Re:Story Together: Transformational Leadership Practices in Education
Document Type
Dissertation
Publication Date
Spring 5-3-2025
Keywords
Transformational Leadership, Responsible Leadership, Action Leadership, Futures Thinking, Social Capital, Education
Abstract
This study explores the integration of Transformational Leadership, Responsible Leadership and Action Leadership to drive systemic reform in South Africa’s underserved educational communities. Leaders in underserved communities often lack the support, resourced networks, and foresight necessary to bring about transformational change in their schools and communities. This study sought to answer whether the agency of transformational leaders who lead from the future, for the future, could bring about education and community reform. Using futures thinking, the study proposes a participatory change model that empowers education and community leaders to move beyond assumed constraints and to act as catalysts for social transformation. Rather than being preoccupied with the past and present, as leaders lead from the future, for the future, they can imagine new alternative possible, preventable, and preferable futures that provide renewed sources of choice and freedom. Employing a mixed-methods approach, a two-day leadership workshop was conducted to launch the Re:Story Together pilot project, a two-year leadership initiative engaging South Africa’s Department of Education, public and private education leaders, business stakeholders and local communities. Findings suggest that leadership that embraces an increased moral engagement, leverages diverse social capital and employs societal foresight can break cycles of educational dysfunction. This study contributes to leadership theory by demonstrating how multi-theory leadership approaches can reshape not only schools but also their surrounding communities, offering a scalable framework for national educational reform.
Recommended Citation
Hartley, Trevor J., "Re:Story Together: Transformational Leadership Practices in Education" (2025). College of Arts and Cultural Studies Doctor of Strategic Leadership (DSL) Projects. 10.
https://digitalshowcase.oru.edu/coacs_dsl_projects/10
