Intercultural Leadership in School Environments

In order to develop schools as intercultural learning environments, studies about the organisational culture of schools and leadership in a cultural context, are required. This article highlights the work of head teachers in multicultural schools and the development of new theories with regard to intercultural leadership. The study is based on interviews with head teachers in multiethnic schools and other leaders of multicultural organisations in Sweden. Based on the responses of the interviewees, I have identified three components of leadership: (1) an understanding of multiculturalism and an awareness of the need for developing multicultural schools; (2) the actions/behaviour of the head teacher as a leader; (3) the head teacher’s personal abilities, qualities or shortcomings with regard to intercultural work. All these factors are interdependent, so a head teacher cannot achieve more than his/her staff understands and allows, and the surroundings permit, and can only pursue issues that are considered problems in school. To actively lead multicultural school development, requires both an acceptance of one’s own ethnocentrism and a certain multicultural maturity among the staff. My conclusion is that intercultural leaders need to promote organisational learning: the whole organisation needs to share the goal of developing an intercultural learning environment