Award Date

1-1-2008

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education

Number of Pages

71

Abstract

The Problem. It was the purpose of this study to answer the following questions: (1) What are the implications of changing milieu upon administrative leadership? (2) Ancillary to the above, does the literature suggest a separate type of administrative leadership for bureaucratic organizations?;Method. The research method utilized throughout the study was the content analysis technique of the historian whereby the conceptual literature over a period of time was critically examined. Data along the lines of the two sub-questions of the study were collected, collated, and interpreted in an attempt to discover new knowledge; Results. During the Classical period, it became evident that the administrative philosophies and theoretical veins were originally very regimented. Organizations operating during the 1920's were considered static structures, guided by prescriptive theories. Here, the only road to efficiency and productivity was to surrender man's needs to the service of the cold, insensitive machine. A leader in the classical period was considered competent if he demonstrated authoritarian behavior and implicitly adopted the objectives set forth by his superiors; During the Neo-classical period, theorists felt that a good leader was one who demonstrated the democratic rather than authoritarian behaviors. The new era also recognized that formal organizations had informal structures that could not be ignored. The highlight of this era was the realization that there were other motivations in force besides money and that these motivations were often more important. It was also discovered that individual workers reacted to an organization's hierarchy, rules, and rewards not as individuals but as members of a group; The period of Modern theory added even more emphasis to the interactive process that occurred within an organization's structure. These theorists assumed that an event was caused by numerous interrelated and interdependent factors. The felt that the choice of objectives and methods for achieving them were to be left to the individual leader. In short, the modern era integrated the classical and the neo-classical periods with contemporary concepts; In considering the questions of whether or not a bureaucracy required a separate type of leadership, it was found that bureaucracies were increasing in both formalization and centralization because our society was becoming more and more complex. Research also indicated that bureaucratic leaders must behave differently than those in charge of other bureaucracies. If our bureaucracies, as currently structured, needed to be altered to better suit today's needs, our concepts of leadership would also need to undergo alteration. It was found that the preferred leader will adapt his behavior to meet the demands of his environment; A major outcome of the study was the realization that educators must continue to look at changing situations and the suggested ideal for administrative leadership as they occur and draw conclusions about what type of leaders are needed in order to cope with our complex society. Just as society has changed and become increasingly complex, it will continue to change and increase in complexity. As a result, the concept of leadership is worthy of constant study.

Keywords

Administration; Educational; Implications; Milieu

Controlled Subject

School management and organization

File Format

pdf

File Size

2734.08 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

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