Principal Investigator:

Prof. Pang Sun Keung Nicholas (Department of Educational Administration and Policy)

Co-Investigator:

Prof. John Pisapia (Department of Educational Leadership, Florida Atlantic University, the United States)

        He postulated that the uncertainty associated with moving from one era to another requires leaders who are able to maximize their conceptual and behavioral agility, and who are hence better able to build the conditions under which organizational learning, adaptability, and flexibility can flourish. The central tenet of this theory is that leaders who are able to think and act strategically will be able to create more supportive organizational environments and achieve more valuable organizational outcomes. His theory of strategic leadership should not be confused with strategic planning or strategic management. It differs in that leaders at all levels of the organization must possess a strategic mindset that encourages flexibility and the ability to use adaptive leader actions.

        This study examines the relationship between the ability of school principals in Hong Kong to think strategically and execute a versatile set of leader actions and professional work environment of the teachers. Three hypotheses will be tested in the study:

1.      School principals' competence in strategic thinking and strategic execution leads to more productive schools and professional work environments.

2.      School principals who use strategic thinking cognitive skills to help leaders to make sense of the complexities facing the organization create more productive professional work environments.

3.      School principals, who use a wide array of leader actions, including managing, transforming, bonding, bridging and bartering, are better able to support the development of productive professional work environments than those who do not.

        This research is important because, if the results confirm the hypotheses, training materials and professional development activities can be produced to improve the thinking and acting skills of principals and aspiring principals. Two instruments, the Strategic Thinking Questionnaire (STQ) and the Strategic Leadership Questionnaire's (SLQ) will be used to collect data from the principals and from observers on the principal's use of cognitive skills and leader actions. Pang's (2004) Teachers' School Life Questionnaire (TSLQ) will also be used to collect data on the teachers' quality of school life in terms of their feelings, perceptions of empowerment, efficacy, commitment, job satisfaction and their organizational learning capabilities. The researchers will employ the LISREL approach to analyze the relationships among the variables from which they will draw their conclusions and recommendations.