, experience, and practices unconsciously (Lakoff and Johnson 1980). Metaphors abound in education, and in educational leadership. Metaphors can be seen as neutral descriptors but, in reality, are anything but neutral. Paetcher (2004, 460) describes the ideological force behind metaphors and notes that metaphors steer us into ways of thinking about, and going about, the process of education. While metaphors condense complex ideas into familiar ones (Paranosic and Riveros 2017) and can thereby help to make meaning, the nature of metaphors needs to be critically interrogated to better understand the underlying assumptions and beliefs behind them. For example, dominant leadership metaphors are drawn from military and sporting contexts (Edmonstone 2016; Ashcraft and Muhr 2018) and such metaphors invoke 'unflinching strength, toughness, and even brutality' (Ashcraft and Muhr 2018, 208). Dominant metaphors draw heavily on the notion of the great hero leader (Woods and Roberts 2018) and on masculinist constructions of leadership; an ongoing issue in educational leadership (Wilkinson 2008) that is addressed by some of the papers within this Special Issue. Alvesson and Spicer (2010) suggest that critical scrutiny of metaphors can push us to examine the assumptions behind how we conceptualise leadership. We want to ask: Does this metaphor of leadership present the vision of leadership that we want to see enacted in educational settings? Does this metaphor move conceptions of educational leadership forward or unquestioningly perpetuate tired or harmful leadership paradigms? Moving beyond dominant and traditional metaphors of leadership can provide more interesting, inclusive, and productive ways for us to understand leadership. Fairhurst (2010) suggests that leaders who can draw upon a wider variety of metaphors to enact their work will be better able to meet the varied demands of their jobs. Similarly, Guilherme and Souza de Freitas (2018) indicate that metaphors act as an enabler to bring forth a diversity of perspectives and possibilities. Hoyle and Wallace (2007) reason that the most productive starting point for metaphors is to find and develop the metaphors that leaders actually live by. The papers in this Special Issue draw upon metaphors articulated by research participants, as well as metaphors that appealed to the contributors when considering their work within the field of educational leadership.

Defining and exploring pracademia: identity, community, and engagement

“…As part of our initial exploratory thinking and attempts to wrestle with the terms, we considered how the use of metaphor might help us better understand and negotiate the complexities of pracademia. Metaphor used in this way is “a meaning-making frame and analytical tool for defining reality, structuring experience, and understanding intangibles” (Heffernan et al , 2019, p. 84). It can be a useful device for conceptualization due to its recognizability (Kelly, 2011) and its capacity to provide new ways of theorizing (Schechter et al , 2018).…”

“…Here we use metaphor to help clarify and condense complex realities and make sense of conceptual systems (Lakoff and Johnson, 2003; Paranosic and Riveros, 2017). We realize that moving beyond dominant and traditional metaphors can provide more interesting, inclusive, and productive ways to understand concepts (Heffernan et al , 2019). However, we also recognize that metaphors' meanings shift based on context, how people use metaphor, and the dynamic interplay between interpreter and recipient (Baake, 2003; Johnson-Sheehan, 1999).…”

Liderazgo de Directores Noveles de Latinoamérica a través de las Metáforas: Chile, Colombia y México

“…Las metáforas también han sido usadas como herramienta analítica para comprender las creencias, valores, teorías y paradigmas que subyacen a las visiones y prácticas de liderazgo (Heffernan, Netolicky y Mockler, 2019;Oberlechner y Mayer-Schönberger, 2003) y para comprender, los roles y las auto-concepciones sobre el desempeño de directores (Bullough, 1991). Entre los diversos estudios que conectan las metáforas y el liderazgo, la taxonomía propuesta por Bredeson (1985) plantea un marco pertinente para clasificarlas por cuanto las presenta en un continuo que se mueve de la inmediatez en la actuación, a la reflexión y visualización del futuro de la escuela.…”

Re-examining the philosopher’s stone of leadership

“…Towards an alternative perspective of leadership In more recent times, writers in the field of leadership (Ehrich and English, 2013;Heffernan, 2019;Heffernan et al, 2019;Lumby and English, 2010;Thomson, 2019) have argued that leadership is in dire need of alternative metaphors; metaphors that challenge both traditional and dominant views of leadership. One dominant perspective is the business model that reduces the work of leaders to technicians (English and Ehrich, 2015).…”