Leading in times of disruption – preparedness, problems, and possibilities (Part 2): Zooming in on the possibilities

Abstract

Benjamin M. Super fi ne zoom in on organisational preparedness. In their research, they use longitudinal data from a mixed methods study in two local school districts in the United States. The results illustrate systematic di ff erences in how school leaders in the two districts responded to the crisis; by triangulating qualitative and quantitative data, the authors can trace back these di ff erences to approaches taken in the districts, which in turn can be explained by the resources the districts had in place before the crisis, such as crisis plans and technological support structures. The study also sheds light on the importance of organisational culture at the local level: The authors conclude that ‘ distributed leadership networks and a culture of instructional inquiry became central. Lacking both, [one district] struggled to maintain coherent sensemaking ’ (p. 384 – 385).