What is exciting and encouraging [is that] with appropriate instructional leadership by principals, technology can be an effective catalyst for educational reform. (Creighton, 2003, p. 46)
The above quote from Creighton highlights the relation between leadership, technology and pedagogical change. The implementation of educational technologies can transform learning, but not without significant investment in reviewing how instruction is delivered and how learning is organized. Transformational leadership theory provides insight into how to manage the change processes required for this to happen.
Sound leadership and change management skills are central to implementing the use of new educational technologies to support e-learning programs and foster transformation. Traditional theoretical and practical constructs do not adequately reflect emerging e-learning environments, and transformational leadership behaviours can be used by those leading e-learning programs to guide and support change in their organizations. By providing individualized support and consideration, encouraging followers to aspire to organizational interests and move beyond self-interest, transformational leaders provide intellectual stimulation, and challenge followers to question the status quo. Through their actions, these leaders model expectations, challenge others to question, and inspire followers.
In the case of implementing e-learning programs, transformational leaders model the use of technology, create collaborative cultures, restructure conditions to provide time for planning and problem-solving for redesigning how learning is organized. Transformational leaders build productive relationships that foster creative uses of educational technologies to engage learners and support new learning environments that alter how learning is organized. Promising research affirms the critical role of leadership in e-learning design, development, and delivery, and confirms that without a clear vision combined with collaborative leadership, organizations could end up committing precious resources to the development and deployment of courses for e-learning without much success.
