SCHOOL LEADERSHIP: THE EXERCISE OF LEGITIMATE POWER IN CAMBODIA

Sath Sorm, Ilhan Gunbayi, Ilhan Gunbayi

Abstract


This research was undertaken in purpose of finding challenges with which the high school principals have encountered in using legitimate power, and strategies they have applied to exert it effectively. Methodologically, a holistic multiple-case design of qualitative research was employed because the study was conducted with principals and teachers who come from different schools, but the same units of analysis. 5 high school principals and 5 high school teachers from Kampong Thom province, Cambodia were purposively selected to get involved in writing answers of open-ended questions. Technically, NVivo 11 was utilized to analyse data. The results revealed that there have been a plethora of issues with which the principal have faced such as abusing power, power struggle, not obeying the rule, lack of motivation and professional consciousness, disagreement among colleagues, lax law, and low salary etc. Based on the participants’ experiences, to exercise legitimate power effectively, Cambodian principals have mostly adopted soft, hard, rational and bilateral power tactic in which relationship-oriented leadership style plays key roles.

 

Article visualizations:

Hit counter

DOI

Keywords


abuse, challenge, power, strategy, struggle

Full Text:

PDF

References


Adu,P. (2016). Presenting Qualitative Finding: Using NVivo Output to tell the story Retried (on 30/05/2017) from: http://www.slideshare.net/kontorphilip/presenting-qualitativefindings-using-nvivo-output-to-tell-the-story.

Alam, S., Haerani, S., Amar, M.Y. & Sudirman, I. (2015). “Role Conflict and Role Ambiguity in Higher Education.” International Journal of Business and Management Invention, 4(1), 2319–8028.

Annan, A.A, Robert, K.A.M., & Asare, M. B. (2016). “Delegation Powers between Headmaster and Staff: A Case of Senior High Schools (SHS) in Kumasi Metropolis.” American International Journal of Research in Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, 13(2), 155-161.

Asian Development Bank (ADB) (2011). Deconcentralization and Decentralization Reforms in Cambodia: Recommendations for an Institutional Framework.

Bartholomew, J.N. (1981). “A Sociological View of Authority in Religious Organization.” Springer. Review of Religious Research, 23 (2), 118-132.

Basit, T. (2010). Conducting Research in Educational Contexts. Continuum International Publishing Group.

Bertocci, D.I. (2009). Leadership in Organizations: There is a Difference Between Leaders and Managers. University Press of America.

Bhaird, C.M.A. & Lucey, B. (2014). Culture’s influences: An investigation of inter-country differences in capital structure. Borsa Istanbul Review.14(1), 1–9.

Boulding, K. E. (1962). Conflict and defense: A general theory. New York: Harper & Row. In Rahim, M. A. (2001). Managing Conflict in Organizations. Quorum Books.

Brown. C. (2009). Kingdom Building Realising Vision and Developing Leaders. The Transparent and Publishing Company.

Buchanan & Baadham (2008). Power Politics and Organizational Change. Sage Publication.

Bush, T. (2011). Theory of Educational Leadership and Management. Sage Publication Ltd.

Chitle, A. K., Mohanty, R.P., Dubey, & N. R., (2013). Organization Behaviour: Text and Cases.PHI Learning Private Limited.

Day, G.S & Schoemaker, P.J.H. (2006). Peripheral Vision: Detecting the Weak Signals that Will Make or Break Your Company. Harvard Business School Press.

Dive, B. (2008). The Accountable Leader: Developing Effective Leadership through Managerial Accountability. Kongan Page Limited.

England, C. & Morgan, R. (2012).Communication Skills for Midwives: Challenges in Everyday Practice. The McGraw-Hill Company.

Fairholm, G.W. (2009). Organizational power politics: Tactics in Organizational Leadership. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data.

Falbo, T., & Peplau, L. A. (1980). “Power strategies in intimate relationships”. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 38(4), 618–628.

Fleming, P. & Spicer, A., (2007) Contesting the Corporation: Struggle, Power and Resistance in Organizations. Cambridge University Press.

