https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8202-4070
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ABSTRACT
There is v ery little research on imagination in the context of leadership in general, and even less in relation to educational leadership. Drawing on available research on imagination in leadership and scholarship in the field of imagination, this qualitative content analysis seeks to add to foundational understanding of imagination’s role in educational leadership. First, it describes the range of meanings leaders hold about imagination and the contradictory feelings these meanings create. Second, it indicates some of the varied ways in which imagination contributes to leadership. Third, it contributes a definition of imagination that encompasses the potential value of imagination for leadership now and into the future. The paper concludes by offering recommendations for future research and identifies the improvisational imagination as an additional feature that imagination contributes to leadership practices. The research shows that imagination is not something we should call on only in times of crisis, but, rather, that it is an indispensable ally in dealing with leadership challenges of all kinds.
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Gillian Judson
Gillian Judson is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. She teaches in Educational Leadership and Curriculum and Instruction programs. Her current research looks at the role of imagination in leadership. Dr. Judson’s previous scholarship examines imagination’s role in learning (K-post-secondary), imaginative and ecological teaching practices (PreK through post-secondary), and imaginative assessment in the post-secondary context. Her latest books are entitled Imagination and the Engaged Learner: Cognitive Tools for the Classroom. (Egan & Judson, 2016), Engaging Imagination in Ecological Education: Practical Strategies For Teaching (Judson, 2015), and A Walking Curriculum (Judson, 2018/2019).