The influence of the leadership of the director in the construction of an organizational culture oriented to the innovation of the schools

This doctoral thesis seeks to analyze the influence of principal leadership on the generation of a school culture conducive to innovation. We understand the concept of school innovation as the introduction of changes that report an improvement in the processes and results in the different areas of educational institutions. From this definition it is sought to identify the style of school leadership that is related to the generation of an organization promoting innovation, to know the practices of managerial leadership that facilitate and promote the involvement of teachers with innovation and analyze the understanding of role of directors as agents of change.

The study considers as central themes, among others, the following: the importance of leadership for school improvement, leadership styles, leadership for school innovation or a culture conducive to innovation.

The development of the research was carried out in the Magallanes Region, Chile, in prominent schools through the National Performance Evaluation System (SNED), between the years 2016 and 2020. It is a descriptive study and is addressed through a mixed quantitative-qualitative methodological approach. In the quantitative field, a questionnaire was applied and answered by 126 teachers. The instrument considered 34 closed questions of Likert scale, which was in the construction process, validated by research experts and through a pilot study application, where its reliability was determined using Cronbach's alpha (0.837). A semi-structured interview, validated by a group of experts, was applied in the qualitative approach. This was applied to 6 principals and 13 teachers from the schools under study.

The results allow us to state that: it is clearly confirmed that managerial action is fundamental in the generation of an innovative organization; the influence exerted by the director, to favor the involvement of teachers with innovation, is based mainly on actions that have to do with affective-emotional aspects; the results do not make it possible to elucidate the leadership style that contributes to generating a culture favorable to innovation, but it is possible to identify the leadership styles that are related to innovation; and teachers attach great importance to principals in generating and consolidating innovation processes.

Also, the people who have participated in the study consider that the directors generate high expectations in relation to: that they are an example of commitment, that they have the capacities to manage the processes of change, that they establish challenges, they encourage creativity, reflection and convey enthusiasm for more effective ways of doing things.