Malaysia School Leadership Crisis Covid-19

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Proceeding Book of the 3rd International Conference on Multidisciplinary Research, Volume 03, No. 1, 2020, ISBN: 978-623-7655-12-1

‘‘Opportunities and Challenges for Sustainable Learning, Research and Community Service in Covid-19 Pandemic Constraints’

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Malaysia School Leadership Crisis Covid-19: Conventional To Adaptive Leadership

Yahya Don

School of Education and Modern Languange Universiti Utara Malaysia

Email: [email protected]

Abstract

This paper work is discussed about Malaysia school leadership crisis in pandemic Covid 19. The impact of the Movement Control Order (MCO)/Targeted Enhanced Movement Control Order (TEMCO) and online learning, is increasing anxiety, stress and depression among individuals teachers, parents and students in Malaysia school. They need a school leader who is adequately equipped, skilled and supported. There are many different leadership theories, and transformational leadershiptheories ismost important before 2020, particularly in the context of education, instructional leadership style. In Malaysia schools, Adaptive Leadership might be the most relevant and powerful leadership style. Adaptive Leadership is a practical leadership framework that helps individuals and organizations adapt and thrive in challenging environments. Adaptive leaders create conditions that enable dynamic networks and environments to achieve common goals in an environment of uncertainty. Adaptive Leadership focuses on four dimensions; navigating school environments; leading with empathy; learning through self-correction and reflection-creating win-win solutions. It is being able, both individually and collectively, to take on the gradual but meaningful process of change. This paper also discussed an emerging role and challenging of the school leaders and teachers required to transform the leadership style in the Pandemic Covid 19, Adaptive Leadership is purposeful evolution in Malaysia school system.

Keyword: Educational Leadership, Adaptive Leadership, Pandemic Covid 19

Introduction

Malaysia school leaders have proactively undertaken measures that safeguard the physical health of teachers and students, it’s equally important to respond with measures that stimulate teachers and students mental well-being. COVID-19 is truly ‘novel’. It’s a pandemic that’s causing a crisis not only in the school system in Malaysia, but at more than one level - health, economy, and humanity. With a lockdown, Malaysia school systems are experiencing an unknown reality. Amidst this uncertainty, while school system continues to evaluate its impact, there is a need to respond appropriately too.

School leader have a primary responsibility towards its teachers and students. While, most of school in Malaysia have proactively undertaken measures that safeguard the physical health of teachers and students, it’s equally important to respond with measures that stimulate teacher’s mental well-being (Yahya Don & Arumugam Raman, 206). The impact of the MCO and online learning, is increasing anxiety and depression among individuals teachers in Malaysia, even in others countries, are prominent.

Malaysia School Leadership Crisis: Moving To Adaptive Leadership

Malaysia school leaders ever doubted the place of great leadership, the COVID-19 pandemic have demonstrated its importance. Whether school based or not, the need for educational leadership has been a painful lack for Malaysia school system. As schools have fumbled to reopen after many months of remote learning, it is clear in Malaysia schools, they need

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2 a school leader who is adequately equipped, skilled and supported.There are many different conventional leadership theories, and transformational leadershiptheories ismost important before 2020, particularly in the context of education, instructional leadership style.Transformational Leadership is based around 4 elements: Idealized Influence, Intellectual Stimulation, Individualized Consideration and Inspirational Motivation,(Bass, 1985; Bass & Avolio, 1995). Conventional leadership focus on exercise of authority, maintenance of norms, giving directions, used when you are confident your directions will result in useful outcome and walking within organizations competencies (Heifetz, 1994).

However, as 2020 and the pandemic COVID 19 crises have unfolded, it has become clear that to thrive in such uncertainty. Malaysia schools leadership, moving to Adaptive Leadership might be the most relevant and powerful leadership style rather than distributive leadership as state in Malaysia Education Blueprint (2013 – 2025).Adaptive Leadership is a practical leadership framework that helps individuals and organizations adapt and thrive in challenging environments. It is being able, both individually and collectively, to take on the gradual but meaningful process of change. Adaptive leadership is based around advertising adaptive challenges, challenges norms, involving primary stake holders, used in situation of complexity and uncertainty and working outside organizations competencies (Heifetz, Grashow, & Linsky, 2009).In the crisisCovid 19, Adaptive Leadership is purposeful evolution in Malaysia school system (Yahya Don, Arumugam Raman, &FauziHusin, 2016;Heifetz, Grashow, & Linsky, 2009).

In Malaysia situation, school leaders and leaders in institutional of education, clear that the adaptive leadership framework practices, who have thrived, are those who have been able to pivot, manage complex change well, and respond to the evolving needs of their constituents (Obolensky, 2014). These are the leaders whose communities have in turn thrived through pandemic Covid 19 crisis.It’s often thought that leaders are dominant within an school organisation and school leaders want to use their strong personalities to impose their will.

