Strategic Leadership in Cultivating a Culture of Well-Being in Educational Contexts

Eliisa Leskisenoja () and Marjo Katajisto ()
Additional contact information
Eliisa Leskisenoja: Christian School Oulu
Marjo Katajisto: Itätuuli School Pori

Chapter 16 in Positive Leadership, 2026, pp 337-358 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Schools serve as unique environments for fostering the well-being of young people. However, the sustainable implementation of positive education remains a complex challenge. Rather than relying on fragmented efforts, schools should cultivate a coherent and holistic culture of well-being that integrates both explicit and implicit approaches. This chapter underscores the pivotal role of strategic leadership in building a sustainable culture of well-being. Drawing on a systematic literature review, we present a framework of eight strategic pillars that offers an evidence-based foundation for implementing positive education in a consistent and effective manner. Based on interviews with 11 Finnish school principals, we illustrate how these pillars are enacted in practice. We propose that strategic and positive leadership are interdependent and mutually reinforcing. Strategic leadership provides the vision, alignment, and continuity required for systemic change, while positive leadership creates the relational and psychological conditions in which well-being can genuinely flourish.

Keywords: Strategic leadership; Positive education; School well-being; Positive leadership (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

There are no downloads for this item, see the EconPapers FAQ for hints about obtaining it.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:spr:sprchp:978-3-032-02369-8_16

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.springer.com/9783032023698

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-032-02369-8_16

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Springer Books from Springer
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().