Resumo

VAN JAARSVELD, Leentjie. Entrepreneurial leadership style in schools: Good versus poor socio-economic circumstances. Tydskr. geesteswet. [online]. 2020, vol.60, n.3, pp.783-796. ISSN 2224-7912.  http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2224-7912/2020/v60n3a13.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the entrepreneurial leadership style of the principals of schools operating in both good and poor socio-economic circumstances. In an effort to provide education to all, organisations have been established to support education worldwide. In recent decades, various organisations related to education have emerged in the world. These organisations include the Association for Childhood Education International (a global community of educators and advocates for education reform); the Global Partnership for Education, which operates in nearly 60 developing countries through a multilateral partnership that includes donor governments, international organisations and teachers; the United Nations International Fund for Emergencies, committed to a holistic and humanistic vision of quality education worldwide, the realisation of everyone's right to education and the belief that education plays a fundamental role in human, social and economic development; and the United Nations International Emergency Fund for Children, which recognises the rights of every child. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the United Nations Children's Fund both emphasise access to and equality and quality of learning in education, regardless of educational goals. The leadership as executed by the principal of a school plays an important role in the functioning of the school. However, the socio-economic circumstances will have a direct bearing on the success with which the principal will be able to perform his duties. Here finance plays an important role. If the school is graded as a quintile 5 school according to the quintile system, the principals are dependent on school fees and additional funding through the help of the school governing bodies. When the school is located in a good socio-economic environment, the funds are easier to raise. In contrast, lower quintile schools, which are usually located in poor socio-economic environments, often have to raise extra money under difficult circumstances to keep the school running. For this reason, it is important for principals to think like entrepreneurs to find creative and innovative ways to raise extra funds. Entrepreneurial leadership is a distinctive type of leadership required for dealing with the challenges and crises of current organisational settings. Despite the debates on the definition of entrepreneurial leadership, there has been a relative consensus among researchers on the distinctive competencies that motivate and enable entrepreneurial leaders to lead an organisation successfully. These competencies are a combination of personal characteristics, skills and knowledge that have long-lasting and influential effects on entrepreneurial leaders ' organisational performance. Among the personal competencies that have been specified for entrepreneurial leaders, proactiveness, innovativeness and risk-taking are the ones most cited, indicating entrepreneurial orientations at both personal and organisational levels. To answer the research question "What is the role of the entrepreneurial leadership style ofthe school principal in good and poor socio-economic circumstances?" a qualitative design, embedded in the interpretivist paradigm, was used in the study. A phenomenological study was done in order to experience the daily practices of the school principals, with a focus on their entrepreneurial leadership styles. Four schools in favourable locations as opposed to four schools having to operate in poor socio-economic circumstances were purposefully selected in the Western Cape and Northern Cape. Eight principals were interviewed through semi-structured interviews to investigate the role of their entrepreneurial leadership styles in different circumstances. The data were transcribed first and then coded. The themes derived were scrutinisedfor patterns. It was found that all the principals had strong leadership qualities. The word "cannot" does not exist in the principals ' vocabulary. Regardless ofthe circumstances, it was clear that the principals had a clear vision for the schools and were convinced that they could achieve their goals for the schools. Furthermore, all of the principals applied the entrepreneurial leadership style. In this study, it was found that the principals all possessed the given characteristics and were true entrepreneurs in their respective circumstances. However, it was also found that the principals of schools operating in good socio-economic circumstances used their entrepreneurial leadership style because they "wanted to" bring about change or make improvements in the school. On the other hand, the principals of schools having to deal with poor socio-economic circumstances "had to" make use of their entrepreneurial leadership style for the sake of survival. The autonomy of these school principals produced results. The principals' intrinsic and extrinsic motivation led them to manage their schools effectively, regardless of the circumstances under which the schools had to operate. The combination of strong leadership and the entrepreneurial leadership style has helped the schools to be managed successfully, regardless of the circumstances they had to cope with. Suffice it to say that the entrepreneurial leadership style still plays a significant role in the progress and survival of schools.

Palavras-chave : Entrepreneurial leadership style; finances; qualitative study; school principals; socio-economic environment.

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