The role of principals in cultivating organizational wisdom: A qualitative study in Greek secondary schools

Organizational wisdom has gained increasing attention in organizational studies, yet its meaning and practical relevance remains insufficiently explored within school leadership research. This study investigates how secondary school principals in Greece conceptualize and enact organizational wisdom in their daily work. Drawing on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with twelve public-school principals, the study adopts a qualitative, interpretive design to examine two core dimensions: (a) principals’ understandings of organizational wisdom and (b) the practices through which they cultivate and apply wise action within their schools. Findings indicate that principals view organizational wisdom as a multidimensional construct integrating ethical discernment, reflective judgment, contextual sensitivity, relational awareness, and long-term orientation. They described engaging in practices such as collaborative sense-making, ethical and context-sensitive decision-making, distributive problem-solving, and relational stewardship. The study contributes to the emerging literature by providing empirical evidence of how school principals conceptualize and enact organizational wisdom in their everyday leadership practice. Practical implications highlight the need for leadership preparation programmes that cultivate reflective, ethically grounded, and contextually responsive judgment. Overall, the study underscores organizational wisdom as a collective organisational capability for school leaders operating in increasingly complex and uncertain educational environments.