Indigenist holistic educational leadership

This chapter examines leadership of organisational change from an Indigenist perspective. Drawing on analysis of a case study that demonstrates the adoption of an Indigenist, rights-based approach to holistic educational leadership in a residential education and well-being facility, I examine how an organisation can move from a colonial mindset towards an approach that is fundamentally shaped by Indigenous understandings of education, health and well-being.

The main the success factors identified in this study were that: White administrators need to have humility and acknowledge their ignorance of Indigenous matters; change leaders need to role model trust in their shared leadership responsibilities; the process needs to affirm that everyone has the right to be proud of their culture and help everyone involved to re-connect with their culture and own their identity; there needs to be cultural safety – with genuine intent, not to tick boxes, and without cynicism; multiple viewpoints need to be considered; and things need to be done in the “proper way”.

After a period of change management that involved both Indigenous and non-Indigenous leadership, I concluded that a powerful collaboration had provided a rich context for a revolutionary change to occur for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous clients and staff.