1.4 Theories of educational management  (Page 14/29)

3.In political models there is too much emphasis on conflict and a neglect of the possibility ofprofessional collaboration leading to agreed outcomes. The assumption that teachers are engaged in a calculated pursuit oftheir own interests underestimates the capacity of teachers to work in harmony with colleagues for the benefit of their pupils andstudents.

4.Political models are regarded primarily as descriptive or explanatory theories. Their advocates claim thatthese approaches are realistic portrayals of the decision-making process in schools and colleges. There is no suggestion thatteachers should pursue their own self-interest, simply an assessment, based on observation, that their behaviour isconsistent with apolitical perspective. Nevertheless, the less attractive aspects of political models may make them unacceptableto many educationists for ethical reasons.

Are political models valid?

Political models provide rich descriptions and persuasive analysis of events and behaviour in schools andcolleges. The explicit recognition of interests as prime motivators for action is valid, as are the concepts of conflict and power. Formany teachers and school leaders, political models fit their experience of day-to-day reality in schools. Lindle (1999), aschool administrator in the United States, argues that it is a pervasive feature of schools.

Subjective Models

Central features of subjective models

Subjective models focus on individuals within organizations rather than the total institution or its subunits.These perspectives suggest that each person has a subjective and selective perception of the organization. Events and situationshave different meanings for the various participants in institutions. Organizations are portrayed as complex units, whichreflect the numerous meanings and perceptions of all the people within them. Organizations are social constructions in the sensethat they emerge from the interaction of their participants. They are manifestations of the values and beliefs of individuals ratherthan the concrete realities presented in formal models (Bush, 2003):

Subjective models assume that organizations are the creations of the people within them. Participants arethought to interpret situations in different ways and these individual perceptions are derived from their background andvalues. Organizations have different meanings for each of their members and exist only in the experience of those members. (p.113)

Subjective models became prominent in educational management as a result of the work of Thomas Greenfieldin the 1970s and 1980s. Greenfield was concerned about several aspects of systems theory, which he regarded as the dominant modelof educational organizations. He argues that systems theory is“bad theory”and criticizes its focus on the institution as a concrete reality (Greenfield, 1973):

Most theories of organisation grossly simplify the nature of the reality with which they deal. The driveto see the organisation as a single kind of entity with a life of its own apart from the perceptions and beliefs of those involved init blinds us to its complexity and the variety of organisations people create around themselves. (p. 571)