Philip Woods
I am former Chair and current Council Member of the British Educational Leadership, Management and Administration Society (BELMAS), Professor of Educational Policy, Democracy and Leadership at the University of Hertfordshire, UK (where I am also Director of the Centre for Educational Leadership), and author of over 120 publications. Selected publications are featured below. My work focuses principally on education, democracy, leadership, policy, governance and entrepreneurialism, with special attention to democratic and distributed leadership, equity, and change towards more democratic and holistic organisational environments. My work includes the design of resources for senior leaders, teachers and others to support the development of distributed and democratic leadership, working with international colleagues through European Union funded networks - European Policy Network on School Leadership (EPNoSL, 2011-2015) and European Methodological Framework for Facilitating Collaborative Learning for Teachers (EFFeCT, 2015-2018) - and as a member of the US-based New DEEL (Democratic Ethical Educational Leadership) network.
I have wide-ranging experience and expertise in leading, managing and participating in major funded projects for organisations including the British Academy, Economic and Social Research Council, UK government, European Union, National College for School Leadership, Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, and Learning and Teaching Scotland. I am experienced in undertaking academic and evaluative studies, developing recommendations on policy and practice to tight deadlines and providing keynote presentations, as well as being an active participant and leader in multiple international networks and supervising and teaching doctoral and masters students.
I have wide-ranging experience and expertise in leading, managing and participating in major funded projects for organisations including the British Academy, Economic and Social Research Council, UK government, European Union, National College for School Leadership, Specialist Schools and Academies Trust, and Learning and Teaching Scotland. I am experienced in undertaking academic and evaluative studies, developing recommendations on policy and practice to tight deadlines and providing keynote presentations, as well as being an active participant and leader in multiple international networks and supervising and teaching doctoral and masters students.
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Books by Philip Woods
Collaborative leadership as we examine it in the book is a deeper conception than the idea of distributed leadership that is often applied or studied. We see collaborative leadership as both emerging from the perpetual process of complex interactions across the school involving not only school leaders but teachers, support staff, students and others (hence as emergent), and shaped by individual intentions which express meaning, purpose and goals and the will to make a difference (hence as the product of intentionality). Our concept of collaborative leadership draws attention to both the context that gives rise to leadership and the human sparks of creativity and freedom generated by teachers, students and others as they work together.
The book argues that integral to a desirable conception of collaborative leadership is an explicit value-base - a philosophy of co-development rather than dependence. It explains how collaborative leadership practices can be guided by co-development values, where progress is achieved with and by helping others as co-creators of the learning environment of the school. The practical process of developing collaborative leadership is explored through ideas on reciprocal learning, values clarification, reframing leadership and collective identity construction. The book is a crucial aid in developing distributed leadership practice, through teacher leadership, for example, that is more collaborative, innovative, critically reflexive and capable of advancing social justice.
The book:
explains the drivers to democracy: an instrumental drive to use democratic ways of working to make organisations more effective; and intrinsic drives to enhance participation and create opportunities for holistic expression and meaning.
engages with ideas such as localism, the ʻfourth wayʼ and entrepreneurialism, explains how education can embrace democratic entrepreneurialism, and sets out a different way of understanding education - as a democratic self-organising system that takes its energies from the people and the parts of the system.
considers how change can be realised - by working creatively on present conditions in order to generate environments more in line with democratic values and holistic development, and being guided by ideas such as adaptive strategies, embodied change and degrees of democracy.
provides practical illustrations of change in the direction of holistic democracy, including initiatives involving state sector schools in England, as well as international examples.
This book is an essential read for anyone wanting to understand how democracy can embrace participation and the deep, human search for meaning.
For more information visit:
http://www.policypress.co.uk/display.asp?K=9781847427359&sf1=contributor&st1=Philip%20w/2%20A.%20Woods&m=2&dc=2
The book challenges many of the assumptions inherent in educational policy and conventional approaches to leadership. It is about understanding and exploring both the idea of democratic leadership and its practical relevance through examples drawn from practice and research.
