𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐓 𝐅𝐈𝐅𝐓𝐘 𝐓𝐖𝐎 𝐄𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫 : (𝐢𝐢) 𝟐𝟕 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝟐𝟑. 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐒𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞

 Impoverished Leadership Style

1. Introduction

Leadership in educational settings plays a critical role in shaping not only institutional culture but also teacher performance and student learning outcomes. Among the various leadership typologies, the Impoverished Leadership Style—a term popularized by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton in their Managerial Grid Model (1964)—represents a style marked by minimal concern for both people and production. In the context of schools and especially in subjects demanding high engagement such as Physics, this leadership style can be detrimental to effective teaching and learning.

2. Theoretical Foundations

Blake and Mouton (1964) categorized leadership styles based on two axes: concern for people and concern for production (or task achievement). The Impoverished (1,1) Style lies at the bottom-left quadrant of their grid, indicating low concern for both people and production. Leaders who adopt this style tend to:

  • Avoid decision-making

  • Evade conflict

  • Delegate responsibility without follow-up

  • Show minimal involvement in organizational activities (Blake & Mouton, 1985)

In educational leadership, such behaviors translate into passive school administration, lack of instructional guidance, and absence of strategic direction.

3. Characteristics of Impoverished Leadership in Schools

An impoverished school leader may exhibit the following:

  • Rare classroom observations or teacher evaluations

  • Minimal support for curriculum development or professional growth

  • Neglect of school discipline and operational planning

  • Absence during critical decision-making processes

According to Leithwood and Jantzi (2006), effective educational leadership requires active involvement, vision, and support. The lack thereof under impoverished leadership can lead to low teacher morale, reduced student performance, and institutional stagnation.

4. Impact on the Teaching of Physics

Physics is a discipline that inherently demands conceptual clarity, laboratory support, high student motivation, and continuous pedagogical innovation (Redish, 2003). Under impoverished leadership, several adverse consequences may manifest in the Physics classroom:

  • Lack of resources: Experiments may be neglected due to poor lab equipment and little administrative effort to update or procure materials.

  • Teacher isolation: Physics teachers, often working with complex content, may receive little encouragement for collaboration or professional learning.

  • Instructional stagnation: No incentive or leadership-driven strategy exists to explore innovative methods such as inquiry-based learning, simulations, or flipped classroom models.

  • Low student engagement: Students may perceive Physics as difficult and boring if leadership fails to foster a school culture that values STEM engagement.

For instance, Bybee (2010) stresses that instructional leadership is crucial for STEM teaching, including Physics, because it requires sustained attention to teacher development and classroom innovation—both of which are lacking under impoverished leadership.

5. Empirical Evidence and Case Studies

Research by Bush & Glover (2014) found that schools with passive and uninvolved leadership styles often perform below national standards. In physics education specifically, a study by Osborne et al. (2003) highlighted how teacher support and administrative backing were central to improving students’ attitudes and achievement in science.

Further, Mulford and Silins (2003) reported that transformational and instructional leadership practices positively correlate with science achievement in schools. This indirectly underscores the ineffectiveness of the impoverished style, which is the antithesis of proactive leadership.

6. Impoverished Leadership: Ethical and Cultural Implications

An impoverished leadership style in education also raises questions of ethical leadership. As Shapiro and Stefkovich (2016) argue, ethical leaders are morally committed to student welfare and academic excellence. Abdicating this responsibility through disengagement or indifference not only hampers academic achievement but also erodes trust and professional integrity.

7. Conclusion

The Impoverished Leadership Style, characterized by low involvement and low care for both people and results, represents a significant risk in educational environments. When applied—or more accurately, when leadership is absent—particularly in the teaching of high-demand subjects such as Physics, the consequences can be educationally and ethically damaging.

Strong instructional leadership, resource provision, teacher mentorship, and student-centered strategies are essential in science education. The impoverished leadership model should therefore be viewed as a model to avoid in the pursuit of excellence in educational leadership and classroom practice.

References

  • Blake, R. R., & Mouton, J. S. (1964). The Managerial Grid: Key Orientations for Achieving Production Through People. Houston: Gulf Publishing.

  • Blake, R. R., & Mouton, J. S. (1985). The Managerial Grid III: The Key to Leadership Excellence. Houston: Gulf Publishing Company.

  • Bush, T., & Glover, D. (2014). School leadership models: What do we know?. School Leadership & Management, 34(5), 553–571.

  • Leithwood, K., & Jantzi, D. (2006). Transformational school leadership for large-scale reform: Effects on students, teachers, and their classroom practices. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 17(2), 201–227.

  • Bybee, R. W. (2010). Advancing STEM education: A 2020 vision. Technology and Engineering Teacher, 70(1), 30–35.

  • Osborne, J., Simon, S., & Collins, S. (2003). Attitudes towards science: A review of the literature and its implications. International Journal of Science Education, 25(9), 1049–1079.

  • Mulford, B., & Silins, H. (2003). Leadership for organisational learning and improved student outcomes. Cambridge Journal of Education, 33(2), 175–195.

  • Redish, E. F. (2003). Teaching Physics with the Physics Suite. Wiley.

  • Shapiro, J. P., & Stefkovich, J. A. (2016). Ethical Leadership and Decision Making in Education: Applying Theoretical Perspectives to Complex Dilemmas. Routledge.