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Introduction
Leadership, and the study of it, has its origins in early civilizations. Ancient rulers, pharaohs, emperors, and biblical patriarchs all possess the quality of leadership. Scholars have been examining this phenomenon for almost two centuries, resulting in various definitions and theories. However, there are enough similarities to define "leadership" as the ability to influence and induce compliance (Wren, 1995). Leadership entails influencing others to achieve a goal and guiding the organization towards greater unity and coherence. This definition aligns with Northouse's (2007, p.
3) concept and Peter Drucker's definition of a leader as someone with followers. The ability to influence others depends on one's level of power.
The productivity of employees is significantly influenced by the attitudes of their leader. The leader's Task Orientation or Directive Behaviour indicates their concentration on the task at hand, while Employee Orientation or Supportive Behaviours reflect their care for the well-being of their team and provision of support and encouragement. In the realm of leadership, numerous theories have been established, but our attention will be directed towards the Invitational Leadership theory.
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In comparison to other leadership theories, research on the impact of Invitational Education Theory (IET) in the educational administrative process is relatively recent.
Invitational Leadership is a different approach to leadership compared to standard theories that focus on using power to influence others. It promotes collaboration, consideration, and respect within the educational system. This study consists of two parts. The first part introduces the Invitational Leadership theory and compares it briefly with other theories that have similar characteristics.
It also explains why Invitational Leadership is more suitable for the educational community. The second part examines how the invitational style responds to the demands of the school sector. Additionally, it explores examples from my past experiences to illustrate the application of invitational leadership in my profession.
------------------------------------------------- 1. Theoretical part Invitational Theory
According to Purkey (1992, p.5), Invitational Leadership is a theory that aims to explain phenomena and provides a means of intentionally summoning people to realize their potential in various areas of human endeavor. Invitational Theory is a mode of professional practice that applies to educational and human service organizations, summoning the environment and relationships formed within them. It involves communicating caring and appropriate messages to invite the realization of human potential and identifying and changing institutional and relational forces that hinder potential.
Communication plays a crucial role in social relationships and integration. Schools, being a social institution, utilize complex message systems to continuously inform individuals of their worth, abilities, and power to direct themselves. The concept of an "invitation" originates from the effort put forth by those who aim to convey ideas, involving shaping, molding, and transforming. The word "invite" is derived from the Latin term "invite," which initially meant to avoid or shun. In ancient Roman society, "invite" was used to express the fear of encroachment by other tribes and to prohibit their entrance into Rome. As Rome became a dominant force, its citizens felt more secure and began opening their borders to the world. Eventually, the prefix "in-" meaning "without" or "not" was added, and the term "invite," meaning "to receive politely," became widely used and evolved into "invitation." Therefore, an invitation is defined as a purposeful and generous act in which the inviter seeks to enlist others in the vision presented by the invitation. This understanding gives rise to the term "Invitational Leadership" (Purkey & Siegel, 2002, p212).
From an invitational perspective, individuals possess qualities such as ability, worth, and responsibility. Therefore, they should be treated accordingly. However, a change is noticed in the terminology used, shifting from words like "motivate," "shape," "reinforce," "make," "enhance," "build," and "empower" people to terms such as "offer," "propose," "present," "encourage," "consider," and "summon cordially." The same applies in the context of schools, where an invitational leader is someone who calls upon colleagues to achieve higher levels of performance and provides them with the chance to participate in mutually beneficial endeavors.
Ultimately, the text discusses the concept of Invitational Leadership as a means to create a better environment and eliminate inequalities. It highlights the significance of this approach in promoting positive social change by recognizing our potential, integrity, interdependence, and responsibility to do good. In addition, leadership is characterized by a process of influence, as emphasized by Leithwood et al and Yulk. They assert that influence is a necessary component in most definitions of leadership, involving intentional influence exerted by one person or group over others to shape group or organizational activities and relationships.
Yulk's use of 'person' or 'group' suggests that leadership can be practiced by individuals and teams. This view is supported by Harris (2002) and Leithwood (2001), who both argue for distributed leadership as an alternative to conventional top-down leadership models.
Invitational leadership is a model of influence.
Leadership involves influence and can be exercised by anyone in an organization. Cuban (1988, p.193) defines leadership as an influence process where individuals motivate and direct others towards achieving certain goals. This implies taking initiatives and risks. Fidler (1997, p.25) supports this view by stating that followers are influenced towards goal achievement. Stoll and Fink (1996) also share a similar concept of leadership, describing it as 'invitational' in the context of schools. They emphasize that leadership involves communicating invitational messages to individuals and groups in order to collectively work towards an enhanced educational experience for students (p.109).
