ABSTRACT
A most interesting configuration started to present itself as a consequence of the analysis of the findings reported in the previous four chapters. Reflection on the findings produced powerful causal connections emerging between collaborative leadership and student, teacher and organizational outcomes. A constantly recurring pattern in the responses, and a consistency over the forty hours of interviews, supports the authenticity of these connections. Significantly, these emerging patterns aligned closely with the findings of the related theory and literature linking leadership behaviour and school success, discussed in Chapter 1. In response to this revelation, I undertook a hypothesizing process to elicit greater insight into the interconnections between what leaders did in their daily practice in schools and how this led to achievement of success, the underlying premise being that these interrelationships could form the springboard for predictable pathways to outcomes for students, teachers and the organization. This being the case, some reasonably accurate forecasting of cause and effect relationships could be made. Importantly, then, leaders in schools could track their leadership actions and behaviour, following them through to their particular consequences for students, staff and the organization. Being able to do this is a significant step in leadership practice, bringing a clear, practical, analytical way of identifying the results of individual leadership on outcomes for the school. As a result, hypothesized causal links were made and categorized as structural, human resource, political and symbolic, using the Bolman and Deal (1991) frames. Success was categorized as student, teacher and organizational outcomes.