This hierarchical top-down leadership style hasn’t worked for a long time and in the crisis situation (Yukl, & Mahsud, 2010). Adaptive Leadership has a number of advantages. Every member of the school system is involved and learns to understand the cause of a recurring problem (Randall, & Coakley, 2007).

Malaysia School Leaders Practices

Adaptive leaders create conditions that enable dynamic networks and environments to achieve common goals in an environment of uncertainty (Randall, & Coakley, 2007).Malaysia school leaders practices focuses on four dimensions; navigating school environments; leading with empathy; learning through self-correction and reflection; creating win-win solutions. There’s no universal check-list for Adaptive Leadership, but these four dimensions can help school leaders to better prepare for unpredictable educations environments(Randall, & Coakley, 2007; Obolensky, 2014).

1. Navigating School Environments

Malaysia school leaders embrace uncertainty and encourage the teachers to look for new approaches. It’s about the context; rules and procedures should be left behind. Sticking to rules and procedures can actually be impact the students learning process. Learning from changes new norms of the Covid 19 crisis lead to the best solution. School leaders need to developing different perspectives, a wide range of options. Teachers and students are

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3 encouraged to go beyond their traditional way of thinking and find creative solutions by thinking in possibilities rather than in limitations (Randall, & Coakley, 2007)

School leaders inspire the school teachers and encourage them to apply their best teaching method skills over than apps application, visit students and parent. It’s important to discuss things with the teachers in certain school, since that will lead to new insights. Every teachers of the school is equally important. The role of the school leader should therefore go to the teaher or group of the teachers to make a particular or specific decision.

2. Leading with empathy

School leaders create a group of teachers attitude instead of an atmosphere of divide and conquer. An adaptive leader will understand alternative perspectives, ideas and be able to share them with teachers by looking at the school organisation through the eyes of others.

They have the ability to respond with empathy, allowing them to influence students especially B40 group in rural and urban area, competitors and other communities.In addition, school leaders will reward their teachers with autonomy. It’s about what teachers achieve, not about completing their tasks or getting through the work day. Instead of a focus on rewards (extrinsic task motivation), they emphasise working independently and managing one’s own activities, cooperation and recognition (intrinsic task motivation) (Yahya Don, Arumugam Raman, & Fauzi Husin, 2016). School leaders understand that it’s about their teachers actual effort (Randall, & Coakley, 2007).

3. Learning through self-correction and reflection

School leaders encourage experimentation in the pandemic covid 19 crisis. Some experiments will fail, but those failures can serve as lessons for the future actions (Randall, &

Coakley, 2007; Obolensky, 2014). Falling and getting back up teaches the teachers that many method can lead to success.

School leaders would do well though to offer their teachers the chance to reflect on both successes and failures. Identifying mistakes and problems properly and in a timely manner, they can be tracked down, filtered and decoded, giving the school organisation a chance to respond to them. School leaders ensure that their organisation is always aware of what’s going on outside it and what students and parents are thinking (Yahya Don, Arumugam Raman, &

Fauzi Husin, 2016). All this information can then be included in the strategy. School leaders also allow decisions to be made at lower levels in the organisation and minimise the birocratic (Yukl, & Mahsud, 2010).

4. Create win-win solutions

School leaders as an adaptive leader values platforms for cooperation and builds on them. The schools success and excellance often depends on the involvement of an teachers network of parents and stakeholders (Randall, & Coakley, 2007). Technology application method of teaching makes it possible to involve students in complex issues pandemic covid 19 crisis.

Their knowledge and insight is worth a lot and a lot of a school succes influences come from parents and stakeholders. School leaders do more than just focus on students and school performance (Yukl, & Mahsud, 2010). They safeguard the continuity of their school organisations models and explore opportunities to have social and academic performance play a role in these.

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4 Conclusion

Reflecting on the work of education sector leaders, organizations and schools amidst the chaos of 2020, it is clear that there are some outstanding practices of education leaders who have applied these principles of adaptive leadership in order to thrive: school leaders who have embraced changes in program delivery, evaluation, and resourcing have leveraged strong, pre-existing networks with students, parents and stakeholders and Ministry of Education (MOE). School leaders have led the way in this crisis season of uncertainty are those who are strongly and intentionally rooted in local communities with an excellent understanding of context that sets them apart from other teachers, students and parent. These deep, local roots have enabled them to respond in meaningful and impactful ways whilst maintaining the relevance of their school organizations. Malaysia school leaders who have truly led in the midst of chaos are those who have been willing to address complexity rather than ignore it, or wait for it to end. School leaders who have found their work disrupted have addressed that disruption directly, with a laser focus on the core of their schools vision and mission, and sought ways to navigate the disruption.

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