| Abstract [eng] |
Prie-school educational institutions in Šiauliai town play an important role in shaping children's education, but their effectiveness and success depend not only on their educational programmes, but also on the organisation's internal structure, management style and staff cooperation. The research problem arises from the need to understand what leadership styles are used in these institutions and how they affect the development of social capital. The Master's thesis explores the links between leadership styles and social capital in order to investigate how different leadership styles contribute to the formation of social capital. The theoretical part of the thesis discusses the main leadership styles based on one of the situational leadership theory groups – the Path-goal leadership model – as well as the theoretical foundations of the concept of social capital and its components. This Master’s thesis bases on P. G. Northouse's (2009) concept of leadership and Hargreaves and Fullan (2012) concept of social capital. This social capital theory emphasises that leadership is one of the key factors in the formation of social capital, as leaders create an atmosphere of trust and cooperation. The empirical part of the research is based on quantitative data obtained from a survey of managers and employees of pre-school educational institutions in Šiauliai. The research problem is analysed in order to answer the following questions: what leadership styles are most often used by pre-school leaders in Šiauliai city? Is social capital developed in pre-school institutions in Šiauliai city? What are the correlations between different leadership styles and social capital components? The object of the study: the relationship between leadership styles and social capital. The task of the study is to identify the correlation between leadership styles and social capital. The empirical study was carried out with the participation of leaders, teachers and teaching assistants from pre-school educational institutions in Šiauliai. 302 participants (20 managers, 241 teachers and 41 teaching assistants) were interviewed. Theoretical, empirical and statistical research methods were used. The empirical study revealed that pre-school institutional leaders choose all leadership styles according to the situation and all leadership styles are highly expressed from both the employees' and managers' perspectives. The most frequent leadership style is achievement-oriented and the least frequent is supportive leadership. The social capital of pre-school institutions in Šiauliai is sufficiently developed and its expression is much higher than average. Respondents with less experience (up to 10 years) in one workplace have a slightly higher level of social capital than respondents with more than 10 years of experience. The study found that the more pronounced a manager's leadership style, the more evident almost all components of social capital. The research results are important not only for the academic community, but also for managers working in all educational institutions. The study confirms that leadership styles, when appropriately selected and used by leaders, enhance the formation and development of social capital. Thus, the thesis provides theoretical and practical insights into how managers can apply the principles of path-goal leadership to effectively build and strengthen social capital in their organisations. |