Stoll and Fink (1996) state that the leader's role in a school is to collaborate with their team to establish an inclusive educational institution for students of all abilities. The School Management Manual highlights the significance of close collaboration between the Rector and Deputy Rector for effective school management, which involves being open to new ideas from staff and students. Effective communication plays a vital role as it promotes consensus among stakeholders. Internal communication channels within the school, such as morning assemblies, form periods, and meetings with students and teaching staff, should create a welcoming environment where individuals can actively contribute to the progress of the school.
When comparing Invitational Leadership, a model of influence, with the Invitational Leadership Theory, it becomes clear that the theory embodies a transformational aspect. Transformational Leadership enhances followers' motivation, morale, and performance through different methods. These methods involve establishing a link between followers' personal identity and mission with the organization's collective identity. Moreover, serving as an inspirational role model for followers, motivating them to take more responsibility for their work, and acknowledging their strengths and weaknesses in order to assign tasks that optimize their performance.
Similarly, the invitational leader invites followers by communicating the organization's mission and goals and accepting each individual's personality. The leader serves as a role model, displaying invitational qualities and reinforcing them among followers. Becoming an Invitational Leader requires self-awareness and taking responsibility for defining oneself. If we identify a lack of fundamental leadership qualities, we will likely fail to inspire others to join us.
Furthermore, the invitational leadership encompasses the values of excellence, caring, justice, and faith. The review of current literature reinforces the requirement for leadership transformation to effectively address the demands of present educational institutions.
Becoming a leader who invites others
"How can I gain the cooperation of those in my environment so that effectiveness and productivity increase and that our group function more smoothly and effectively?" The only way is by inviting, showing trust, understanding and respect (Purkey, Siegel, 2002). Intimidation and coercion, commonly used approaches, are not effective and eventually will prove to be counter-productive. They believe that there is only one motivation inside humans and that is an internal drive and desire to realise one’s own potential. In short we all want to be more, to self-actualise and to put our talents to good use by committing to something beyond ourselves. This can only be achieved by volunteered and not by pressure. Hence, I can affirm the more leaders are viewed as caring, respectful and supportive, the greater their chances of emancipating the talents and energies of their associates. Those in authority must first begin by making others feel valued if they hope to gain respect and cooperation in return.
In order to be an effective leader, one must first have a wise and strong sense of self. This involves dedicating oneself to discovering their own core values. According to Purkey & Siegel (2002), it is impossible to empower others without first empowering oneself. These two scholars provide various methods for nurturing all aspects of life, including physical, psychological, spiritual, and intellectual aspects. Additionally, a leader must effectively communicate a clear vision of what a successful organization looks like. This will create the appropriate atmosphere to encourage individuals to embrace the organization's vision and accept personal and collective responsibility for both its successes and failures.
The objective is to build a community of people who are focused on personal growth and dedicated to the school's mission and each other. The school must create an atmosphere that supports this dedication. As previously stated, it is the responsibility of the school leader, whether it be the Rector or headmaster, to facilitate communication among the administration, teaching staff, non-teaching staff, and students. This enables opportunities for individuals to reach their full potential. Moreover, by consistently experiencing an inclusive approach in their daily school experience, everyone will embrace this approach themselves.
The leader's capacity to inspire high-quality performance from those they lead will persist over time if they have honed their ability to invite others. According to the School Management Manual of the Ministry of Education, Culture & Human Resources, the Rector, as a leader, is responsible for nurturing and guiding their teams by offering necessary support and motivation, attentively listening to their perspectives and concerns, and appreciating their dedication, assistance, and contributions.
According to Walter Bennis, a leader is someone who has an exciting and specific dream and can enroll others in their vision (Purkey, Siegel; 2002). Leaders in schools enroll others by providing support and motivation, inviting them cordially to reach their potential. Stoll and Fink (1996) supported the importance of values in leadership in education, stating that successful leaders rely on a strong set of values to guide their decision-making. In contrast, Participative Leadership, as defined by Leithwood et al. (2002), focuses on involving the group in decision-making processes (p.12).
Invitational Education Theory (IET)
According to Purkey (2008, p.7), Invitational Leadership in education focuses on the message conveyed by people, places, policies, programs, and processes. Invitational education is based on three core concepts identified by Purkey and Novak (1996): the democratic ethos, the perceptual tradition, and self-concept theory. The democratic ethos highlights the importance of deliberate dialogue and mutual respect in constructing practices and institutions that promote a fulfilling shared life (p.9). In this style of leadership, it is implied that those affected by decisions should have a say in them. The perceptual tradition acknowledges that individuals and cultures have their own filters through which they see events. Hence, the inviting approach aims to understand and validate people's perceptions and work towards shared purposes (p.10).
