The Values of School Administration: Preferences, Ethics, and Conflicts

Abstract

This article reports the findings of two studies focused on the personal and professional values of school administrators. Two themes were employed as general organizers for the research: the influence of personal preference and trans-rational principles on the problem solving actions of school administrators and the value conflicts that administrators experience in their work. One study was conducted in Umea (Sweden), the other in Toronto (Canada). The conceptual framework integrates Hodgkinson's (1991) values theory with information processing theory. Action research methods were adopted as a way of overcoming the special problems associated with conducting research on values. Findings suggest that administrators’ personal values are significant influences on problem solving. Specifically, the rational value types of consensus and consequences predominate in the valuation processes of school principals, personal preferences are infrequently articulated, and trans-rational principles are employed under particular circumstances.

Ethical School Leadership

“…Research conducted by Begley and Johansson (1998) confirms that the relevance of principles or ethics to a given administrative situation seems to be prompted in the minds of school administrators by particular circumstances. These circumstances include: where an ethical posture is socially appropriate (for example, the role of the arts); where consensus is perceived as difficult or impossible to achieve (for example, an issue involving ethnic bias); or when high stakes and urgency require decisive action (for example, student safety).…”

“…Research on principal valuation processes (Begley and Johansson, 1998) and problem solving processes (Leithwood and Steinbach, 1995) demonstrates that administrators tend to employ ethics as a guide to action at certain times-in situations of high stakes urgency, when consensus is impossible, when responding to unprecedented situations, and for certain hot-button social issues which tend to quickly escalate debate to a point where people seek refuge within an ethical posture. This illustrates the first way in which values relate to leadership-as an influence on the cognitive processes of individuals and groups of individuals.…”

Ethical Dilemmas of Swedish School Leaders

“…Most administrators will readily acknowledge the impact of values on their personal affairs and professional practices (Begley and Johansson, 1998). Of course, there can also be differences in personally held values and the values individuals are expected to have in their professional roles.…”

“…School leaders have to handle an even greater variety of tasks and their decision-making priorities concerning students, staff, issues of external and internal character has become more complex. Their decisions now often require the school leader to choose management solutions based on valuation processes as a basis for selecting different alternative possibilities (Begley and Johansson, 1998).…”

In the name of honor: Swedish school leaders’ experiences of honor-related dilemmas

“…Principals facing the same complex conditions respond quite differently based upon their individual abilities, values, beliefs, and motivations. Some individual factors that affect how honor-related problems are handled in practice include: the degree of attention to national signals, interpretation, understandings, and knowledge that individual principals have, as well as the intention or will of principals and other actors at all levels of the governing system (Begley and Johansson, 1998;Hill, 2003;Lundquist, 1987). Lundquist identifies the understanding, will and ability of an individual as influencing the implementation process.…”