Other ways of leading: Female superintendents and a collaborative-humanist leadership frame of reference

This study examines the notions of power and the leadership practices of three female public school superintendents as they apply them to their day-to-day administration. The study is intended as a follow-up to the qualitative case studies and procedures employed by C. Cryss Brunner in three case studies conducted between 1998 and 2000. With respect to notions of power and its implementation, her case study findings---from questionnaire respondents and interview participants alike---fell into three categories, those who: (1) employed a top-down command/control style (in the literature associated with male concepts of power); (2) followed a collaborative, power-sharing style of administration (associated with traditional female concepts of power) and (3) those who alternated between these two administrative models of power. What Brunner's studies did not pursue was why her sample participants selected the administrative approaches they used and, if they alternated between leadership styles, why they did so---in essence, what specific factors caused them to vary their leadership styles. The purpose of this study was to pursue these questions and, in doing so, move beyond what constitutes the furthest advance in this field. This study investigates four major issues: (1) female superintendents' notions of power; (2) the ways they implement their power on a day-to-day basis; (3) whether they rely on one leadership model of power or alternate between different leadership styles and (4) if they vary their administrative practices, why they do so---do some specific job tasks determine the model of power they employ?;When looking at how women superintendents relate to their access to and use of power in a system dominated by men, women in this study demonstrated (1) the highest levels of pluralistic democracy. (2) Their capability to work in fast moving complex systems where they have created interconnected learning information sharing coalitions. (3) These women leaders have moved beyond individual struggles for fair treatment to collectively empower faculty, staff, students and parents to work together to address all forms of inequality through a collaborative-pluralist approach. (4) These women leaders had found ways to get around the structures [barriers] that have been potentially inhibiting, using their strengths, to create through these coalitions a clearer vision that leads to direct action and organizational change. (5) Unlike some of their predecessors, have not incorporated masculine preoccupations with how to control people, or securing their own personal wishes and wants. (6) Lastly, they have concerned themselves with effectively organizing coalitions, sharing-power and decision making to solve social problems and transform their educational communities.