Principals are increasingly required to have crisis-resilient leadership skills
Postdoctoral researcher Mailis Elomaa at the University of Helsinki has studied principals’ crisis-resilient leadership, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to her, principals’ crisis-resilient leadership is built above all on the ability to understand and make sense of rapidly changing situations.
In a crisis situation, the principal’s main task is to process a large amount of information and convey the essential points clearly to staff, students, and parents. When this is achieved, the principal can share information and support teachers, students, and parents in acting appropriately and remaining calm.
Although Elomaa’s study focused specifically on the COVID-19 pandemic, crisis management is also needed in everyday school life.
“Such a situation could be, for example, concerning information spreading at school – such as a social media discussion about a student, an unclear safety situation, a surprising resource decision, or a sudden change in the student situation,” Elomaa notes.
Communication skills and a sense of community are emphasized
Principals reported that crisis-resilient leadership is strongly linked to a sense of community and collaborative problem-solving. Clear and timely communication also emerged in the study as a key strength of crisis management.
“Crisis-resilient leadership emphasizes the principal’s ability to make sufficiently sound, well-reasoned decisions quickly, even when information is still limited—and, if necessary, to adjust those decisions later as more information becomes available,” Elomaa explains.
Job crafting reduces workload
The study also highlights the importance of principals’ own well-being and the benefits of “job crafting,” or adjusting job responsibilities. When principals can shape their own work, work goes more smoothly and the workload decreases.
Job crafting strengthens principals’ sense of control, resilience, and adaptability in crisis situations. Principals who actively took on new and challenging tasks felt more confident in their ability to lead during crises.
“Based on the study, principals’ crisis management skills could be strengthened by developing their emotional and interpersonal skills and by supporting their ability to actively shape their job roles."
Opportunities for professional development are desired
Researchers recommend that schools and policymakers promote flexibility in the planning of principals’ duties and provide opportunities for professional development. Skills in emotional regulation, empathy, and stress management are also beneficial in crisis management.
Examples of professional development methods include peer learning and collaborative networks, through which principals could share effective leadership strategies.
“This would require allocating sufficient resources – including time, staff, and funding – to professional development and role customization. By investing in leadership development, principals would be better equipped to handle upcoming challenges and crisis situations,” Elomaa notes.
The study is part of the Principal Barometer follow-up study, which has been conducted annually since 2019 in collaboration between the University of Helsinki and the Finnish Association of Principals, with the aim of comprehensively assessing the well-being at work of Finnish school principals.
Original article:
More information:
Postdoctoral Researcher Mailis Elomaa
University of Helsinki
mailis.elomaa@helsinki.fi
The study is part of EDUCA Flagship's Research Area 4 (Fostering competences of teachers and educational leaders in learning communities).