Leadership of the Educational Organization, Part 1

Question 1: Discuss how an administrator can use referent influence to change a person’s behavior.

Answer 1: If an administrator uses referent influence as a way to change a person’s behavior, this means that others are able to identify with the administrator as a person and react positively to him or her. Certain characteristics that others can identify with include a strong character, an outspoken personality, and a compelling leadership style. These kinds of characteristics enable an administrator to gain the cooperation of other administrators, teachers, parents, and students even though those people may question the decisions made by the administrator. Referent influence typically refers to qualities that people perceive as favorable ones; however, the same character traits might not have a positive impact on everyone. While some groups respond positively to certain traits, others may view them as a sign of weak leadership. Another potentially problematic issue with referent influence is that superintendents are already in a position of leadership, and their authority has already been established; therefore, they might not be aware that they are lacking any character traits that could make them more appealing to other members of the school community.

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Question 2: Discuss how an administrator can use reward influence to change a person’s behavior.

Answer 2: Using rewards to influence the behavior of personnel means that administrators have certain rewards that they can give individuals who obey and carry through with decisions the administration has made. One issue with this type of influence is that an administrator may not receive enough funding from the school board and other bureaucratic agencies to have enough rewards to distribute equally to the people who comply with his or her policies. If an individual or group receives rewards that are not offered to others, this is likely to be considered preferential treatment, which is not viewed favorably in the field of education. Although these problems may occur, administrators themselves can develop other kinds of awards. For example, an administrator can offer staff members a free period or an additional lunch break, as well as support a new activity a teacher wants to implement.

Question 3: Discuss using positive reinforcement as a reward.

Answer 3: An important—yet often overlooked or underestimated—type of reward that an administrator can offer is positive reinforcement. This kind of reward is practically limitless and can be given out in the form of written or verbal communication. Taking time out of the day to tell a teacher or other staff member that he or she is doing a great job can have a major impact on that person’s attitude, quality of work, and level of output. Any administrator can give positive reinforcement, but an effective one knows that reinforcement must be clearly related to a certain task that the staff member is doing. If compliments are given out randomly, then they can seem meaningless and will not be of much value; as a result, the behavior an administrator seeks may not occur. Another problem associated with positive reinforcement rewards is that administrators who want to avoid appearing insincere by being too generous with praise might not offer enough positive reinforcement. Successful administrators can find a balance between showing an appropriate amount of appreciation and not showing enough.

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