'Democratic Leadership in Education' is for practitioners and students on professional development and academic courses and is essential reading for all policy-makers, academics and others (such as inspectors) who critically examine leadership and management of educational institutions.
'Every now and then a book is written in the field of leadership that stands out, says something different, is coherent, original and makes us really ponder and think. This is such a book - it will provoke policy-makers, academics, experienced practitioners and advanced students' - Cambridge Journal & Education
For more information visit:
http://www.uk.sagepub.com/books/Book227022"
Toolset for Change by Philip Woods
Book chapters by Philip Woods
The view taken of the concept of leadership affects the approach taken to understanding democratic leadership. This is not the place to undertake an extended discussion of definitions, but it is important to explain the conceptualisation of leadership that underpins this chapter. This is done in the next section.
A challenge in examining democratic leadership is the fact that there is no consensus around the meaning of democracy. What democracy consists of, and the features seen as most important in conceptualising a properly democratic society, are much debated, with different models and perspectives proposed (see for example Cartledge, 2016; Held, 2006; Keane, 2009). Following the section on conceptualising leadership, conceptions of democracy are discussed in the chapter through the perspectives of power, dialogue, growth and belonging. The chapter then considers democratic leadership from the viewpoint of the conduct or style of leadership it might imply. This foregrounds leadership as agency which may take different forms, one of them being democratic. The agential viewpoint is followed by a discussion that foregrounds structure by considering leadership as a feature which reflects, is shaped by and constructs a particular structural context, namely that of democratic organisation or community. The discussion is brought together by drawing on the notion of holistic democracy in which the agential and structural aspects of democratic leadership are highlighted and presenting a framework of the dimensions of holistic democracy and associated structures. In the conclusion, two key points are emphasised: that an expansive view of democratic leadership gives attention to the dimensions summarised in that framework - power sharing, transforming dialogue, holistic learning and relational well-being; and that democratic leadership is a product of the interplay of agency and school structures.
-- Agency: make the freeing of teachers’ agency a priority so teachers can initiate and lead change together on aspects of practice about which they feel passionate.
-- Support: create cultural and communal support structures to help teachers in developing a collective identity and the confidence and strategies to involve others in their attempts to change practice.
-- Equity: make advancing equity - respect, participation, fair opportunities for learning and lessening socio-economic inequalities - an explicit aim of teachers’ collaborative practice.
-- Learning: ensure teachers’ collaborative practice nurtures a breadth of learning that includes cognitive, emotional and social development as members of a community of professionals, as well as the predisposition and capacity to think independently and critically as an individual.
The principles were established through the identification and preparation of five UK case studies (Woods et al 2016)
Collaborative leadership as we examine it in the book is a deeper conception than the idea of distributed leadership that is often applied or studied. We see collaborative leadership as both emerging from the perpetual process of complex interactions across the school involving not only school leaders but teachers, support staff, students and others (hence as emergent), and shaped by individual intentions which express meaning, purpose and goals and the will to make a difference (hence as the product of intentionality). Our concept of collaborative leadership draws attention to both the context that gives rise to leadership and the human sparks of creativity and freedom generated by teachers, students and others as they work together.
The book argues that integral to a desirable conception of collaborative leadership is an explicit value-base - a philosophy of co-development rather than dependence. It explains how collaborative leadership practices can be guided by co-development values, where progress is achieved with and by helping others as co-creators of the learning environment of the school. The practical process of developing collaborative leadership is explored through ideas on reciprocal learning, values clarification, reframing leadership and collective identity construction. The book is a crucial aid in developing distributed leadership practice, through teacher leadership, for example, that is more collaborative, innovative, critically reflexive and capable of advancing social justice.
The book:
explains the drivers to democracy: an instrumental drive to use democratic ways of working to make organisations more effective; and intrinsic drives to enhance participation and create opportunities for holistic expression and meaning.
engages with ideas such as localism, the ʻfourth wayʼ and entrepreneurialism, explains how education can embrace democratic entrepreneurialism, and sets out a different way of understanding education - as a democratic self-organising system that takes its energies from the people and the parts of the system.
considers how change can be realised - by working creatively on present conditions in order to generate environments more in line with democratic values and holistic development, and being guided by ideas such as adaptive strategies, embodied change and degrees of democracy.
provides practical illustrations of change in the direction of holistic democracy, including initiatives involving state sector schools in England, as well as international examples.
