Teachers and Organisational Change (an analysis):an analysis

Abstract

Organisation theory has traditionally highlighted the role of management and prescriptive approaches as central to organisations overcoming and benefiting from change. Less work has focused on the role of subordinate participants in adapting and facilitating change. A qualitative approach and calls to widen the remit of research endeavours across existing disciplinary boundaries enables the examination of organisational factors beyond traditional management theorising. A grounded approach at the individual level of analysis is used to investigate factors significant to the single actor, and to examine existing assumptions concerning their role in change. Using the current scenario of continuing educational change as a context and a social constructionist approach to interviews, teachers at secondary schools were asked to discuss their work and their school. The results indicate that teachers’ allegiance to pupil requirements is a fundamental focus for their perception of change and their responses to it. Personalisation allows individuals to come to terms with adaptation and is circumscribed by role demands. Change itself is defined as an ongoing activity, rather than as a series of events. Occupational factors, such as socialisation and training, appear to subsume organisational issues and to moderate perceptions. Leadership provides a fundamental division of responsibilities which permits adaptation to be loosely coupled to external demands for change. The local context of educational delivery holds more significance than government policy edicts.