Working as early childhood centre directors and deputies - perspectives from Australia, Finland and Norway

Title
Working as early childhood centre directors and deputies - perspectives from Australia, Finland and Norway
Publication Date
2019
Author(s)
Halttunen, Leena
Sims, Margaret
( author )
OrcID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4686-4245
Email: msims7@une.edu.au
UNE Id une-id:msims7
Waniganayake, Manjula
Hadley, Fay
Boe, Marit
Hognestad, Karin
Heikka, Johanna
Editor
Editor(s): Petra Strehmel, Johanna Heikka, Eeva Hujala, Jillian Rodd and Manjula Waniganayake
Abstract
This book is available to download under a CC licence from www.barbara-budrich.net (https://doi.org/10.3224/84742199).
Type of document
Book Chapter
Language
en
Entity Type
Publication
Publisher
Verlag Barbara Budrich
Place of publication
Opladen, Germany
Edition
1
Series
International Leadership Research Forum Early Education (ILRFEC)
DOI
10.3224/8474219918
UNE publication id
une:1959.11/27838
Abstract
This research is based in early childhood centres in Australia, Finland and Norway, considered the leadership work of centre Directors and Deputy Directors. Theoretically, this study is situated within the global landscape of neoliberalism that Sims (2017) describes as forcing the reshaping of early childhood policy in numerous OECD countries. Essentially qualitative in design, this exploratory study uses data gathered via a short background survey questionnaire, content analysis of job description statements, and a follow up interview with each participant. Findings indicate that there are differences within and across the three countries in the way these jobs are structured. It appears that the expectations of each role and how participants engage in leadership are framed by their centre contexts. In Australia, leaders of centres achieving an excellent quality rating tend to focus on relationship work when making leadership decisions. In Finland, Directors and Deputy Directors are expected to collaborate as partners when overseeing the work of 2-3 centres and other services. In Norway, there has been a redistribution of work where Deputy Directors have a co-responsibility in leadership enactment. When taken together, these findings illuminate new insights on how Directors experience leadership when Deputies are part of the leadership team in early childhood settings.
Link
Citation
Leadership in Early Education in Times of Change: Research from five continents, p. 231-252
ISBN
9783847421993
3847421999
9783847412243
3847412248
Start page
231
End page
252
Rights
CC0 1.0 Universal

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administrative/Leader2019FrontMatter.pdf 1604.831 KB application/pdf Front matter View document
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