Exploring the Relationship Between the Framing of Cultural Diversity and the Strategies Used in its Management Among Educational Leaders

Abstract

Educational leaders have influential roles in their institutions, including how cultural diversity is managed. Some scholars have examined the relationship between how educational leaders frame cultural diversity and patterns in their leadership behaviour. One way that this is done is by applying the concepts of multiculturalism types and leadership styles. Some studies have suggested that certain multiculturalism types, or approaches to cultural diversity, are associated with certain leadership styles. For example, conservative multiculturalism, or a cultural-deficit approach, is associated with a transactional leadership style. Liberal multiculturalism, or a culture celebration approach to diversity, is associated with a social justice or critical leadership style that seeks to understand and address inequalities and injustices. This research approach is instructive, but it may benefit from an expanded view of the factors that affect the actions of educational leaders, for example the norms and values of an organization, community, or sector.