Abstract/Summary

The professional development and preparation of new administrative leaders so they can be equipped to work in a rapidly changing environment driven by the competitive consequences of globalisation is certainly a key aim of the government in Kuwait. Thus, this research explored the effectiveness of the current leadership’s preparation and on-going development of those responsible for leading the education system in Kuwait. This research used a qualitative interpretive approach and was conducted in two stages with a sample of 54 managers (30 from the Ministry of Education departments and 24 from six education districts). In the first stage, 48 questionnaires were distributed, with 42 being returned representing a response rate of 87.5%. The second phase included semi-structured interviews conducted with eight managers with different areas of expertise to obtain more in-depth and comprehensive information on the issues that emerged from the analysis of the questionnaires. The data indicated that no specific formal programmes exist to prepare managers and provide them with appropriate leadership skills. Although professional development activities are available, they are not dedicated to improving leadership capability, but only to developing some managerial and technical skills. These programmes do not specifically target this category of managers; thus, they have not been effective in improving their leadership skills. One of the more significant findings to emerge from this study is that the majority of participants were unable to demonstrate a clear understanding of management or leadership or distinguish between them. The results also indicate that the most effective method is informal learning. Evidence suggests that the observation of others at work play an important and key role in vii leadership development. Consequently, the data collected indicates that attending more formalised professional development courses has little influence on these managers' leadership knowledge and understanding.