Fligstein, N. (1987). “The Intraorganizational Power Struggle: Rise of Finance Personnel to Top Leadership in Large Corporations, 1919-1979”. American Sociological Review, 1(52), 44-5.

Flint Jr. B.B. (2011). The Journey to Competitive Advantage through Servant Leadership: Building the Company Everybody Dreams of Working for and very President Has a Vision of Learning. WestBow Press.

Fisher, J. L. (1984). Power of the President. Macmillan Publishing Company and American council on Education.

Fitzell, J. (2013). Five Lines Managers should never Cross. Retried (30/12/2016) from: http://www.professionalsaustralia.org.au/blog/five-lines-managers-should-never-cross/

Forsyth, D.R. (2010). Group Dynamics. Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.

Francesco, A. M. & Chen Z.X., (2000). Cross-Cultural Differences within a Single Culture: power distance as a moderator of the participation – outcome relationship in the people's republic of china in Terzi, A.R. ( 2011). Relationship between power distance and autocratic-democratic tendencies. Educational Research and Reviews , 6 (7), 528-535,

Ghosh, A. (2011). “Power Distance in Organizational Contexts- A Review of Collectivist Cultures”. The Indian Journal of Industrial Relations, 47(1), 89-101.

Goncalves, M. (2013). “Leadership Styles: The Power to Influence Others”. International Journal of Business and Social Science, 4 (4), 1-3.

Green, V., A., Harcourt, S., Mattioni, L., & Prior, T.(2013). Bullying in New Zealand Schools. A Final Report. Victoria University of Wellington

Gupta, K.S. & Murari, K. (1996). Empowerment Approach to Employee Involvement. Paper presented in the seminar on Challenges and opportunities, 21st Century conducted at the 38th National Convention of Indian Institution of Industrial Engineering; Dec.6-7, Mumbai, India.

Hester, J.P. (2003). Ethical Leadership for School Administrators and Teachers. McFarland & Company, Inc.

Hobbes, T. (1651/1985). Leviathan. London: Penguin. In Fleming, P. & Spicer, A., (2007) Contesting the Corporation: Struggle, Power and Resistance in Organizations. Cambridge University Press.

Hofstede, G. (2011). Dimensionalizing Cultures: The Hofstede Model in Context. Online Readings in Psychology and Culture, 2(1). Retried (19/12/2016) from: http://dx.doi.org/10.9707/2307-0919.1014.

Hofstede, G. (2001). Culture's Consequences: comparing values, behaviours, Institutions, and Organizations. Sage Publication, Inc.

Houser, D., Levy, D. M., Padgitt, K., Peart, S.J. & Xiao, E. (2014). Raising the Price of Talk: An Experimental Analysis of Transparent Leadership. Interdisciplinary Center for Economic Science. Retried (25/12/2016): http://ices.gmu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Raising-the-Price-of-Talk-An-Experimental-Analysis-of-Transparent-Leadership-by-Houser-et.-al..pdf

International Labour Organization (2009). Sampling Methodology. International Labour office Geneva. Retried (13/06/2016) from: http:// www.ilo.org/wcmsp5 groups/public/@ed_emp/document instructionalmaterial/wcms_140859.pdf

Kampuchea Time (2012). Power Distance in Cambodia. Retried (14/07/2016)from: https://khmereye.wordpress.com/2012/06/02/the-distance-to-politicians-in-germany

Leymann, H. (1996). The Content and Development of Mobbing at work. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 5 (2), 251-275.

Luis,R. V. ( 2010). Management skills and leadership techniques: Their Application in Managing Work Teams. Ideaspropias Editorial.

Lunenburg, F.C. (2012). “Power and Leadership: An Influence Process”. International Journal of Management, Business, and Administration, 15(1),1-9.

Luthans, F. (2011). Organizational Behavior an Evidence-Based Approach. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Book.

