Sofia Reis

Year of Award

2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Type

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Degree Name

International Educational Leadership

Department or School/College

Phyllis J. Washington College of Education

Committee Chair

William P. McCaw

Commitee Members

Erica Allen, Daniel Lee, John Matt, Kirsten Murray

Keywords

Central and Eastern Europe, Complexity Leadership, Descriptive Phenomenology, Educational Leadership, Qualitative Inquiry, Turbulence

Abstract

The expanding complexity and increasing disruptions of our world affects schools. During both stable and unstable times, successful educational leaders support their schools’ ability to accomplish their core mission: student learning and development. Using a qualitative approach, this research explored experiences of educational leaders who established schools in Central and Eastern Europe during the post-Soviet era and continue leading them to this day. The central question was: What is the lived experience of successful assertive educational leaders as they navigate extreme turbulence? In this study, leadership is understood as a collegial activity determined by the context where it is embedded, with the implicit understanding that success is externally measured both by the school’s long and healthy life and by its academic excellence.

Through individual interviews, the lived experiences of 14 educational leaders from eight countries were recorded. Raw interview transcriptions were analyzed using Giorgi’s (2009) descriptive phenomenological approach. This allowed the data to be reduced into a single narrative description shared by all participants, distilling the essence of their lived experience.

The findings, interpreted through Uhl-Bien et al.’s (2007) complexity leadership lens, identified leaders’ mechanisms of navigating extreme turbulence. Despite different philosophical and cultural traditions, all study participants searched for a balanced development of their students as people. To navigate through disruption, assertive educational leaders harnessed both internal and external dynamics to benefit their schools. Their responses to disruption (perturbance) enhanced schools’ adaptability, flexibility, and resilience. Additionally, fostering trust among students, teachers, and parents created lasting, supportive relationships. These intentional processes strengthen trust within the school community, and lead to broader positive impacts, including the ability to function through disruption.

The study’s findings illuminated how, three decades into democracy, the focus of these educational leaders has shifted from strengthening democratic ideals to building diverse processes, communication networks, and communities that provide students and teachers with the emotional support and spiritual care needed to build successful schools that can weather turbulent times.

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