**3. Findings**

This section provides findings based on research questions.

#### **3.1. Findings about the conditions that school administrators take initiative**

Examination of the codes in **Table 2** demonstrated that the conditions where school administrators take the initiative seem to concentrate on cases of uncertain expectations of local authorities, personal affairs, physical and financial matters, student affairs and monitoring works, etc. It could be concluded that school administrators do not tend to take initiative in potential fields of improving leadership traits.

**3.2. Findings about the views of school administrators on legislations falling short**

administration, etc.

*No one cares if the situation is resolved"*

and worried about hurting their personnel.

*inadequacy of the regulations."*

**process by taking initiative**

As a result of the examination of the codes in **Table 3**, it could be concluded that when legislations and regulations fall short, school administrators seem to think that there are shortages of definitions in legislations, unable to offer alternatives; to doubt the adequacy of people who design legislations; and to think that the challenges they come across are generalized in public

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Another finding was the fact that school administrators expect the legislations to include clear and logical definitions of their responsibilities. Sample statements on this issue are given below. *S.A 26: "Sometimes I feel like whoever wrote this on the legislation is out of this world. These statements have nothing to do with the real world. Then when I try sort things out, it is never appreciated.* 

*S.A. 18: "To be honest, I consult the assistant managers first. If we still cannot work it out, then I con-*

By examining the codes in **Table 4**, it could be concluded that when legislations and regulations fall short, school administrators seem to feel anxious, conflicted, helpless, distrustful,

*SA15: "… Although I am sure that I am doing what is right for students by paying extra hours to more than one teacher, I, as a responsible person still feel worried about aggrieving the staff caused by* 

*SA1: "… I do not remember panicking. Legislative texts are ambiguous. They change quite often though…" SA18: "…I feel distrust and anxious thinking what investigation would I face because of my decisions.* 

**3.4. Findings about the sources of references and strategies during the decision-making** 

**Table 5** presents the codes for reference sources for school administrators' initiative-taken actions. Accordingly, reference sources quoted by school administrators represent efforts they make to reach to the related people, written documents and application examples. It can be asserted that interviewed school administrators exhibit multidimensional efforts to find out solutions to conditions that require initiative. Sample statements made by school administra-

*SA4: "… Consulting experienced administrators or superiors is my primary strategy. However, if it is still not enough, I try making reasonable and explainable decisions by obtaining stakeholders' views" SA9: "As I earlier mentioned, elementary school inspectors and experienced school administrators are my reference sources. Sometimes I add teachers to the decision-making process to share responsibility. And sometimes there are sample court verdicts available. For instance, a newly assigned teacher started working in January and requested stationery payment which is normally paid in September. I looked for* 

*a sample court verdict on the Internet and found one. I made the payment accordingly."*

**3.3. Findings about the feelings of school administrators when legislations fall short**

*sult other administrator friends. I consult my dear friends who are administrators…."*

Sample statements related to abovementioned findings are as follows:

*SA21: "…. I do not panic. I take it normal when the regulations fall short."*

*More initiative means more risk and yellow envelope in our system…"*

tors evidencing this can be exemplified as follows:

*S.A 12: "Since there are no legislations and regulations to guide our institution, we are ruled by directives which cause omissions. Therefore, I have trouble and use initiative in course schedules, content confusions, overtime payments, working hours etc."*

*S.A 15: "When I first appointed as an administrator to X school, I went to district national education directorate to start to work. After introducing myself, I explained that I was there to get started. The Director told me that I should go start myself. I found the situation funny that I should appoint myself. I asked the director if the situation was not weird. He insisted and I did not press any further. At the end, I searched the regulations myself and failed to end up with an answer. First time I took initiative was to appoint myself. That is the initiative I remember the most."*


**Table 2.** Conditions that school administrators take initiative.

#### **3.2. Findings about the views of school administrators on legislations falling short**

**3. Findings**

Personnel affairs

Social and cultural activities Interinstitutional corporations Assignments of teachers

Health excuses of teachers Planning extra class hours

Human relations

Financial issues Off days of teachers

Urgent extraordinary situations at school

Construction and renovation works at school

Definition and application of school rules

**Table 2.** Conditions that school administrators take initiative.

Employees' personal rights Curriculum content design Absenteeism of students

This section provides findings based on research questions.

potential fields of improving leadership traits.

