Developing Sustainable Leadership.Developing Sustainable Leadership Brent Davies (Ed.) London: Paul Chapman Educational Publishing/Sage, 2007, ISBN ISBN abbr. International Standard Book Number ISBN International Standard Book Number ISBN n abbr (= International Standard Book Number) → ISBN m 1 412 923 964 Sustainability is one of the emerging concepts in education--in this book Deal refers it as 'today's hot idea in good currency' (p. 95). Perhaps reflecting growing environmental concerns, there is a focus on ensuring that educational reforms of all types lead to positive changes that are sustainable. So too in the educational leadership literature, with recent books by Hargreaves and Fink fink Slang n. 1. A contemptible person. 2. An informer. 3. A hired strikebreaker. intr.v. finked, fink·ing, finks 1. To inform against another person. (2006) and Fullan (2005), there is a deepening consideration of what can be termed sustainable leadership. With this book, Brent Davies has brought together a collection of the most eminent writers in educational leadership to provide their perspectives on this concept. Conceptually, sustainable leadership is far from being considered a mature concept. In terms of Reichers and Scheider's (1990, cited in Hunt, 1999) three-stage model of concept development (introduction/elaboration, evaluation/augmentation and consolidation/ accommodation), sustainable leadership appears to be in the introduction/elaboration stage. This book should make an important contribution to elaborating and improving understanding of the concept, and to identifying future research agendas. Within the book several orientations to the concept are evident. Davies (p. 11) defines sustainable leadership as 'the key factors that underpin the longer-term development of the school. It builds a leadership culture based on moral purpose which provides success that is accessible to all.' Davies considers his work on strategic planning Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its resources to pursue this strategy, including its capital and people. and posits nine factors that should lead to sustainable improvement in student learning. Here the focus is on leadership for successful change. Taking a different perspective in their chapter, Hargreaves and Fink borrow from environmental and corporate sustainability literature to frame sustainable leadership in terms of energy restraint, renewal and release to argue for a way to sustain the school leaders whilst they are leading change. They posit seven principles of sustainable leadership (depth, length, breadth, justice, diversity, conservation and resourcefulness Resourcefulness Buck clever and temerarious dog perseveres in the Klondike. [Am. Lit.: Call of the Wild] Crichton, Admirable butler proves to be infinite resource for castaway family on island. [Br. Lit. ), with a focus on ensuring that school leaders can sustain their work in what is an increasingly complex role. In a similar vein, Caldwell, using the perceptions of school of school leaders, explores how to foster a sense of exhilaration, whilst Day and Schmidt use their recent research to posit the importance of resilience. The implication of these chapters is that exhilaration and resilience can help sustain educational leaders in their work. Leithwood, Bauer and Riedlinger, and Fullan and Sharratt contribute chapters that connect with large research projects. Leithwood and colleagues use their research on an innovative principal development and support program (the Greater New Orleans New Orleans (ôr`lēənz –lənz, ôrlēnz`), city (2006 pop. 187,525), coextensive with Orleans parish, SE La., between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain, 107 mi (172 km) by water from the river mouth; founded School Leadership) to provide guidelines for developing and sustaining principal leadership. Fullan and Sharratt use their work on a district-wide literacy reform to argue for the importance of sustaining leadership as a continuous force for improvement. Deal and Hentschke provide important critical chapters. Deal, with startling star·tle v. star·tled, star·tling, star·tles v.tr. 1. To cause to make a quick involuntary movement or start. 2. To alarm, frighten, or surprise suddenly. See Synonyms at frighten. simplicity, highlights that education has a remarkable capacity for sustaining the status quo [Latin, The existing state of things at any given date.] Status quo ante bellum means the state of things before the war. The status quo to be preserved by a preliminary injunction is the last actual, peaceable, uncontested status which preceded the pending controversy. , just at a time when many are arguing for major change. Perhaps this is the mobius strip of educational reform--as educational reforms bring about change and progress along the strip, eventually the system returns to the same point, unchanged. Hentschke notes that sustainability is becoming a useful normative framework for improving education, yet with the rise of market environments pervading education, it is less useful at a descriptive level; this presents significant challenges for policy and practice related to leadership development. Hopkins and Southworth provide perspectives from their system level work in England. Hopkins is focussed on system-level change and sustainability with four drivers for sustained improvement described: personalised learning Personalised Learning is the tailoring of pedagogy, curriculum and learning support to meet the needs and aspirations of individual learners. Personalised learning is a hot topic within the debate on education taking place in the UK at present (2006). , professionalised teacher networks, accountability and intelligent accountability. Southworth reports on the work of the English National College of School Leadership in leadership succession planning Management Succession Planning In organizational development, succession planning is the process of identifying and preparing suitable employees through mentoring, training and job rotation, to replace key players — such as the chief executive officer (CEO) — . Davies provides an excellent introductory chapter that orientates the reader to the scope of the book, and whilst each chapter adds a new perspective, the book would have benefited from a synthesis chapter to address some of the contradictions, gaps in knowledge, and future concept development that are identified. Sustainable leadership is a concept that is awaiting some consensus about what it is, and more empirical evidence about its efficacy. This book provokes the reader to consider whether there is enough in the concept to make it worthwhile attending to. As many of the chapter authors have shown, it is a useful lens with which to revisit re·vis·it tr.v. re·vis·it·ed, re·vis·it·ing, re·vis·its To visit again. n. A second or repeated visit. re previous research or reforms efforts, yet sustainability is, as Hentschke notes, 'joining the panoply pan·o·ply n. pl. pan·o·plies 1. A splendid or striking array: a panoply of colorful flags. See Synonyms at display. 2. of adjectives modifying school leadership' (p. 143). It may well be that, as Deal says, sustainable leadership 'will take its place on the shelf of old buzzwords Below is a list of common buzzwords which form part of the business jargon of Corporate work environments. General Conversation
References Hargreaves, A., & Fink, D. (2006). Sustainable leadership. San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , CA: Jossey-Bass. Hunt, J. G. (1999). Transformational/charismatic leadership's transformation of the field: An historical essay. Leadership Quarterly, 10(2), 129-144. Fullan, M. (2005). Leadership and sustainability: System thinkers in action. Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. , CA: Corwin Press. Dr David Gurr University of Melbourne
In 2006, Times Higher Education Supplement ranked the University of Melbourne 22nd in the world. Because of the drop in ranking, University of Melbourne is currently behind four Asian universities - Beijing University, 
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