Adaptive leadership of schools in Australia during the Covid-19 pandemic: lessons for future crises

This research reports the findings of a qualitative study conducted in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) in 2022, which examined school leadership experiences in relation to crisis leadership during the Covid-19 pandemic through the prism of an adaptive leadership model. Interviews with leaders, including school principals, assistant principals, school board members, and education administrators, were thematically analysed, resulting in four key areas leaders reflected on which were related to adaptive leadership. These were the ability to change and adapt; the important role of communication; the focus on well-being; and productive collaborations. The findings showed how school leaders and education administrators interacting in their different roles and levels achieved effective collective action in responding to crisis with a heightened awareness of the wellbeing of the school community. The need for reflection and understanding of what occurred during this period is important to understand how leaders, including education administrators, adapted their leadership to meet the collective purpose of steering school communities through the chronic (ongoing) crisis. An adaptive leadership lens was used to explore the combined perspectives of different tiers of school leaders, which can provide useful insights for other chronic crisis situations, such as the widespread, ongoing teacher shortage.