An ethnographic narrative of relational leadership

Abstract

Educational leadership is an important subject in the literature, which is mostly investigated from a male tradition. Little research is conducted on a feminine approach, such as relational leadership in educational leadership studies. This paper offers an ethnographical and narrative perspective of relational leadership, observing and speaking to a female school principal. Through an inductive qualitative data analysis, working observational and storied field texts into research texts, this inquiry traced the qualities that characterise a feminine approach to leadership in contrast to the more traditional approach. Narratives ‘from the ground’ together with ethnographic observational field texts redefine leadership, and bring about a new language about leadership, and one that disrupts the male dominated discourse of leadership. Discerning the feminist attributes evident from the field texts speak to the explanatory power of attributes in relational leadership, such as care, collaboration, vision, intuition and courage.