How does the democratic leadership style affect the work environment Thesis

How does the democratic leadership style affect the work environment in school - Thesis Example In a school, democratic leadership has a vital role to play and it is important that the people closest to the students, get the opportunity to make decisions on school curriculum and instructions. Coalition principles state that the school itself "should model democratic practices that involve all who are directly affected by the school" In a democratic setup, students, teachers and parents could have various insights, thoughts, ideas and talents which when shared would be so effective in creating a healthy school culture. It is vital to start democratic leadership while children are still in school, as schools play a crucial role in preparing citizens for democracy. According to Nancy Mohr -"You can do anything you want: you just can't do everything you want". The positive side of limited time is that it forces schools to make choices that correlate with the core values of the school resulting in teachers, students and parents-the decision-makers experience commitment that   surp asses their personal fortune. In a democratic set up, one does not think and act individually for ones self, but on the other hand think and work for the whole group. This vision is clearly reflected in the words of Anzar's Charlene Mckowen where she states "Once you've worked here, (democratic set up) you always think on behalf of the whole staff, the whole school. You think for the long term when you're a part of making a decision". Accomplishing a democratically run school can be very difficult. But once it is achieved, the needs of the whole community can be met and there is a good chance that the school will retain itself even with the loss of its key visionaries and founders. Democratic leadership  places key decision making in the hands of people who know the students best and which makes it a powerful tool to serve the common good. Educational leadership in the 21st century shows patterns of change, conflict and contradictions. The need for effective leadership is being cl amored for, by all quarters, be it the teacher, politician or the parent. The topic of democratic leadership has always been a highly debated one and has surfaced time and again in the arena of educational research. One of the foremost advocates of this system is John Dewey who opined that for students to become able citizens of a democratic society it was important that they lived and grew up in a democratic educational environment along with their teachers. Democratic leadership plays a very vital role in all the facets of our life, especially education. According to (Gastil, 1994) it is both crucial and essential to understand the meaning of democratic leadership, but currently not much attention has been paid to it. In (Minier, 2001) opinion, democratic movements have been responsible for the historical progress of democracy and there are many great leaders of the world who have contributed a great deal to democracy, freedom, liberty and human rights among the developing countri es. These dynamic leaders have fought against dictatorship, racial problems involving discrimination and segregation, and military regimes and were instrumental in promoting democracy and bringing about good social change. (Fox & Brown, 2000; Wiseman, 1996) According to (Bass,