Strategies for Action

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Effective administration frequently requires reflection, planning, and strategic action.  As Dwight Eisenhower once remarked, “Plans are important, but planning is indispensable.” Consider the following:

  1. Strategic Mistakes
  2. Strategic Leniency
  3. Strategy of Enlighted Self-Interest
  4. Strategies for Difficult Conversations
  5. Strategic Biases in Planning
  6. Strategic Preparation for Action: Premortem
  7. Political Tactics

Conceptual Capital

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Listed below are a set of useful concepts that administrators and leaders can use to their advantage. Click on the concept of interest for a definition and brief example or discussion:

  1. Academic Optimism
  2. Anchoring
  3. Basic Virtues
  4. Concurrent Thinking
  5. Deficit of Deference
  6. Efficacy
  7. Flow
  8. Nudge
  9. Trust
  10. Mindfulness
  11. GRIT
  12. On Creativity
  13. Metaphorical Truth
  14. Organizational Citizenship
  15. Strong Views Loosely Held
  16. Obligations and Options
  17. Empathy and Compassion
  18. Organizational Culture and Organizational Climate
  19. Optimism and Pessimism
  20. Formal and Informal Authority 
  21. Formal and Informal Organization
  22. Enabling and Hindering Rules
  23. Conceptual and Operational Definitions

Theoretical Frameworks

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The basic form of knowledge in all disciplines, including the behavioral sciences, is the same; it consists of concepts, generalizations, and theories. Theory is an explanation that helps us understand a phenomenon such as the mind or achievement.

Below are brief overviews of theories that are useful to school administrators. Click on the theory that you would like to know more about.

  1. Theory of the Mind: An Overview
  2. Theory of Academic Optimism and Student Achievement
  3. Theory of Decison Making
  4. Theory of Shared Decision Making
  5. Theory of Bureaucracy 
  6. Theory of Concurrent Leadership 
  7. Theory of the School as a Social System
  8. School Properties and Achievement: A Conceptual Framework
  9. Contingency Model of Principal Supervision
  10. Theory of Deliberate Practice (PPT)

Laws, Principles, and Rules

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A set of generalizations in terms of laws, principles, and rules is presented to guide administrators as they lead and make decisions. Click below on the one you want to select from the list for a definition and examples.

  1. Law of Small Numbers
  2. Principles of Influence
  3. Principles of Bounded-Free Choice
  4. Principles of Collective Trust
  5. Principles of Organizational Justice
  6. Principle of Regression to the Mean
  7. Rules for Smart & Swift DM
  8. Rules for Better DM
  9. Rules of Positive Choice
  10. Rules for Resilience
  11. Rules for Success
  12. Rules of Thumb-Heuristics
  13. Rules about Rules
  14. Rules for Communication