This paper is built on a qualitative study where the aim was to investigate the coherence between leadership and leadership capacity and its dynamic relation to school improvement in an elementary school in Iceland. The study was relevant as little research has been done in Iceland on this particular topic. This paper focuses on the leadership behaviour of the headteacher, and in which way his leadership behaviour had influenced the leadership capacity of the school as well as the school improvement in general.

Leadership is defined as a reciprocal, purposeful and collective learning and leadership capacity as a broad-based skilful engagement in the work of leadership. It means that leaders, teachers, support staff, students and parents, as well as the wider school community, participate commonly in continuous learning where the aim is to improve students’ learning. A clear connection is made between the leadership capacity of the school and the school improvement, since the former is seen as a necessary basis for sustainable school improvement (Lambert 1998, 2003a, 2006).

Various scholars have demonstrated that for school improvement to occur in the long run, a capable headteacher is required (Fullan, 2007; Gronn, 2010; Leitwood, Louis, Anderson & Wahlstrom, 2004; Leithwood, Harris & Strauss, 2010; Sergiovanni, 2009). The same goes for building leadership capacity of a school (see Harris & Lambert, 2003; Lambert 2003a, 2003b, 2006). Researchers have also demonstrated that headteachers that succeed in school improvement have certain characteristics, abilities and behaviors in common that others lack or have to a less degree. Those include, among other things, knowledge of change and capacity to engage the whole school community in leadership action and continuous and common learning (see Leithwood et al., 2010; Fullan, 2007; Sergiovanni, 2009; Lambert, 2006).

In this study two conceptual frameworks were used to analyze the impact of the headteacher on building high leadership capacity and on the school’s improvement. One was Sergiovanni’s (2009) theory of the forces of leadership as essential to a successful headteacher. The other was developed by Lambert (2006) and looks at the personal attributes and the leadership behaviour of the headteacher in building high leadership capacity.

The results of this study outline the importance of the headteacher in building the leadership capacity of a school as well as the dynamic relations between the school leadership capacity building and the school’s improvement. This is in accordance with Lambert´s framework (2006). Furthermore, the findings fit Sergiovanni’s (2009) description of the headteacher’s role in school improvement. This indicates that both frameworks can be beneficial to guide improvement efforts of schools and the headmaster’s role in the process.

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