Mac and Bhaird, C. & Lucey, B. (2013). Culture’s Influences: An investigation of inter-country differences in capital structure. Retried(23/08/2016) from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214845013000094

Machiavelli, N. (1515/1997). The Prince. London: Penguin. Discourses on Livy. London: Penguin. In Fleming, P. and Spicer, A., (2007). Contesting the Corporation: Struggle, Power and Resistance in Organizations. Cambridge University Press.

McNamara, V. (2015). “Cambodia: From Dependency to Sovereignty – Emerging National Leadership”. Journal of International and Comparative Education, 4(2), 79-92. Doi: 10.14425/00.87.95.

Merkin, R.S., (2006). Power Distance and Facework Strategies. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 35(2), 139–160.

Mihelič, K.K, Lipičnik, B. & Tekavčič, M.(2010). Ethical Leadership. International Journal of Management & Information Systems, 14 (5), 1-12.

Miles, M.B., and Huberman, A. M. (1994). Qualitative data analysis. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.

MoEYS (Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport) (2003). National Plan Education for All. . Retried (12/06/2016 ) from: www.moeys.gov.com.

MoEYS (2014). Education Statistics & Indicators. Retried (12/06/2016 ) from: www.moeys.gov.com.

Morefield, J. (2007). “School Leadership Professional Development in Cambodia. Johns Hopkins: School of Education”. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 35( 2),139–160.

Morefield, J. (2004). Ending, Lesson Learned and New Beginning. The eighth in a series of journal reports from Cambodia on a new school leadership professional development project.

Moya, M. & Akodo, R.( 2011). “Political interference and corporate performance of public universities in Uganda”. Journal of Public Administration and Policy Research, 4(6), 125-129. DOI: 10.5897/JPAPR11.010.

Mulder, M. (1977). The Daily Power Game, Martinus Nijhoff, Leiden.

Mullins, L. G. (2007). Management and Organizational Behaviour. Pearson Education Limit.

Neary, L. (2013). Leaders and Leadership in Japan. Rutledge: Taylor & Franci Group.

O’Leary, M. & Nee, M. (2001). Learning from Transformation: A Study of the Relationship between Culture, Values, Experience and Development Practice in Cambodia. Krom Akphiwat Phum: Phnom Penh. In Shoraku, A. (2006). School Leadership and Management in Cambodia: National Culture and Its Impacts on Leading Educational Changes. Journal of Cooperation Studies. 13(3), 111-142.

Peter G. N. (2009). Introduction to Leadership: Concepts and Practice. Sage Publication Inc.

Rao, M. S. (2012). Smart Leadership: Lesson for Leader. Stirlin Publishers Pvt Ltd.

Raven, B. H.; Schwarzwald, J., & Koslowsky, M. (1998). “Conceptualizing and measuring a power/interaction model of interpersonal influence”. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 28(4), 307–332. DOI: 10.1111/j.1559-1816.1998.tb01708.x

Ray, R. & Konik, J. (2011). Management Strategies in Athletic Training-4th Edition: Athletic Training Education Series. Human Kinetics.

Rogger, D.(2014). The Causes and Consequences of Political Interference in Bureaucratic Decision Making: Evidence from Nigeria. Job Market Paper. Retried (15/12/2016) from: http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.587.4321.

RGC (Royal Government of Cambodia) (2008). Cambodian Teacher Professional Ethics. Retried (15/12/2016): http://www.cambosastra.org/cambodia-teacher-professional-ethics/

Shin, J.C & Harman, G. (2009). “New challenges for higher education: global and Asia- Pacific perspectives”. Asia Pacific Education Reviews. 10(1).1-13. Doi: 10.1007/s12564-009-9011-6.

Shoraku, A. (2006). “School Leadership and Management in Cambodia: National Culture and Its Impacts on Leading Educational Changes”. Journal of Cooperation Studies. 13(3), 111-142.

SOCIUS (2011). Workplace Bullying, Power and Organizational Politics: A study of the Portuguese Banking sector. SOCIUS Working Papers. Retried from: http://pascal.iseg.utl.pt/~socius/home.html

Stojkovic, S., Kalinich, D., & Klofas, J. (2015). Criminal Justice Organizations: Administration and Management. Cengage Learning.