28 Open and Equal Access for Learning in School Management

**Conditions that school administrators use initiative**

*confusions, overtime payments, working hours etc."*

*was to appoint myself. That is the initiative I remember the most."*

Uncertainties in official letters received from the Ministry of Education

In response to requests of ministries other than the Ministry of Education

**3.1. Findings about the conditions that school administrators take initiative**

Examination of the codes in **Table 2** demonstrated that the conditions where school administrators take the initiative seem to concentrate on cases of uncertain expectations of local authorities, personal affairs, physical and financial matters, student affairs and monitoring works, etc. It could be concluded that school administrators do not tend to take initiative in

*S.A 12: "Since there are no legislations and regulations to guide our institution, we are ruled by directives which cause omissions. Therefore, I have trouble and use initiative in course schedules, content* 

*S.A 15: "When I first appointed as an administrator to X school, I went to district national education directorate to start to work. After introducing myself, I explained that I was there to get started. The Director told me that I should go start myself. I found the situation funny that I should appoint myself. I asked the director if the situation was not weird. He insisted and I did not press any further. At the end, I searched the regulations myself and failed to end up with an answer. First time I took initiative*  As a result of the examination of the codes in **Table 3**, it could be concluded that when legislations and regulations fall short, school administrators seem to think that there are shortages of definitions in legislations, unable to offer alternatives; to doubt the adequacy of people who design legislations; and to think that the challenges they come across are generalized in public administration, etc.

Another finding was the fact that school administrators expect the legislations to include clear and logical definitions of their responsibilities. Sample statements on this issue are given below.

*S.A 26: "Sometimes I feel like whoever wrote this on the legislation is out of this world. These statements have nothing to do with the real world. Then when I try sort things out, it is never appreciated. No one cares if the situation is resolved"*

*S.A. 18: "To be honest, I consult the assistant managers first. If we still cannot work it out, then I consult other administrator friends. I consult my dear friends who are administrators…."*

#### **3.3. Findings about the feelings of school administrators when legislations fall short**

By examining the codes in **Table 4**, it could be concluded that when legislations and regulations fall short, school administrators seem to feel anxious, conflicted, helpless, distrustful, and worried about hurting their personnel.

Sample statements related to abovementioned findings are as follows:

*SA15: "… Although I am sure that I am doing what is right for students by paying extra hours to more than one teacher, I, as a responsible person still feel worried about aggrieving the staff caused by inadequacy of the regulations."*

*SA21: "…. I do not panic. I take it normal when the regulations fall short."*

*SA1: "… I do not remember panicking. Legislative texts are ambiguous. They change quite often though…"*

*SA18: "…I feel distrust and anxious thinking what investigation would I face because of my decisions. More initiative means more risk and yellow envelope in our system…"*

#### **3.4. Findings about the sources of references and strategies during the decision-making process by taking initiative**

**Table 5** presents the codes for reference sources for school administrators' initiative-taken actions. Accordingly, reference sources quoted by school administrators represent efforts they make to reach to the related people, written documents and application examples. It can be asserted that interviewed school administrators exhibit multidimensional efforts to find out solutions to conditions that require initiative. Sample statements made by school administrators evidencing this can be exemplified as follows:

*SA4: "… Consulting experienced administrators or superiors is my primary strategy. However, if it is still not enough, I try making reasonable and explainable decisions by obtaining stakeholders' views"*

*SA9: "As I earlier mentioned, elementary school inspectors and experienced school administrators are my reference sources. Sometimes I add teachers to the decision-making process to share responsibility. And sometimes there are sample court verdicts available. For instance, a newly assigned teacher started working in January and requested stationery payment which is normally paid in September. I looked for a sample court verdict on the Internet and found one. I made the payment accordingly."*


**Table 3.** Views of school administrators when legislations fall short.


**3.5. Findings about the principles, values, and ethical frames when school administrators** 

**Table 5.** Findings about the sources of references and strategies during the decision-making process by taking initiative.

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**Sources of references and strategies during the decision-making process by taking initiative**

Principles, values, and ethical frames when school administrators take initiative can be summarized as common interest, social responsibility, rationality both in thinking and acting,

*S.A.1. "… What I desire is that I want other people to see what I see and understand. In other words, if* 

*S.A. 5. "…Principally, I try not to make people say the school administrator protects someone because of his or her political views. I am sensitive about that. If I make decisions that I can account for, there* 

*S.A. 9. "…. Now that this is a public institution. It has objectives and we all have to work for them. I have to make my school successful. I have to satisfy my students' academic expectations. Just as parents,* 

**Table 7** presents the codes for outcomes of the initiatives taken by school administrators. Identified by analyzing the data, these codes are grouped in two as positive and negative outcomes. It can be derived from the codes that taking initiative improves administrators' leadership skills and administrative competence, enhances professional development and decision-making skills, enables restructuring the realm of authority, reinforces organizational

When negative outcomes of taking initiative are considered, administrative and organizational elements were noticed as the worrying outcomes. Receiving warnings on exceeding

**3.6. Findings about the outcomes of the initiatives taken by school administrators**

**take initiative**

Related written opinions

Internet

Comparable application examples Consulting other school administrators

Consulting experienced administrators

Common provisions of the legislations

Dialog with students, parents, and community

justness, priorities, and accountability (**Table 6**).

