Adaptive Leadership

James (2020) suggested a prophetic response maximizing the “adaptive leadership” framework in Catholic Education leadership. Catholic educators are called to be prophets, not messiahs or saviors. A prophet is “an effective or leading spokesperson of a cause” or “one gifted with more than ordinary spiritual and moral insight.” The Lord Jesus Christ lived, died, and resurrected 2000 years ago. Repeating his role is unnecessary. In fact, projecting ourselves to be a savior or expecting other leaders for a messianic performance is a form of idolatry. Parker Palmer (1998) called it “functional atheism – the belief that ultimate responsibility for everything rests with me,” – a dark side of leadership. Prophetic action means having a legitimate degree of well-being-“One must be attentive to one’s own present spiritual, mental, and emotional health in order to be in a position to help others.” It also being adaptive to challenges and adversities around us.

There are five important behaviors in adaptive leadership: (a) get on the balcony by looking above at different angles to see a better perspective; (b) think politically by addressing power issues in organization and recognize the opposite views; (c) orchestrate the conflict by addressing difficult questions, bringing issues to the surface, and controlling the temperature by raising it “(drawing attention to tough questions, bringing conflicts to the surface, etc.) and lowering it (speaking to people’s anger, fear, and disorientation; slow down the process; reconnect people to their shared values, etc.); (d) give the work back by casting the vision and encouraging teamwork; and (e) hold steady by “maintaining your poise so that you can plan the next step”, “focusing attention on the issue, but also allowing other issues to ripen.” Issues of safety, instructional delivery, and COVID-19 flare-ups also need to address with calmness. Adaptive leadership focused “…primarily on how leaders help others do the work they need to do, in order to adapt to the challenges, they face” (Northouse, 2016, p. 258; James, 2020)

In the United States, the coronavirus outbreak that led to a temporary closure of catholic schools and economic recessions jeopardized student’s ability to learn, and the affordability of the school tuition fees. Catholic schools that do not receive much support from the government (even if funded through CARES relief fund) need to address maintenance of the enrollment rate and financial sustainability. School closure led to the loss of learning, increased dropout rates, loss of free or subsidized lunches for underprivileged groups, and mental health issues (not too severe compared to developing countries).

References

1. James, J. T. (2020). Catholic School Educators as Adaptive Leaders: A Structure for Prophetic Action in Response to COVID-19. Journal of Catholic Education, 23(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.2302042020

2. Wodon, Q. (2020). COVID-19 Crisis, Impacts on Catholic Schools, and Potential Responses | Part 1: Developed Countries with Focus on the United States. Journal of Catholic Education, 23(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.2301022020

3. Wodon, Q. (2020). COVID-19 Crisis, Impacts on Catholic Schools, and Potential Responses | Part II: Developing Countries with Focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. Journal of Catholic Education, 23(1), 23. https://doi.org/10.15365/joce.2301032020
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4. Adaptive Leadership as a Reflective Practice – NCFP. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://www.ncfp.org/2017/10/10/adaptive-leadership-as-a-reflective-practice/

5. 5 principles to guide adaptive leadership | BusinessMirror. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2021, from https://businessmirror.com.ph/2020/09/21/5-principles-to-guide-adaptive-leadership/

6. Baker, J. O., Martí, G., Braunstein, R., Whitehead, A. L., & Yukich, G. (2020). Religion in the Age of Social Distancing: How COVID-19 Presents New Directions for Research. Sociology of Religion, 81(4), 357–370. https://doi.org/10.1093/socrel/sraa039