title: Mindful rumination aids high performance leadership in the workplace

authors: Herring, Jacinda

subjects: leadership

abstract: In the forever changing business environment, the need for high performing leaders is critical for organisational success. High performance leadership, established in the current study by self-reported recall of performance under pressure and actual level of leadership, matters when functioning within highly complex, dynamic, and pressured environments. These environments, however, can cause leaders to perform poorly, despite having high motivation and incentives for success; a phenomenon sometimes referred to as choking. Drawing on 119 corporate individuals, the current study assesses the role of mindfulness in pressure situations and introduces the notion of decision reinvestment, a psychological concept associated with performance failure under pressure due to conscious control of actions, into Organisational Psychology literature. Results support research examining mindfulness and the positive role that mindfulness plays in performance, particularly at higher levels of organisational functioning. Moderation analyses suggest that mindfulness and reinvestment function together, suggesting that in the organisational setting, and particularly for leaders under pressure, some level of reinvestment (particularly the rumination dimension) in decision making is beneficial, provided mindfulness is also present. This new finding has been termed mindful rumination.

text: Mindful rumination aids high performance leadership in the workplace In the forever changing business environment, the need for high performing leaders is critical for organisational success. High performance leadership, established in the current study by self-reported recall of performance under pressure and actual level of leadership, matters when functioning within highly complex, dynamic, and pressured environments. These environments, however, can cause leaders to perform poorly, despite having high motivation and incentives for success; a phenomenon sometimes referred to as choking. Drawing on 119 corporate individuals, the current study assesses the role of mindfulness in pressure situations and introduces the notion of decision reinvestment, a psychological concept associated with performance failure under pressure due to conscious control of actions, into Organisational Psychology literature. Results support research examining mindfulness and the positive role that mindfulness plays in performance, particularly at higher levels of organisational functioning. Moderation analyses suggest that mindfulness and reinvestment function together, suggesting that in the organisational setting, and particularly for leaders under pressure, some level of reinvestment (particularly the rumination dimension) in decision making is beneficial, provided mindfulness is also present. This new finding has been termed mindful rumination.

year: 2016

title: Book review: Carolus van Nijnatten, children's agency, children's welfare: A dialogical approach to child development, policy and practice

authors: Bateman, Amanda

abstract: This article reviews the book: “Children’s agency, children’s welfare: A dialogical approach to child development, policy and practice”, by Carolus van Nijnatten

text: Book review: Carolus van Nijnatten, children's agency, children's welfare: A dialogical approach to child development, policy and practice This article reviews the book: “Children’s agency, children’s welfare: A dialogical approach to child development, policy and practice”, by Carolus van Nijnatten

year: 2012

title: Examining Culturally Responsive Leadership: An investigation into how one school leader, in a primary school setting, provides culturally responsive leadership that ensures Maori students achieve

authors: Ford, Therese

subjects: Culture

abstract: Addressing the achievement disparities that exist within New Zealand education between Maori and non-Maori is a major government priority and is identified by the Ministry of Education as being a critical challenge for school leadership (Ministry of Education, 2008a). Therefore, an important question for school leaders to contemplate is: How do we raise Maori student achievement and eliminate the ‘gap’, or more specifically, what are the teaching and leadership practices that will make a difference? The research project presented in this thesis examines how one school leader, in a mainstream primary school setting, provides culturally responsive leadership practice that ensures Maori students achieve. This case study was conducted within a kaupapa Maori theoretical framework and used a mixed methods approach that incorporated the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data included student achievement data in reading, while qualitative data collection and analysis included school documents, participant observations of the principal, a series of semi-structured interviews and a stimulated recall interview with the principal and focus group interviews with the school leadership team and a group of teachers. The literature reviewed highlighted the centrality of culture in education, the implications for relationships and interactions between teachers and students that are born out of cultural deficit theorising and the potential culturally responsive teaching practices hold for students from minority groups. It also identified a series of effective leadership practices that enable school leaders to influence classroom teaching and have a subsequent impact on student outcomes. The case study school reflects a mainstream primary school context where the majority of Maori students are achieving at or above national expectations in reading. The findings indicate that the principal is implementing many of the practices that characterise effective leadership in successful schools. The principal’s leadership practice is guided by her understandings of culturally responsive leadership, which emphasises the importance of developing quality relationships and quality teaching and learning. Consequently, she has focused her leadership practice on three interrelated strategies that reflect this theorising. The strategies include: prioritising the development of relationships with and between school stakeholders, establishing systems and structures to support the development of relationships and creating a school culture of learning where teachers reject deficit theorising, accept ownership for the performance of students, implement culturally responsive teaching practices and are critically reflective about their practice. This study suggests that further research examining culturally responsive leadership in mainstream education is needed to provide a more comprehensive profile of a culturally responsive leader in the New Zealand context. However, this report does provide an interesting point for reflection and discussion amongst school leaders who want to raise Maori student achievement and reduce disparities.

text: Examining Culturally Responsive Leadership: An investigation into how one school leader, in a primary school setting, provides culturally responsive leadership that ensures Maori students achieve Addressing the achievement disparities that exist within New Zealand education between Maori and non-Maori is a major government priority and is identified by the Ministry of Education as being a critical challenge for school leadership (Ministry of Education, 2008a). Therefore, an important question for school leaders to contemplate is: How do we raise Maori student achievement and eliminate the ‘gap’, or more specifically, what are the teaching and leadership practices that will make a difference? The research project presented in this thesis examines how one school leader, in a mainstream primary school setting, provides culturally responsive leadership practice that ensures Maori students achieve. This case study was conducted within a kaupapa Maori theoretical framework and used a mixed methods approach that incorporated the triangulation of quantitative and qualitative data. Quantitative data included student achievement data in reading, while qualitative data collection and analysis included school documents, participant observations of the principal, a series of semi-structured interviews and a stimulated recall interview with the principal and focus group interviews with the school leadership team and a group of teachers. The literature reviewed highlighted the centrality of culture in education, the implications for relationships and interactions between teachers and students that are born out of cultural deficit theorising and the potential culturally responsive teaching practices hold for students from minority groups. It also identified a series of effective leadership practices that enable school leaders to influence classroom teaching and have a subsequent impact on student outcomes. The case study school reflects a mainstream primary school context where the majority of Maori students are achieving at or above national expectations in reading. The findings indicate that the principal is implementing many of the practices that characterise effective leadership in successful schools. The principal’s leadership practice is guided by her understandings of culturally responsive leadership, which emphasises the importance of developing quality relationships and quality teaching and learning. Consequently, she has focused her leadership practice on three interrelated strategies that reflect this theorising. The strategies include: prioritising the development of relationships with and between school stakeholders, establishing systems and structures to support the development of relationships and creating a school culture of learning where teachers reject deficit theorising, accept ownership for the performance of students, implement culturally responsive teaching practices and are critically reflective about their practice. This study suggests that further research examining culturally responsive leadership in mainstream education is needed to provide a more comprehensive profile of a culturally responsive leader in the New Zealand context. However, this report does provide an interesting point for reflection and discussion amongst school leaders who want to raise Maori student achievement and reduce disparities.

year: 2010