*is no problem though…"*

*I decide on something, I do so for the everyone's good…"*

Opinions and comments on applications of the regulations and forums

Constitution, legislations, verdicts of state council and high court

Elementary school inspectors and provincial directorate for national education

*teachers and personnel. I pay attention on achieving these goals…"*

structure, and increases self-esteem with self-confidence.

**Feelings and reactions of school administrators when legislations fall short**

**Table 4.** Findings about the feelings and reactions of school administrators when legislations fall short.

When participant school administrators encounter initiative-requiring situations, they stated that they look for other sources available in case legislations and regulations fall short. Similarly, other reactions include calling an experienced administrator, doing research, and looking for different applications.


**Table 5.** Findings about the sources of references and strategies during the decision-making process by taking initiative.

#### **3.5. Findings about the principles, values, and ethical frames when school administrators take initiative**

Principles, values, and ethical frames when school administrators take initiative can be summarized as common interest, social responsibility, rationality both in thinking and acting, justness, priorities, and accountability (**Table 6**).

*S.A.1. "… What I desire is that I want other people to see what I see and understand. In other words, if I decide on something, I do so for the everyone's good…"*

*S.A. 5. "…Principally, I try not to make people say the school administrator protects someone because of his or her political views. I am sensitive about that. If I make decisions that I can account for, there is no problem though…"*

*S.A. 9. "…. Now that this is a public institution. It has objectives and we all have to work for them. I have to make my school successful. I have to satisfy my students' academic expectations. Just as parents, teachers and personnel. I pay attention on achieving these goals…"*

#### **3.6. Findings about the outcomes of the initiatives taken by school administrators**

When participant school administrators encounter initiative-requiring situations, they stated that they look for other sources available in case legislations and regulations fall short. Similarly, other reactions include calling an experienced administrator, doing research, and

looking for different applications.

Helpless

**Feelings and reactions of school administrators when legislations fall short** Will I hurt or get hurt Calling an experienced administrator

**Table 3.** Views of school administrators when legislations fall short.

Stalemated Choose to communicate Negative Try to reach true information

**Views of school administrators when legislations fall short**

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Legislations and regulations are established by nonexperts

Who write the legislations are not good in Turkish

Completing inadequacies immediately Deadlocks of current public administration

Looking for a way out

Offering alternatives What should I do now?

Discuss with other administrators

Why are the rules so fuzzy? Reaching to experienced people

Troublesome Look for different applications

Comfortable Make suggestions to superiors

Interrogative Try to find solutions

Calm complain Try to be patient and e-mail to the superiors

Inadequate Read over and over again until brief understanding

**Table 4.** Findings about the feelings and reactions of school administrators when legislations fall short.

Wretched Research Conflict Get angry

Distrust Be sorry

**Table 7** presents the codes for outcomes of the initiatives taken by school administrators. Identified by analyzing the data, these codes are grouped in two as positive and negative outcomes. It can be derived from the codes that taking initiative improves administrators' leadership skills and administrative competence, enhances professional development and decision-making skills, enables restructuring the realm of authority, reinforces organizational structure, and increases self-esteem with self-confidence.

When negative outcomes of taking initiative are considered, administrative and organizational elements were noticed as the worrying outcomes. Receiving warnings on exceeding


Effective use of informal power sources Courageousness in new challenges

Improved prestige of the administrator

Identification with the school Enhanced self-esteem and creativity

Research oriented

Expansion of tolerance Sense of success Realizing abilities

Solution-oriented thinking

Effective use of time

Creating a vision Un-mechanization Team work

*B. Negative outcomes*

Limited effects of initiatives

Consequences of taking risks

Be subject to reactions of superiors

Increased professional exhaustion Continuous research of legal grounds

Concerns on losing control

Abuse of good faith

Stress and anxiety Additional works

Transparent and principled working Finding solutions to teachers' expectations Advancement in authority and control

Learning to benefit from legal blind spots Get free of being a watchdog of the legislation

Going beyond the realm of authority

Unbalance between authority and responsibility Being left alone when taking responsibility

Be stuck in a difficult situation in formal inspections

Increase of nonchalance because of negative effects of initiatives

**Table 7.** Findings about the outcomes of the initiatives taken by school administrators.

Be sick of numerous inspections and receive warnings

Job satisfaction

Ability of quick decision-making despite bureaucracy

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Increasing attempts to communication and interaction

