"The three core tasks of expert school leaders are the standard fare of apologist for cultural realignment: articulating a vision, devising strategies to attain that vision and empowering followers" (Gronn 1996) A cursory understanding of the concept of any single leadership theory may lead to the belief that a shift to only one type of leadership style is a panacea for struggling schools. A more thorough analysis of the history and theory behind the different concepts of leadership in general and educational leadership in particular, the moral, ethical and intellectual capacity of the leader may be more significant than the leadership theory he/she practices.
In trying to evaluate the efficacy of leadership styles as a practical possibility, four have been identified: transactional, instructional, transformational, and invitational and discussed with a current middle school principal.
Transactional Leadership Theory.
Transactional Leadership as noted by Gronn, "comprises a technology of control that facilitates an exchange relationship with followers entailing reliance on the management by exception and contingent reward or inducement typical of supervisory management levels" (Gronn, 1996: 15). (See also Leithwood, 1992: 9) According to Leithwood, Transactional practices are considered to be essential to maintaining the organization while transformational practices provide the incentives for people to attempt improvement in their practices. (Leithwood, 1992: 9). .
This leadership style is primarily a situation where individuals and groups go their own way in an organization and pursue their own objectives, having transacted their legitimacy form the leader, either by obtaining resources to complete tasks or others forms of legitimization. Such organizations are task rather than process oriented, and less successful at managing innovation and change, where the focus is on one person, the leader.
