ABSTRACT
This chapter illustrates the major features of what is known about leadership in a way which should provide a guide to action in the school setting. R. Dubin saw leadership as 'the exercise of authority and the making of decisions' while F. E. Fiedler considered the leader to be 'the individual in the group given the task of directing and coordinating task-relevant group activities'. Studies until the late 1970s and early 1980s yielded useful but limited information about leaders and leadership. P. Hersey and K. Blanchard proposed in their situational theory that leadership behaviour should be varied according to the maturity of subordinates or followers. The importance of vision is a recurring theme in studies of excellence and leadership in education. Symbolic and cultural aspects of leadership have been a feature of recent studies as reflected in most of the generalisations offered thus far.