Self-concept is how individuals perceive themselves and their place in the world. According to the text (p.10), this personal belief system is influenced by the choices an individual makes. Invitational education aims to actively encourage individuals to reach their full potential in a friendly, creative, and consistent manner. As previously noted, the focus is on the transmitted messages. However, it is important to acknowledge that these messages are never neutral and can carry either positive or negative, inviting or disinviting connotations.
In order to provide direction and purpose, Invitational Leaders adhere to four fundamental values known as principles. These principles, which are respect, trust, optimism, and intentionality, serve as the foundation for their beliefs. The purpose of these principles is to offer a perspective for addressing, evaluating, and modifying the overall school environment. Purkey, W. W. & Novak, J. M. (2008) emphasize that this perspective enables Rectors or educators to adopt an "inviting stance," which serves as a focused framework for sustained action.
Respect
People should be treated with value, ability, and responsibility in Invitational Leadership. Respect is crucial in this style of leadership, as it involves cordially summoning people to move in democratic, creative, and productive directions without coercion. A democratic society also values the worth of all individuals and believes in their self-determining power, as well as emphasizes personal and social accountability. Invitational schools adopt the same principles. According to Purkey, W. W. and Novak, J. M. (2008), when responsibilities are shared based on mutual respect and positive outcomes are expected, a cooperative relationship is formed that recognizes each person's ability to accept, reject, negotiate, or temporarily hold messages sent to them (p.12).
Respect is shown through polite behaviors such as civility, politeness, and common courtesy. According to Waterman and Peters (1988) in their book In Search of Excellence, highly successful companies have employees who demonstrate courteous and respectful behaviors. These employees are attentive to their customers, listen well, and treat people with courtesy and respect. Respect is one of the eight key characteristics that set excellent companies apart.
Respect is crucial in Invitational Leadership. It allows leaders to be a positive influence and embrace a respectful approach towards colleagues, ultimately inviting them into a mutually advantageous relationship.
Trust
Education is an activity that requires cooperation and collaboration.
Invitational education is rooted in the inherent interconnectedness of people. To create reliable patterns of interaction, it takes both time and effort. The reliability of these patterns relies on individuals who exhibit traits such as reliability, genuineness, truthfulness, intent, and competence.
Intention
Making is the process that generates the product.
A decision to intentionally act, with the purpose of achieving a specific set of goals (Day et.al, 2001, p.34), is referred to as knowing our intended outcomes and the steps we will take to achieve them, providing clarity and guidance in our work (Stillion and Siegel, 2OO5, p15).
Optimism
There is untapped potential in all areas of human endeavor
Invitational educators are dedicated to the ongoing acknowledgement and development of everyone involved in the educative process (Day et. al, 2001, p. 34).
2. Invitational Leadership applied in the educational community.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the invitational leadership style to determine if it offers the necessary skills required in present-day educational organizations. Due to the growing need for effective management and guidance, numerous leadership models have been designed and implemented to meet the challenging requirements of the education sector. In response to this gap in the educational community, invitational leadership was introduced in 2002 by Purkey and Siegel. Stillion and Siegel (2005) summarized the concept behind this innovative leadership style, stating that Purkey, after studying human behavior for four decades, proposed that leaders must take an invitational stance in their interactions with others and personal development (p.4). According to Purkey and Novak (1996), the Invitational Education Theory (IET) is a practical model that follows a systematic approach to educational development and provides policies and strategies for creating more inviting schools.
The school staff often faces major challenges related to students' welfare, such as indiscipline. From my observation, a lack of guidance and clear direction has resulted in a significant decrease in energy, time, effort, and resources. Delegate authority becomes difficult when there is a lack of trust and cooperation among followers. According to Yulk (2002, p. 109), "followers do not trust each other, because they will not share information or cooperate in trying to solve mutual problems." Not having inviting qualities in a leader hampers the pace of work. Effective leaders bring about positive and enduring change within an organization. They invite staff members to collaborate and carefully implement change in a way that ensures satisfaction with the final outcome. As Schein (2000) states, neglecting the underlying culture often leads to the failure of change programs.
Strong and healthy relationships are crucial for the survival of an organization. Additionally, these relationships contribute to the development of a culture that embraces acceptance and strives for excellence. According to Schein (1996), culture is defined as a group's shared implicit assumptions that shape their perception, thinking, and reactions to different environments (p.236). In a school setting, the Rector plays a key role in establishing this culture, but it is equally important for administrators to understand and embrace it. This fosters a sense of ownership and shared leadership.
Respect and trust are crucial for fostering a healthy culture within an organization. It is essential for the Rector, educators, and administrators to have an understanding of what occurs within the school. According to Invitational Leadership, a leader cannot create an environment of empowerment and participation if the prevailing belief is that everyone must blindly follow the directions of higher authority. I firmly believe that using coercion and fear as leadership tactics is ineffective when trying to build a productive team. Moreover, as stated by Purkey & Siegel (2002), effective messages convey to individuals that they have the capability, responsibility, and value.
