An Introductory Study on Double-sidedness and Ambivalence in Educational Leadership

This study aimed to systematically analyze the concepts, attributes, and implications of double-sidedness and ambivalence in educational leadership, addressing the issue of their ambiguous definitions in previous research. The study employed a literature review methodology to re-examine the attributes of educational leadership based on the concepts of double-sidedness and ambivalence. Additionally, it analyzed the concept and components of ambidextrous leadership in the field of management and examined its practical applications in educational leadership research. The main findings are as follows: First, the concepts of double-sidedness and ambivalence shared commonalities but also exhibited differences. In educational leadership research, these two concepts were often not clearly distinguished or were used interchangeably. Second, ambidextrous leadership was found to contribute to sustainable organizational innovation. However, in educational leadership research, there was a tendency to either choose one of two contrasting leadership behaviors or emphasize a passive balance between them. Based on these findings, the study concluded by highlighting the necessity of complementary educational leadership approaches for sustainable educational innovation.