Thinking human oriented and product oriented

**Table 6.** Findings about the principles, values, and ethical frames when school administrators take initiative.


Effective use of informal power sources Courageousness in new challenges Ability of quick decision-making despite bureaucracy Identification with the school Enhanced self-esteem and creativity Research oriented Increasing attempts to communication and interaction Improved prestige of the administrator Expansion of tolerance Sense of success Realizing abilities Thinking human oriented and product oriented Job satisfaction Solution-oriented thinking Transparent and principled working Finding solutions to teachers' expectations Advancement in authority and control Effective use of time Learning to benefit from legal blind spots Get free of being a watchdog of the legislation Creating a vision Un-mechanization Team work *B. Negative outcomes* Going beyond the realm of authority Limited effects of initiatives Unbalance between authority and responsibility Being left alone when taking responsibility Consequences of taking risks Abuse of good faith Be stuck in a difficult situation in formal inspections Be subject to reactions of superiors Stress and anxiety Additional works Increased professional exhaustion Continuous research of legal grounds Increase of nonchalance because of negative effects of initiatives Concerns on losing control Be sick of numerous inspections and receive warnings

**Principles, values, and ethical frames when school administrators take initiative**

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**Table 6.** Findings about the principles, values, and ethical frames when school administrators take initiative.

Public interest

Justness

Objectivity School success School priorities

Positive thinking Accountability

*A. Positive outcomes*

Expansion of authority Advancement in persuasion

Raise of accountability Division of authority

Improvement of perspective

Advancement in administrational competence

Improved organizational commitment of teachers

Advancement in problem-solving skills

Advancement in crisis management Improvement in flexible thinking

More aggressiveness for future decisions

Alienation from conventional thinking

Inclining from administering to leadership

Accelerated personal and professional improvement

Rationality Efficiency Goal oriented Student satisfaction Consistency Human oriented Teacher psychology Social values General satisfaction

Student and teacher interests

Applicability for everyone

Not looking for personal interest Not discriminating the political views

General purposes of education and training

**Table 7.** Findings about the outcomes of the initiatives taken by school administrators.

their authority, concerns about the unstable situation between risk taking and accountability, thoughts about dysfunctionality of initiatives on organizational change, and concerns about the risk of being investigated are situations discouraging school administrators to take initiative. Even though proficient and willing in taking initiative, discouraging situations like these may probably cause professional exhaustion and, consequently, lower tendency to take initiative.

objective thinking, and human orientation. These values and principles are likely to contribute

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Circumstances where school administrators used initiative resulted in upsetting the balance of authority and responsibility by increasing responsibility and administrative skills, but it was not taken positively and threatened for sanctions and use of power, transforming from legal authority to leadership. However, this is limited by the higher level of bureaucracy, since hierarchical and bureaucratic supervision was implemented. As Hakanen et al. [21], Binnewies et al. [20], and Bracci [14] argued, the use of initiative appears and may be effective in organizational models and administrative approaches when power distance is diminished. School administrators in this study experienced centralized structure and functioning. Thus, they felt limitations imposed on them such as the requirement to cope with difficult situations, systematic and methodical thinking, generating solutions and suggestions, finding alternatives, references to a rich and in depth thinking, and being proactive. When all results are taken into account, in order to improve school administrators' initiativetaking behaviors and expanding the areas for initiative taking, local ministry of education directorates could collaborate with universities to organize workshops and seminars. Encouraging school administrators to pursue graduate degrees such as masters and doctorate degrees might help them develop leadership behavior and likely to improve areas of influence rather than areas of authority. This could help them to improve their competencies in initiative-taking behavior. Further studies are required to increase school administrators' authority and responsibility at the ministry level. Decentralization and school-based management efforts might also help improve the structure for widening school administrator's perspective to take initiative. Mentoring might help at the school level by matching more experienced school administrators with inexperienced school administrators. Finally, the best practices of initiative-taking behavior might be archived and shared with school administrators in digital resources and blogs. The best practices for organizations to structure their internal dynamics and capacities, active information management, organizational confidence, and collaborative work culture could be empowered by the ability of taking initiative [49]. Initiative could also be considered as a factor that paves the way for an administrative paradigm that transforms conventional hierarchy,

to organizational values and create an ethical frame in schools.

disrupts the authority, and moves centralization toward localism.

Taking initiative is a significant element of leadership when approached from the perspectives of cognitive structure, beliefs, values, affective traits [19], and dynamic relations, providing autonomy, balancing power, empowering self-control [24], self-sufficiency, organizational social behavior, and positive relationship approach [38]. Initiative is an expression of an influence, "a real and recognized authority," rather than a legally described authority. In other words, it is an area of impact and power that is reflected from the area of skills and abilities, instead of an authority resulting from a hierarchical position. It is the transfer of formal authority to organizational structure in order to empower authority in the administrative sense. Distribution of formal authority and delegation could support organizations in taking initiative. Initiative is the capacity to make a decision and spring into action at a moment and situation where the area of control is expanded. It facilitates horizontal communications and coordination in organizational structure. Initiative is the creator of a real and recognizable area of power outside the formal authority. The ability to create projects, willingness to take control, risk and crisis management,
