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Mintzberg’s Managerial Roles

Unveiled Through Two Structured Interviews

Jennifer French ITDE 7001 Dr. Visser April 8, 2005

Overview Of Mintzberg’s Work

In 1969 Henry Mintzberg published his doctoral dissertation, “The Manager at Work –

Determining His Activities, and Programs by Structured Observation”. His work may have

varied from studies done by his predecessors in that Mintzberg focused on the roles played by a

manager rather than the styles or the ways in which managers carried out those roles. Mintzberg

contended that a structured observation would unveil ten interconnected roles that fell under

three types of managerial activities: interpersonal, informational, and decisional (Bass, 1990 p.

398). Mintzberg further expounded on his theories with work completed in 1973 which

included an intense observation of five CEOs, their organizations and calendars, over the period

of a month. Mintzberg’s work has been replicated and variations of his original study, have been

conducted by others, including Pavett and Lau (1983). In an attempt to better understand the

managerial roles fulfilled by K-12 school superintendents, a structured interview was conducted

with two school superintendents. The interview questions may be found in Appendix A and the

transcripts from both interviews may be found in Appendix B.

The Interviewees

The first superintendent, Dr. C, has been a superintendent for twenty years, fourteen of

which are for his current employer. In all he has twenty-six years of managerial experience. He

has two administrators and an advisory committee of eight who report directly to him. His

school system employs sixty-seven teachers and fifty-nine support staff members.

The second superintendent, Dr. R, has been a superintendent for two years, both for the

same school district. He has worked at the managerial level for seventeen years. Dr. R also has

Mitzberg Interviews Jennifer French

two administrators and a cabinet of five advisors. His district employs fifty teachers and forty-

five support staff members.

Both Dr. C and Dr. R have completed doctoral programs in Educational Leadership,

attending Columbia University and Nova Southeastern University respectively. Both shared in

pre-interview statements that the majority of their leadership skills came from real life

experiences and that their coursework laid the theoretical foundations for their actions.

Interpersonal Roles

Mintzberg determined that when a manager acts in the roles of figurehead, leader or

liaison he is fulfilling interpersonal activities. Interpersonal roles are those which managers

coordinate and interact with employees and provide direction to the organization.

Managers perform symbolic actions each day as the figurehead of the organization. Dr.

C and Dr. R do many things on a daily basis in their figurehead role. Both men try to circulate

their respective buildings so that they are seen. Dr. C and Dr. R both want their staff members to

know they are available at all times. Dr. C mentioned the importance of attending after school

activities. His presence at events such as basketball games and concerts is symbolic of his role

as figurehead.

The leader role is the center of the manager-subordinate relationship. The leader shapes

the environment in which all his or her subordinates work. The leader must motivate his

employees to ensure the goals of the institution are met. The leader must work with subordinates

to balance the needs of the employees and the organization. Both Dr. C and Dr. R use their

administrative council as decision-making teams. Dr. C holds meetings where everyone has the

opportunity to contribute to discussions about emerging situations. Dr. C also meets with his


planning teams during the summer to establish goals for the upcoming school year. By utilizing

the power of the teams both superintendents are able to meet the goals of the institution.

Another way in which Dr. R motivates his staff is through praise for a job well done. He

has honest dialogue with staff members so they know what is expected. He said that he “keeps

people working on the work in front of them”. Dr. R also said, “if you give them the answer you

become autocratic, this way they are forced to be part of the solution.” People who are part of a

successful team are more likely to apply themselves to their job.

Both Dr. R and Dr. C talk a lot about goals and visions. Dr. C gathers a lot of

information from his staff and he often presents back a shared vision. Dr. R stated his top three

priorities are 1) mapping a vision, 2) planning change or action and 3) follow-up and monitoring.

Leading people to the vision so then can carry out the planned change exemplifies Dr. R’s

leadership qualities.

Dr. C has worked purposely to develop feelings of trust and integrity within his

employees. He credits his longevity as one reason his staff trusts his leadership and are willing

to try new things. They know he will support them even if their attempts don’t go well.

The third interpersonal role is that of liaison. The superintendent of schools must often

act as a liaison between parents and teachers, the school board and the teacher’s association as

well as between the community and the board of education. Both Dr. C and Dr. R maintain a

high level of communication that is shared with all stakeholders.

Dr. C shared the ways he communicated issues the teachers were having to the school

board. In situations where things were not going well he stated “We do not hide errors or

concerns. We try to diminish weaknesses and accentuate the positives.”


