Leadership in a culturally diverse environment: perspectives from international school leaders in Malaysia

ABSTRACT

School leaders employ essential skills and requisites to lead culturally diversified teams in order to achieve organizational objectives. This study aims to uncover the leadership styles of international school leaders in the culturally diverse environment of Malaysia. In uncovering perspectives on cultural diversity, this exploration employs a qualitative approach using interviews with four school leaders, observation field notes and documentary analysis from three international schools. Qualitative data analysis rendered a contextualization of instructional and transformational leadership attributes in international school leadership. The perspectives of school leaders specified practices of creating a shared mission and vision through the school’s core values, curriculum and co-curricular activities while encouraging harmonious interaction among the members of the international school community. Despite the presence of challenges stemming from cultural differences, the school leaders highlighted the vitality of their role in providing a safe learning environment. Hence, this paper provides guidelines to prepare potential school leaders with the essential leadership skills for international schools in multicultural environments and for the advancement of culturally responsive leadership in the globalized era of the 21st century.

KEYWORDS:

• Instructional Leadership
• transformational leadership
• cultural diversity
• international schools
• Malaysia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Donnie Adams

Donnie Adams is a senior lecturer at the Faculty of Education, Institute of Educational Leadership, University of Malaya. He is a recipient of UM’s Bright Sparks scholarship, which recognizes outstanding researchers from within UM and other universities, and a recipient of University of Malaya’s Excellence Award 2016. His research and development work interests are in leadership in special educational needs and school-wide reformation of inclusive education agenda in Malaysia.

Joseph M. Velarde

Joseph M. Velarde is currently doing his Ph.D. in Educational Leadership and Management at the University of Malaya. He completed Masters of Educational Leadership at the University of Malaya and Bachelors Degree in Communication Arts at the University of the Philippines. He has been an English (Language and Literature) teacher for 12 years in the Philippines and in Malaysia. He has championed student and teacher leadership through student-led organizations and professional learning communities. His current research focuses on school leadership and cultural diversity.