Abstract
This is a study of conflict in areas of middle management in the comprehensive school. The roles of Head of Department and Head of Year are focused upon, and an attempt has been made by means of questionnaires and interviews to explore and identify particular areas of conflict between them where there is competition for scarce resources. These areas are then analysed. Some consideration is given to the literature on role conflict in schools, and Action Theory and the Dialectic approach have been used as methods of understanding organisational behaviour. Case studies have been made of some conflict situations in the light of these theories. The resolution of particular conflict situations between curricular and pastoral unit sides of the school has been studied in the context of conflict resolution in the school generally. The findings from the investigation reveal a wide range of bureaucratic structures and a pattern of committees and discussion groups which encourage consultative and democratic processes as a means of finding an accommodative balance between conflicting interests. The resolution of conflict in the school was seen to be related to the way in which the head interpreted his role. The evidence in this study indicates a reformulation of the role of the head in the emergence of systems of organisation in which he may be seen to be moving from the position of autocrat to that of manager or enabler who seeks to resolve conflict and to further school goals by means of a consensual approach. Headship models along these lines are outlined. Though the evidence of this enquiry suggests a new interpretation of the head's role, the indication is that he remains the most powerful figure in school government.