Toward A Conceptualization of Democratic Leadership in a Professional Context

In this article, an argument is advanced with a view to establishing the central principles and premises upon which democratic leadership in school contexts is based. These principles are derived from the findings of a study on the professional leadership culture of one school conducted by this author. The initial study was a qualitative case study that examined, through Schein’s (2010) organizational culture and leadership model, the perceptions of school-level professionals regarding the nature of their professional leadership culture. Numerous findings with rich implications for democratic leadership in professional contexts emerged from the study. Based on these findings, I propose a conceptualization of democratic leadership and suggest ten strategies for its use in school contexts. Finally, I examine possibilities for the development of democratic leadership capacity in school contexts.