This book is an essential read for anyone wanting to understand how democracy can embrace participation and the deep, human search for meaning.
For more information visit:
http://www.policypress.co.uk/display.asp?K=9781847427359&sf1=contributor&st1=Philip%20w/2%20A.%20Woods&m=2&dc=2
The book challenges many of the assumptions inherent in educational policy and conventional approaches to leadership. It is about understanding and exploring both the idea of democratic leadership and its practical relevance through examples drawn from practice and research.
'Democratic Leadership in Education' is for practitioners and students on professional development and academic courses and is essential reading for all policy-makers, academics and others (such as inspectors) who critically examine leadership and management of educational institutions.
'Every now and then a book is written in the field of leadership that stands out, says something different, is coherent, original and makes us really ponder and think. This is such a book - it will provoke policy-makers, academics, experienced practitioners and advanced students' - Cambridge Journal & Education
For more information visit:
http://www.uk.sagepub.com/books/Book227022"
The view taken of the concept of leadership affects the approach taken to understanding democratic leadership. This is not the place to undertake an extended discussion of definitions, but it is important to explain the conceptualisation of leadership that underpins this chapter. This is done in the next section.
A challenge in examining democratic leadership is the fact that there is no consensus around the meaning of democracy. What democracy consists of, and the features seen as most important in conceptualising a properly democratic society, are much debated, with different models and perspectives proposed (see for example Cartledge, 2016; Held, 2006; Keane, 2009). Following the section on conceptualising leadership, conceptions of democracy are discussed in the chapter through the perspectives of power, dialogue, growth and belonging. The chapter then considers democratic leadership from the viewpoint of the conduct or style of leadership it might imply. This foregrounds leadership as agency which may take different forms, one of them being democratic. The agential viewpoint is followed by a discussion that foregrounds structure by considering leadership as a feature which reflects, is shaped by and constructs a particular structural context, namely that of democratic organisation or community. The discussion is brought together by drawing on the notion of holistic democracy in which the agential and structural aspects of democratic leadership are highlighted and presenting a framework of the dimensions of holistic democracy and associated structures. In the conclusion, two key points are emphasised: that an expansive view of democratic leadership gives attention to the dimensions summarised in that framework - power sharing, transforming dialogue, holistic learning and relational well-being; and that democratic leadership is a product of the interplay of agency and school structures.
-- Agency: make the freeing of teachers’ agency a priority so teachers can initiate and lead change together on aspects of practice about which they feel passionate.
-- Support: create cultural and communal support structures to help teachers in developing a collective identity and the confidence and strategies to involve others in their attempts to change practice.
-- Equity: make advancing equity - respect, participation, fair opportunities for learning and lessening socio-economic inequalities - an explicit aim of teachers’ collaborative practice.
-- Learning: ensure teachers’ collaborative practice nurtures a breadth of learning that includes cognitive, emotional and social development as members of a community of professionals, as well as the predisposition and capacity to think independently and critically as an individual.
The principles were established through the identification and preparation of five UK case studies (Woods et al 2016)
- contribute to the development of conceptual tools and provide empirically grounded insights to help practitioners and policy-makers advance more democratic approaches to education in classrooms, schools, and districts,
and
- deepen understanding of leadership as democratic practice and as a means of promoting education for democratic society and citizenship.
The five articles in the special issue are organised according to a nested view of democratic leadership and community - working from an overarching holistic frame, through the levels of socio-ecological communities, school districts, schools and classrooms.
This paper was given the award of best paper at the Philosophy of Management Conference, University of Oxford, 11th-14th July 2008, where it was first delivered.
