The Formation of Leaders

Antonio M. Gueco Jr.

The concept of "formation" is helpful in describing how capacities for the pricipalship are aquired and sustained , with

a role for universty based diploma and degree programs as well as aspecialist professional development opportunities. But the emphasis

is on systematic "formation", with opportunity for mentoring along the way. The view that there are stages in development that align with

career progression supports the approach adopte so far in Hong Kong design and the Sedish instruction program. It is given most eloquent formation

in recent literature by Gronn(1999), based on studies of principals in the nonpublicsector, and Ribbins(2000).

Gronn's purpose was " to provide a helpful framework for understanding leadership as a longitudinal and developmental career". His "career model of leadership identifies

four stages of a leader's career-formation, accession,incumbency, and divestituteand there are set in three macrocontexts: historical, cultural, societal. These macrocontexts account

for the differences in practices across nations, the reasons that approaches effective in one era may no be effective in another, and the ways that biographies of leaders who succeed in different eras

and in different settings may suggest different conclussions about the development of leaders.

Formation can be understood , at two levels, according to Gronn. For society and key sectors of it, formation is " the totality of the institutionalized arrangements which, either by intention or effect,

serve to replenish or reproduced cohorts of leaders. " For individuals, formation"means those preparatory socialization processes and experiences which served to later postion them in their previous incarnation

as leadership aspirants in state of social and psychological readiness to assume responsibility and authority"(199,p.32)

--oOo-

The author is ESHT-III at Sta. Lucia Elementary School, Lubao East District,

Lubao, Pampanga