1.4 Theories of educational management  (Page 10/29)

3.A fundamental assumption of democratic models is that decisions are reached by consensus. It is believedthat the outcome of debate should be agreement based on the shared values of participants. In practice, though, teachers have theirown views and may also represent constituencies within the school or college. Inevitably these sectional interests have a significantinfluence on committees’processes. The participatory framework may become the focal point for disagreement between factions.

4.Collegial models have to be evaluated in relation to the special features of educational institutions. Theparticipative aspects of decision-making exist alongside the structural and bureaucratic components of schools and colleges.Often there is tension between these rather different modes of management. The participative element rests on the authority ofexpertise possessed by professional staff but this rarely trumps the positional authority of official leaders or the formal power ofexternal bodies. Brundrett (1998) claims that“collegiality is inevitably the handmaiden of an ever increasingly centralisedbureaucracy”(p. 313)

5.Collegial approaches to school and college decision-making may be difficult to sustain because principalsremain accountable to various external groups. They may experience considerable difficulty in defending policies that have emergedfrom a collegial process but do not enjoy their personal support. Brundrett (1998) is right to argue that“heads need to be genuinely brave to lend power to a democratic forum which may make decisionswith which the headteacher may not themselves agree”(p. 310).

6.The effectiveness of a collegial system depends in part on the attitudes of staff. If they actively supportparticipation then it may succeed. If they display apathy or hostility, it seems certain to fail. Wallace (1989) argues thatteachers may not welcome collegiality because they are disinclined to accept any authority intermediate between themselves and theprincipal.

7.Collegial processes in schools depend even more on the attitudes of principals than on the support ofteachers. Participative machinery can be established only with the support of the principal, who has the legal authority to manage theschool. Hoyle (1986) concludes that its dependence on the principal’s support limits the validity of the collegiality model.

Contrived collegiality

Hargreaves (1994) makes a more fundamental criticism of collegiality, arguing that it is being espoused or“contrived”by official groups in order to secure the implementation of national or state policy. Contrived collegialityhas the following features (Hargreaves, 1994):

•Administratively regulated rather than spontaneous.

•Compulsory rather than discretionary.

•Geared to the implementation of the mandates of government or the principal.

•Fixed in time and place.

•Designed to have predictable outcomes. (p. 195-196)

Webb and Vulliamy (1996) argue that collegial frameworks may be used for essentially political activity, thefocus of the next section of this chapter (Webb&Vulliamy, 1996):