The purpose of this report is to
- provide insight into the impact and usefulness of the degrees of democracy framework (DoDF) (which emerged from research) for educational and professional development purposes
- stand as a record of the first 18 months of its use
- provide an information source for professional development providers, academics, practitioners (school leaders, teachers and others), policy makers and researchers
- make recommendations for further developing the framework and its use for educational and professional development purposes and for future research.
Areas that put collaboration ahead of increasing specialisation generated more active collaborative cultures, greater shared professional development and increased educational attainment.
Collaboration was found to work best in urban settings,and when there was a low level of competition between schools, schools were perceived to be under threat – for example, with possible closure – and there was support from the local authority.
The researchers conclude that giving priority to collaboration is more important than aiming for specialist status, recommend stronger incentives for collaboration, and, if funding is limited, concentrating it on a smaller number of schools. Outcomes were better when money was spent on fewer schools rather than spread across a large number.
The research team recommends a stronger focus on students and what education is like for them: collaboration was not perceived by students as having a positive effect on their educational experience. There was no evidence of increased curriculum choice as a result of collaboration or improved satisfaction with schooling. While the number of pupils involved in collaborative provision increased between 2002 and 2005, so did the proportion rating this as unhelpful.
The study monitored collaboration and increasing specialisation between schools in six "pathfinding" areas between 2002 and 2006. More than 150 secondary schools were involved in urban and rural areas, with the size of initiatives varying from 10 to 76 schools.
This all involves ‘more and better leadership development’ and ‘innovative programmes’ for developing leadership, as well as an ‘intensive focus’ on ‘building… leadership capacity’ in the most challenging areas and efforts to increase diversity in leadership so as to increase numbers from under-represented groups, such as women and those with black and ethnic minority backgrounds (DfE 2016: 14, 19). In this self-improving system, sources of leadership development are more plural (Woods et al. forthcoming 2020). Schools are increasingly to take the lead ‘in growing the next generation of leaders’, which involves schools ‘spotting, nurturing and managing talented staff, identifying diverse candidates for leadership in sufficient numbers, and ensuring that current and prospective leaders get the professional development they need’ (DfE 2016: 41). A more diverse range of leadership development opportunities, programmes and qualifications is promised, including a ‘suite’ of qualifications ‘for all levels of the system in the new system’ (DfE2016a: 43).
This brief account of the direction of travel regarding leadership suggests that the development of leadership is a process that is (or is expected to be) active across and through the school system - from the classroom level to the system level through inter-school relationships and groups of schools which include multiple academy trusts (MATs), teaching school alliances (TSAs), federations and school clusters. Formal programmes and qualifications of leadership development are part of this. We might infer from the ambitious aspirations for leadership development in and across schools that there is a vital role too for numerous informal opportunities and processes of leadership development. These include the development of teacher leadership through teachers leading change as well as self-development by school leaders. This accords with our view that leadership development can take a range of forms. These include not only courses, coaching and mentoring and professional development sessions, but also experiential learning that includes reflection on leadership practice and the leadership of change (Woods et al. forthcoming 2020, Woods and Roberts 2016). Hence for the purpose of this paper we view leadership capability not as a static capability that is achieved, but a variable that is continually developed and shaped through practice as well as through formal and informal preparation and development activities. And we view leadership as an activity that can be exercised in both designated leadership roles, such as headteacher and middle leader, and in other, non-positional roles, such as teachers, support staff and students.
The paper uses a model of systemic conditions of pedagogic frailty (Kinchin 2017) and strength (Jarvis 2018) to examine some of the pressures and opportunities concerning leadership and leadership development in the English school system where the avowed policy intent is to enhance and distribute greater autonomy. We believe the model helps in undertaking a critical examination of the conditions affecting leadership and its development in the current system (Woods et al. forthcoming 2020).
The paper first considers autonomy in the context of a self-improving system and explores notions of autonomy that help in understanding what the practice of autonomy can involve. This is based on Woods et al. (forthcoming). The model of systemic conditions is then explained and used to identify key issues concerning leadership and leadership development in the English school system in order to illuminate what is tending to weaken and what is tending to strengthen leadership development. The paper then considers the challenges entailed in autonomy and leadership in these systemic conditions.