ABSTRACT
The recent development of educational administration as a distinct field of study associated with the sociology of education has been accompanied by a growing concern with the nature of leadership in educational settings and particularly with the role of the headmaster. Frequently, however, observations on the nature of the headmaster's task are characterized by general statements relating to the increased complexity of educational organizations associated with their increase in size, and also by diffuse references to changes occurring in the wider society which, according to the observers, make certain designated traditional leadership styles inappropriate. Thus, Taylor has argued recently that
It is no longer so easy for the head to be in close personal contact with his staff and pupils, to be able to claim that he knows everyone in the school.... The skills involved in co-ordinating the work of several department and house units, in interpreting the school to the community in which it serves, in initiating innovation and encouraging others to innovate, all become of greater importance ; the head must add managerial skills to his existing commitment to educational objectives and the needs of children. 2
