The school research lead and the need for research literacy - the case of leadership and correlation to organisational climate
A major challenge for the school research lead is whether they are able to help colleagues develop the capacity and capability to interpret research findings. In particular, can school research help colleagues to correctly interpret the statistical findings which are often found in research reports. So this post, I will look at the specific challenges of using the correlation coefficient(r ) when seeking to interpreting Daniel Goleman’s work on leadership and emotional intelligence (Goleman, 2000). To help us do this I will:
- Summarise Goleman’s work on leadership that gets results.
- Briefly explain what is meant by the term correlation coefficient and the implications for interpreting Goleman's work
- Consider some broader points about the challenge of using correlation in educational leadership research and the implications for practice
Daniel Goleman and leadership that gets results
Goleman argues that leaders often mistakenly assume that their leadership is a function of their personality, rather than is something can be chosen to be meet the needs of a specific circumstance. Goleman claims that successful leaders have strengths in six emotional intelligence competences* i.e.: self- awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skill. Moreover, these components of emotional intelligence can be combined in different ways and which reflect six basic styles of leadership i.e. coercive, authoriative, affiliative, democratic, pace-setting and coaching, which are summarised in Table 1 Moreover, the very best leaders are not wedded to one particular approach and can change approaches depending upon the demands of the situation.
