Multidimensional Leadership: Masculine and Feminine Leadership Approaches in Public Education

Abstract

With two-thirds of new leaders being women, it has become increasingly more clear that the face of our educational organizations is changing both symbolically and substantively. The demands placed on public education have also grown exponentially. If society demands that schools become better, then it is necessary to investigate the approaches that school leaders utilize in making decisions.The purpose of this research was to explore the different approaches that educational leaders implement during their decision-making processes. The present study asked 20 school leaders within Miami Dade County Public Schools to report and explain their personal approaches to leadership to determine if these individuals utilize the reporting categories of masculine, feminine, or multidimensional decision making. Following a four-round modified electronic Delphi technique, involving an openended questionnaire, a situation specific decision making survey, and two subsequent rounds of reflection, it was determined that the majority of school leaders use a multidimensional approach in making decisions; however, these individuals did not adhere strictly to any one of the specific reporting categories discussed. The study v showed that the incorporation of several approaches contributed to the decision-making processes of educational leaders.Although contrary to relevant literature in the field, participants' leadership approaches were not stringently tied to whether they happened to be male or female. The