Stroh, L.K., Northcraft, G.B. & Neale, M.A.(2002 ). Organizational Behavior: A Management Challenge. Lawrence Erlbaum Association. Inc.

Sullivan, S. & Glanz, J.( 2006). Building Effective Learning Communities: Strategies for Leadership, Learning Communities: Strategies for leadership, Learning and Colaboration. Corwin Press.

Sweeney, P.D & Mcfarlin, D.B. (2001). Organizational Behaviour Solution for Management. McGraw-Hill Irwin.

The Phnom Penh Post (2012). Education and its role in Cambodia. Retrieved ( 16/12/2015) from: http://www.phnompenhpost.com/columns/education-and-its-role-cambodia

Thida, K. & Joy, L. C. (2012). Exploring the Implementation of School-Based Management in Selected Public Schools in Cambodia: A Multiple Case Study. The Asian Conference on Education. Saka, Japan.

Turner, J.H. (2013). Theoretical Sociology: 1830 to the Present. Sage Publication, Inc.

UNESCO (2015). Harassment and Abuse of Power and Authority. Ethics Office. Retried from: http://www.unesco.org/new/en/ethics-office/harassment-and-abuse-of- power- and-authority/

UNESCO (2015). Teachers in Asia Pacific: Status and Rights. Retrieved on 02/08/2016 http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0023/002347/234756e.pdf

UNESCO (2013). “Decentralized Finance and Provision of Basic Education: Asia-PacificAcross Nations”. Educational Research and Reviews, 6(7), 528-535.

Van Wart, M. (2005). Dynamics of Leadership in Public Service: Theory and Practice. M.E Sharpes. Inc.

Vimealea, T., Sivhuoch, O., Netra, E and Tem, L., (2009). Leadership in Local Politics of Cambodia: A Study of Leaders in Three Communes of Three Provinces. CDRI Working Paper Series No. 42.

VOS (2008).Teaching Matters: A Policy Report on the Motivation and Morale of Teachers in Cambodia. Retried (16/12/2016) from: https://www.vsointernational.org/sites/default/files/valuing_teachers_cambodia__teaching_matters_tcm7622690.pdf

Wiersma, W., and Jurs, S.G. (2004). Research methods in education: An introduction. China: Pearson Education Asia Ltd & China Light Industry Press.

Whetstone, T. (2013). Leadership Ethics & Spirituality: A Christian Perspective. WestBow Press.

Yin, R.K. (2012). Applications of Case Study Research. SAGE Publications, Inc.

Yukl, G. (2008). The Importance of Flexible Leadership. The Importance, Assessment, and Development of Flexibility Leadership, Practitioner forum presented at the 23rd annual conference of the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology. San Francisco, CA.

Yurkl, G (2002). Leadership in Organization. Prince-Hall, Inc.

Zapf, D. & Einärsen, S. (2001). “Bullying in the Workplace: Recent Trends in Research And Practice – An Introduction”, The European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 10 (4), 369-373, DOI: 10.1080/13594320143000807




DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.46827/ejes.v0i0.1604

Refbacks

  • There are currently no refbacks.


Copyright (c) 2018 Sath Sorm, Ilhan Gunbayi, Ilhan Gunbayi

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Copyright © 2015-2023. European Journal of Education Studies (ISSN 2501 - 1111) is a registered trademark of Open Access Publishing Group. All rights reserved.


This journal is a serial publication uniquely identified by an International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) serial number certificate issued by Romanian National Library (Biblioteca Nationala a Romaniei). All the research works are uniquely identified by a CrossRef DOI digital object identifier supplied by indexing and repository platforms. All authors who send their manuscripts to this journal and whose articles are published on this journal retain full copyright of their articles. All the research works published on this journal are meeting the Open Access Publishing requirements and can be freely accessed, shared, modified, distributed and used in educational, commercial and non-commercial purposes under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0).