{"title":"Making sense of complex relationships in the workplace: principals in action","authors":"Michalis Constantinides","doi":"10.1080/0305764X.2023.2191930","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"ABSTRACT This article presents findings of research focused on school improvement efforts in two secondary academy schools in England, examining how principals make sense of their role, their (inter)actions within their schools, and the complexities of their relationships with their rapidly changing environment. Sensemaking serves as a foundation for thinking about leadership and organisational change, providing a framework for understanding how disruptions of existing practice, uncertainty and ambiguity lead school principals to rethink and reorganise how they perceive their role within their organisational context. Based on semi-structured interviews and document analyses, this article identifies how problem-solving capacities, trusting relationships and professional collaboration with an array of stakeholders encourage adaptation of organisational activities and support openness to change. The study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on how school leaders think and act in their roles and on how the focus on relationships transform and interact with existing norms and values.","PeriodicalId":47730,"journal":{"name":"Cambridge Journal of Education","volume":"53 1","pages":"587 - 603"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2023-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"1","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Cambridge Journal of Education","FirstCategoryId":"95","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2023.2191930","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"教育学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 1
Abstract
ABSTRACT This article presents findings of research focused on school improvement efforts in two secondary academy schools in England, examining how principals make sense of their role, their (inter)actions within their schools, and the complexities of their relationships with their rapidly changing environment. Sensemaking serves as a foundation for thinking about leadership and organisational change, providing a framework for understanding how disruptions of existing practice, uncertainty and ambiguity lead school principals to rethink and reorganise how they perceive their role within their organisational context. Based on semi-structured interviews and document analyses, this article identifies how problem-solving capacities, trusting relationships and professional collaboration with an array of stakeholders encourage adaptation of organisational activities and support openness to change. The study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on how school leaders think and act in their roles and on how the focus on relationships transform and interact with existing norms and values.
期刊介绍:
Cambridge Journal of Education publishes original refereed articles on all aspects of education, with a particular emphasis on work that contributes to a shared understanding amongst academic researchers, theorists, practising teachers, policy-makers and educational administrators. The journal also welcomes the submission of systematic review articles that summarise and offer new insights into specific areas of educational concern. With a wide international readership, Cambridge Journal of Education publishes contributions drawn from different educational systems and cultures enabling continued in-depth discussion of global educational theory, policy and practice. The journal’s Special Issue programme encourages and stimulates focused discussion and engagement with significant themes and responses to topics raised by readers and contributors. Cambridge Journal of Education welcomes proposals for future editions.