The first chapter of Leonard’s “Innovation in the Schoolhouse” is devoted to the issue of entrepreneurial innovation that is believed to be capable of saving the American school system. The central problem indicated by the author is that these two concepts are contradictory as perceived by the majority of people. School is rather seen as an obstacle, standing on the way of prominent entrepreneurs and hindering fulfilment of their dreams (Leonard, 2013).
According to the chapter, the key concern of the modern American school system is that the majority of students are unable to compete with other nations, which creates a wide educational gap (Leonard, 2013). The same is also true about the United Arab Emirates since the curriculum does not currently meet the international standards. That is why innovation is viewed as the only solution to the problem. However, it is typically driven by sources outside the system such as private businesses. This arouses heated debate since the competitive nature and commercial motives of business go against initial purposes of schooling. Still, the author supports the idea that entrepreneurial leadership is indispensible to innovation (Leonard, 2013).
Entrepreneurial leader is a person who is able to turn innovative ideas into enterprises, policies or programs that bring about considerable improvements, having economic, social, and intellectual value. The most important leadership traits that they should possess include: creativity, imagination, outside-the-box thinking, passion for exploration and development, the ability to collect existing ideas and generate new ones, willingness to experiment, high tolerance for ambiguity, relentlessness in pursuit of their vision, self-confidence, high internal locus of control, risk tolerance, and independence (Leonard, 2013).
As far as their behaviors are concerned, leaders are usually gap-fillers since they are able to identify the need and provide a solution. Moreover, they are alert to opportunities and do not waste their chances to make improvements. They are observant, attentive, and always ready to listen to other people’s ideas since it allows them to practice associational thinking. Effective leaders are able to gather resources, spot potential obstacles, and take risks (Leonard, 2013).
However, the school system is not yet ready to accept entrepreneurial innovation either in the US or in the UAE. The problems is that opportunistic behavior of leaders is fraught with deplorable consequences in many real-life situations (job loss, lawsuits, bankruptcy, etc.). At the same time, the author still concludes that this approach, although being risky, is the only way to foster innovation in schools (Leonard, 2013).
Reference
Leonard, J. (2013). Innovation in the schoolhouse: Entrepreneurial leadership in education. Lanham, MD: R&L Education.