Leadership cocoons: the hidden leadership potential of school non-achievers

D.Phil.Not every person is a born leader. However, from an institutional point of view, those who do well in school stand out and are rewarded for excellence. Part of this reward is opportunities for leadership; in their school careers, at university and eventually in their professional or business careers. However, not every child manages to assemble all the elements that will enable their progress through a traditional meritocratic trajectory. Not every child (or every person) is ready for leadership at an early stage of their lives though ‘the system’ starts prepping future leaders early on in their training as productive adults. By developing the concept of Leadership Cocoons, this study is drawing attention to individuals who fall prey to the system who’s potential for leadership lies hidden in camouflage and is masked for leadership selection by generic norm generated criteria. Schools traditionally operate under a meritocratic system. Those children who fulfil systemic merit deserving criteria - whether these are in the area of scholastic/academic, sport or cultural activity – are selected as leaders within the school system. Furthermore, it is these children who stand the best chance to gain access to leadership positions once they have left school. They have the track record that organisations look at as first selection criteria when they are looking to appoint personnel to positions with an eye on promotion to leadership positions. The present study has used a qualitative methodology informed by the research paradigm of Cultural Psychology - as described by Cole (1996), Bruner (1996), Shweder (1991) and Wertsch (1998) – to focus on the leadership potential at schools that goes unnoticed, unacknowledged and un-nurtured. Cultural Psychology specifically focuses on identifying what is unique and individual rather than what is common (norm-based) and generic. By doing this, it opens up a wider spectrum of possibilities where equity of story and circumstance of individuals is honoured. In order to achieve the intended goal, the study has been strongly informed by the precepts Geertzian ‘thick description’ where evidence is drawn from a broad spectrum of research strategies