Abstract
Background: Contingent Leadership model has been around before 1980s. Its application to education administration could be traced back to 1982 but was left behind the educational arena in the last two decades. Principals training institutes choose instructional leadership as the training focus for its substantial skills transfer. The research community strives to promote transactional and transformational leadership as the key to change schools. Practitioners know that no one leadership model is a panacea to their own situations.
Aims or focus of discussion: Dynamical Systems Theory covers more extensively the uncertain development in real life administration practices. The flexible Contingent Leadership becomes the logical, rational model for practitioners.
Arguments/comments/suggestions: I argue using critical incidents that embracing flexible action and preparing for possible stealth changes on assumptions in any situation is vital to tide through chaos. I justify my proposition with four changing contexts, namely, volume contingency, information density, changing values, and shifted meaning for the same action.
Conclusion: The model of Contingent Leadership should be included in the continuing professional development of school principals.
| Keywords: | contingent leadership; school administration; chaotic times |
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