The leaders of the school aim to make these messages accessible to everyone, so that everyone feels like a part of the institution. These messages are communicated through interpersonal interactions, as well as institutional policies, programs, practices, and physical environments (Day et al., 2001, p.34). In addition, Purkey and Siegel (2003) propose a framework for schools to become "invitational" by focusing on five areas that contribute to success and failures. Each of these elements helps create a positive school climate and ultimately a healthy and successful organization.
The concept of the Starfish Analogy by Purkey.
Invitational leadership focuses on five areas that contribute to individuals' success or failure. According to Purkey, these areas can be likened to the Starfish Analogy. The starfish preys on oysters, which have two strong shells held together by a powerful muscle. The starfish positions itself on top of the oyster and uses its five points one by one to exert pressure on the oyster's muscle. While one point is in use, the other four rest, constantly wearing down the oyster's muscle. Despite its incredible strength, the oyster's muscle eventually gives in, allowing the starfish to have its meal. This analogy emphasizes that by applying constant and steady pressure from multiple points, even the most formidable challenge can be overcome.
According to Purkey (1992), there are five areas that exist in practically every environment and serve as a means to invite others professionally (p.7). These areas include:
Purkey and Siegel (2003) describe these five areas as ways to professionally invite others. They state that by incorporating these five areas, the Invitational Leader can create numerous opportunities, as they encompass the overall culture of any organization (p.104).
Conclusion
This study examined the impact of invitational leadership on the overall effectiveness of the school setting. We primarily focused on the qualities and characteristics of invitational leaders that contribute to success. Overall, we reached a shared agreement that invitational leadership traits do play a role in the development of successful organizations.
The invitational leadership model aims to include all individuals who are interested in achieving success. According to Day, Harris, and Hadfield (2001), invitations convey messages to people, informing them that they are capable, accountable, and valuable (p.34).
In conclusion, the invitational leadership model is seen as a model to follow in order to achieve positive outcomes in effective school leadership. The active implementation of invitational leadership has been shown to be an effective approach for creating a healthy, positive, and successful organization.
------------------------------------------------- References
Asbill, K. (1994). Invitational leadership: Teacher perceptions of inviting principal practices. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, School of Educational Management, New Mexico State University.
Day, C., Harris, A., and Hadfield, M. (2001). "Grounding Knowledge of Schools in Stakeholder Realities: A Multi-Perspective Study of Effective School Leaders." School Leadership & Management, 21(1), 19-42.
3. Peters, Tom J. & Waterman, Robert H. (1988), In Search of Excellence - Lessons from America’s Best-Run Companies, HarperCollins Publishers, London.
4. Purkey, W. W & Siegel, B.L (2002). Becoming an Invitational Leader. Atlanta, USA. Brumby Holdings, Inc.
5. Purkey, W. W. and Novak, J. M. (2008). Fundamentals of Invitational Education. Kennesaw, Georgia: International Alliance for Invitational Education.
6. The book "Inviting school success: A self-concept approach to teaching, learning, and democratic practice" (3rd ed.) was written by Purkey, W. W. and Novak, J. M. It was published in Belmont, CA by Wadsworth Publishing Company.
7. Purkey, W., & Schmidt, J. (1990). Invitational learning for counseling and development. Ann Arbor, MI: ERIC Counseling and Personnel Services Clearinghouse.
8. The National College for School Leadership released a full report in Spring 2003 titled "School Leadership: Concepts and Evidence". The report can be found at this link.
9. Schein, E. H. (1996). Culture: The missing concept in organization studies. Administrative Science Quarterly, 41, 229-240.
10. In the Handbook of Organizational Culture & Climate, Schein (2000) discusses the sense and nonsense about culture and climate. The book is edited by Ashkanasy, Wilderom, and Peterson and published by Sage Publications in Thousand Oaks, Ca. The page range is xxiii-xxx.
Stanley, P.H. A Bibliography For Invitational Theory and Practice. Radford University; http://www.invitationaleducation.net/journal/v11p52.htm
In November 2005, a publication by Stillion and Siegel discussed the role of the Decathlon leader in expanding invitational leadership. The article can be retrieved from http://www.kennesaw.edu/ilec/Journal/articles/2005/siegel_stillion/expand_leadership/exp... as of January 31, 2006.
Wren, J. T. (1995). The leaders’ companion: Insights on leadership through the ages. New York: The Free Press.
14. Yukl, G. A. (2002) Leadership in Organizations, Fifth Edition, Upper Saddle River, NJ, Prentice-Hall.
Invitational Leadership Theory: A New Approach to Leadership in Education. (2017, Jan 11). Retrieved from https://studymoose.com/invitational-leadership-essay
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