I Have the Power!

Thank you He-Man.

Apparently organisations are all about power negotiations and it's all about who has control of finances/resources. Sounds rather cynical, but ultimately I guess that's true, even in schools.

The real question is about how that power is spread throughout the organisation, and how the organisation responds to the possibility of change. Here in Australia we would assume that most schools adopt an open/organic approach to change, and with the overwhelming number of roles and responsibilities in an average school there are not going to be too many arguments about sharing the power around a little. I think that we've all come across some schools, however, that have stagnated in their ways and are resistant to any form of change.

What I find most interesting here, though, is the terminology and the inherent power of language. We naturally incline towards those options of organic and open organisational structures, assuming they must be the best way forward. Would we be so inclined were they termed 'chaotic', 'random or 'unstructured'? Our society and educational system wants to see itself as promoting freedom to take on new responsibilities, with staff growing and evolving from one role to another. I don't have a problem with this, and it's a system I enjoy working in myself, but I wonder whether other countries would see these values in the same way. Is the democratic system of school organisation the optimum way forward? I have to admit that some of the best run schools I've come across (not all) have quite dictatorial Principals that staff live in fear of. That is not the same as saying that those schools got the best results, but it does beg the question as to the ideal balance of power within the school organisation.

I'm not entirely sure that there is an answer however. Schools differ drastically in size and population, both students and staff. What will work well in one place may be an abject failure elsewhere. I think that it is a good thing to share the responsibilities around, but ultimately teachers simply want the time to serve the needs of their students and are less concerned about power struggles than just getting the job done. Most will respond well to change if it is introduced in a planned out manner that will demonstrably make their job easier or more effective.