No quick fixes! Moving from administrative manager to reflexive facilitator of learning and change

This article presents an approach to leadership development emerging from practice as a dialogical collaborative reflexive activity within the frame of action learning. In the beginning of the paper we clarify our understanding of central ideas concerning leadership, reflexivity and action learning. Furthermore, we present a design for leadership development in high schools and vocational schools, in which leaders facilitate learning, action and change based on available empirical data through reflexive dialogues in collaborative teams of teachers. The overall process and the outcomes have been investigated systematically in eighteen high schools and vocational schools over a period of one year and have shown that the action learning design and process have supported and enhanced the leaders’ and teachers' reflexive practices. In addition, the design and the process have also supported organizational change and the realization of new strategies. Our research shows that this approach to action learning has great potential for development in schools if the needed time and willingness is present.