The third and final principle for e

The third and final principle for educational leaders is systems thinking. Senge (2000)
says, “[T]he discipline of systems thinking provides a different way of looking at problems and
goals – not as isolated events but as components of larger structures…A system is any perceived
whole whose elements ‘hang together’ because they continually affect each other” (p.78).
Linking the ethics of justice with the ethics of care in an authentic manner in order to affect the
school community is approached from a systemic perspective, understanding that the leaders
words, actions and/or inactions, and the tenor of his/her relationships have an impact across the
entire system. This knowledge forces the educational leader to reconsider his/her role. The days
of unilateral decision-making are over. A leader focusing on the systems perspective must rely
on others, affirming the interconnectedness and interrelatedness of the stakeholders within the
community. Working closely with others and building constructive relationships becomes key.
“Systems often take their shape from the values, attitudes, and beliefs of the people in them.
That’s because our mental models, our theories about the way the world works, influences our
actions, which in turn influence the interactions of the system” (Senge, Cambron-McCabe,
Lucas, Smith, Dutton & Kleiner, 2000, p. 83).