Growing Our Own Timber! Lived Experiences of Five School Principals in Using a Systems Thinking Approach for School Development

This article presents and discusses the findings from five principals about their experiences of using systems thinking approach to school development. This was an ethnographic multiple case study that was conducted in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Literature demonstrates the efficacies of using systems thinking as an approach in dealing with complex school issues. Data were gathered by way of qualitative semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion, and shadowing techniques. Evidence suggests that participants had adequate understanding of systems thinking and were able to use it to the benefit of their respective schools. Furthermore, the findings point to the value of developing a holistic and multimethodological approach to systemic school development, particularly in deprived school contexts.