Strategic management in South African education: The leadership dimension

Since the introduction of the South African Schools Act, 1996 and the shift to school self management, strategic management has become an important issue in South African schools. This shift requires a proactive leadership approach by the school principal. The focus in this article is on the leadership dimension of strategic management by the school principal. After elucidating the relationship between strategic management, strategy implementation and leadership, a model of long-term leadership is presented and then applied to the strategic leadership role of the school principal. Acceptable theory in relevant management literature formed the basis of the exposition of the relationship between strategic management, strategy implementation and leadership, while the model of long-term leadership, which was developed from existing leadership models and literature, formed the basis of the discussion of the principal's strategic leadership function. From this emanated new insight into the strategic leadership role of the school principal. This formed the basis of a discussion on the impediments facing the principal in the fulfilment of the function of strategic leader.