Reappraisal: The problems and prospects of studying the micropolitics of leadership in reforming schools

Abstract

This analytical paper examines the themes and issues of current research and literature on the study of micropolitics in the context of leadership in educational reform. The implications of a dissociation of research and policy making on systemic reform from research on micropolitics are discussed. In particular the problems arising when macro directions meet micro realities are described as a rationale for reexamining what can be learned from the study of micropolitics. I make a case for reexamining some of the conceptual orientations that have been taken including organizational theorizing from control, natural and interpretive systems perspectives. The predominance of an emphasis on conflict rather than consensus in micropolitical studies is noted. I describe the similarity of concerns of micropolitical research with the conceptual challenges confronting those who are rethinking organizational theory who examine problems associated with macro-micro links, and those related to notions of agency and interest. I argue that the conceptual pluralism evident in the range of orientations taken in research has both enriched and limited our understanding of micropolitical effects. As a point of departure for this collection of reflections from academics and school leaders from around the world, I conclude that there is a need to both clarify the conceptual dimensions of micropolitical analyses of schools, and to examine what school leaders involved in reforming schools can tell us about micropolitics.

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