Purpose -This paper develops a theoretical framework to guide future inquiry into board governance of independent schools. Design/methodology/approach -The authors' approach is to integrate literatures related to corporate and educational boards, motivation, leadership and group processes that are appropriate for conceptualizing independent school board governance processes. Findings -Shows that the institutional role of an independent school board is likely to be quite different, and considerably more significant than the role of a board of a systemic school. Originality/value -This paper develops an original theoretical framework that will provide a sound basis for investigation of an important but neglected aspect of educational administration in Australia.

This study is guided by a theoretical framework based on the concepts of ‘order’ and ‘trust’ in the structure and processes of school-based financial decision making. The notion of ‘ordering’ in a financial context implies there are decisions(second order) that cannot be made until other decisions (first order) have been determined. 403 questionnaires were distributed among 141 government primary, secondary and special schools in New South Wales, Australia. The study investigated the hypothesis that the higher the level of teachers’ trust in their school’s financial decision makers and financial decision-making processes, the lower will be teachers’ desire to be involved in first-order financial decision making. Although the hypothesis was not supported, a number of significant issues emerged, suggesting that the role of ‘trust’ in school financial decision making may need to be reconceptualized.

Suggests that a desire on the part of teachers to be more involved in the corporate affairs of the school may stem from a lack of trust in the decision makers and the decision-making processes. To assist those involved in the management of schools, presents a theoretical framework for research and a financial decision-making model, based on the establishment of a management philosophy built on trust. Demonstrates how this model helps to differentiate management and classroom or technical decisional issues. Identifies the roles and responsibilities of those involved in the processes. Outlines procedures for effective financial decision making at the school site.

Access to this document was granted through an Emerald subscription provided by emeraldsrm:198285 [] For AuthorsIf you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -The purpose of this paper is to investigate independent school Boards as teams using a social cognitive perspective. Specifically, the study investigated Board processes and the nature of relationships between Board member self-efficacy, Board collective efficacy and performance of independent school Boards in New South Wales, Australia. Design/methodology/approach -A multiple case study design that used qualitative research methods was employed. An expert steering group provided advice on the categorization of governance structures. A stratified purposeful sample of eight independent school Boards within the Sydney metropolitan area, New South Wales Australia participated. Data were collected from individual, semistructured, face-to-face interviews with the Head of school, Board Chair and two Board members from each school. The interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using qualitative data analysis procedures suggested in the literature. Findings -The findings provide evidence that for independent school Board members in this study, self-efficacy and collective efficacy beliefs were related to perceptions of Board performance. Board member self-efficacy and Board collective efficacy appeared to be linked. Self-efficacy beliefs were primarily based on mastery experiences. Collective efficacy (at the individual level) primarily was based on members' perceptions of Board past performance. Originality/value -This paper provides insight into individual Board member beliefs likely to shape processes associated with independent school Board performance in New South Wales, Australia. The study is one of only a few that have adopted an empirical and descriptive approach, rather than only providing normative direction and imperatives.