| Abstract [eng] |
SUMMARY Jankauskienė, A. Adaptive Leadership among Educational Institution Leaders in the Context of Teacher Shortages. Final thesis for the Management program. Vilnius University Šiauliai Academy. Master’s thesis supervisor: Doc. Dr. Milda Damkuvienė. This master’s thesis analyzes adaptive leadership among heads and deputy heads for education of educational institutions in the municipalities of Kaunas, Raseiniai, Šiauliai, and Biržai in the context of teacher shortages. The aim of the thesis is to identify manifestations of adaptive leadership in the activities of educational institution leaders when addressing the problem of teacher shortage. The research objectives are: to reveal the essence of the concept of adaptive leadership; to identify the key elements of adaptive leadership, highlighting differences from other types of leadership; to reveal the characteristics, strengths and limitations of technical and adaptive challenges; to analyse the stages of the adaptive leadership process and to disclose their content; and to identify manifestations of adaptive leadership in the activities of educational institution leaders in the context of teacher shortages. The thesis consists of three parts. The first part presents the essence of the concept of adaptive leadership, its specificity, and the main elements distinguishing it from other leadership types. The characteristics of technical and adaptive problems, their differences, and their interaction are analysed. The role of leaders and followers in addressing the problem of teacher shortage and their influence on decision-making is discussed. The part concludes with an analysis of the adaptive leadership process and its sequential stages. The second part describes the qualitative research methodology. A semi-structured interview was chosen as the research method. Twelve heads and deputy heads for education of educational institutions participated in the study. Participants represented four municipalities: Raseiniai District Municipality, Kaunas District Municipality, Šiauliai City Municipality, and Biržai City Municipality. The geographical criterion enabled analysis of the phenomenon in the context of different regions. The study participants represented general and pre-school education institutions. This part also outlines the organization and stages of the research, describes participant characteristics, and discusses research ethics. Content analysis was applied for data analysis. The third part presents the research results. The analysis of scientific literature revealed that the essence of adaptive leadership lies in the ability to recognize adaptive challenges, mobilize people for collective action, and initiate changes that require shifts in behaviour and thinking. Adaptive leadership is based on continuous learning, reflection, and the review of decisions made. One of its main features is teamwork and shared responsibility. Moreover, adaptive leadership does not rely on predetermined solutions or the authority of the leader alone but is grounded in community involvement, dialogue, and systematic change management. The empirical study showed that adaptive leadership among educational institution leaders is expressed through adaptability, flexibility, mobilization of internal resources, work reorganization, team involvement, and learning. However, when asked about new ways of working to address the teacher shortage, leaders mainly referred to long-established practices aimed at managing the existing situation. It was observed that during the interviews, leaders did not propose new solutions that would systematically transform institutional activities. The thesis concludes with conclusions and recommendations. Keywords: adaptive leadership, leadership expression, adaptive and technical challenges, teacher shortage, teamwork, new ways of working, educational institution. |
