Brain Dominance Profile and Leadership Styles of Basic Education Administrators

Abstract

Introduction

People have diverse thinking styles preferences. Recognition of this difference in preferences is very important in the success of an organization. Discovering one's thinking preferences and adapting change for improvement is key to increase the effectiveness of a leader. Changing one's mindset is arduous. Sometimes, it is even considered impossible. But change is exactly what people and organizations need. Organizations will not survive in this highly competitive world unless they learn to embrace change and adapt to current trends to stay on the line. Diversity in thinking style should be taken into account so that administrators can effectively lead and manage schools. Leaders should take the different thinking styles of their subordinates into consideration and design a curriculum incorporating a full spectrum of approaches and perspectives for learning opportunities. They can easily learn to expand their repertoire of behavior and to act outside their preferred styles by discovering one's thinking preferences.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey was used. It sought to develop collective profiling of the brain dominance and leadership style of school administrators that may serve as a guide to cultivating whole-brain thinking. Moreover, it aimed to generate a theory associated with brain dominance with the kind of leadership style to identify the strong preferences in a particular quadrant of the brain. Respondents consisted of 30 principals from different public elementary schools. Gathered data underwent statistical treatment using frequency and percentage distribution. Qualitative data were content analyzed for purposes of generating theory.

Results

Administrators vary in terms of their thinking preferences and the four quadrants of their brains. There was some sharing of individual patterns from each respondent but there was no equal distribution of the preferred thinking preferences. They lean more connection towards quadrant C and exhibit a transformational leadership style.

Discussions

Administrators have diverse thinking style preferences. Some quadrants of their brain were not strengthened. The thinking preferences on their brain dominance have concentrated on some of their brain quadrants. Right and left upper quadrants are not optimized and need to be developed to make their leadership style more effective. They lean on transformational leadership. Some applied aspects of transactional style. Brain dominance of administrators influences their leadership styles.