Informational Roles

Leaders must also fulfill informational roles such as monitor, disseminator and

spokesperson. These roles are associated with the tasks needed to obtain and transmit

information for management of the organization. Monitoring the district’s working environment

shows areas of excellence and areas in need of improvement (Van der Velde, Jansen, and

Vinkenburg, 1999) As monitor, the superintendent must actively seek information about

incidents that may affect his district. This information may be beneficial or detrimental to the

school system. The manager seeks and/or receives information from many sources to evaluate

the organization’s performance or well-being. Monitoring of the organization’s inner workings

is vital. This role is about building and using an intelligence system. The manager must install

and maintain this information system by building contacts and training staff to share vital

information.

As stated earlier, many of Mintzberg’s roles intertwine. The role of monitor becomes

much easier if the manager is a leader whom people trust. While maintaining the role of

figurehead, the manager will have many opportunities to converse with staff members. Dr. C

meets with his administrative council on a regular basis to discuss the state of affairs in the

district. He meets with parents of special education students to obtain feedback on the special

education program. Dr. C also observes various people and groups to obtain information about

their programs. It is not uncommon for Dr. C to pop into a meeting to hear what people have to

say.

Dr. R also maintains open communication with his staff. He begins each morning by

walking in and out of classrooms talking to the teachers. When asked how he obtains

information one response he gave was, “I visit people and ask questions such as why did you do


it this way? What are the advantages? Help me to see…. Or am I to understand?” These

informal visits give him a lot of information about what is going on both inside and outside the

classroom walls. Another way Dr. R obtains information is to call taxpayers in his district. His

mentor from a superintendents development program lives in the district. He often calls him or

one of a handful of others from the district to ask their opinion about a situation. Maintaining an

open line of communication with people in the community means he will hear perceptions and

facts from outside his district.

Another informational role is that of disseminator. Just as the manager needs to input

information from which decisions need to be made, he must also give out information that will

help staff members do their jobs better. As new regulations come down from the state or new

programs are to be implemented, there is a tremendous amount of information that must be

shared. Dr. C has a structured delivery system. He uses his administrative council to distribute

information down the chain. Dr. C has also built in up to six early dismissal days when the staff

can meet to work through important changes in curriculum and procedures.

Dr. R distributes information both formally and informally. On the formal side he shares

things with his administrative council. On the informal side he identifies the people who are

always the beginning of the gossip chain. He also finds people to whom the information will be

the hardest to sell to. One these people are accepting of new ideas then sharing it with the rest of

the staff becomes much easier. One problem that Dr. R may face is that the gossip chain does

not always deliver accurate information. Making sure information is shared consistently is an

important issue for the disseminator.

After obtaining information and sharing information, often from outside the

organization, the manager must take on the role of spokesperson. This is the public relations


role. The superintendent must do everything in his power to positively portray the district to the

community at large. The superintendents have both been faced with financial nightmares these

past couple of years. Sharing the vision for helping all students succeed and the costs associated

with helping the children has become the top issue for the superintendents in the spokesperson

role. Neither superintendent talked much about sharing advertising information back out to the

public but focused more on collecting information from the public.

Decisional Roles

Mintzberg’s last four roles include decision-making activities. No manager can work

without decisional roles such as entrepreneur, disturbance handler, resource allocator and

negotiator. Managers must make decisions that are appropriate, timely, and acceptable to

achieve the goals of the organization.

The role of entrepreneur requires the manager to make decisions that allow ongoing

investigation into new projects or programs to initiate within the district. The monitoring role

often identifies the needs of the district that must be improved. The manager initiates an action

plan to start the improvement cycle. Both Dr. C and Dr. R view student achievement as a

priority in their districts. Dr. C described how a new project was implemented from the needs

assessment stage through the follow up stage.

Dr. C explained, “I’ll give you an example. We wanted to start a new series, Saxon

Phonics. The kids in grades 3 and 4 didn’t have a lot of phonetic background. They did whole

language, which did not work with phonics. The teachers were concerned with how much more

work must I do. I found that Hermon DeKalb had a prepackaged program called Saxon Phonics.

Everything we needed was in there but the cost was prohibitive. I talked to the Board and our

teachers made visitations. We planned ahead for whom my hard sell teachers would shadow. I


explained to the other administrators that I have three teachers who will be hard to convince and

asked who at your site can help me? She connected them with people who would say, ‘when my

superintendent started the program I didn’t want to do this’ and then would go on to give a

testimonial. With teachers on board we could go to the board to convince them that it is a

worthwhile expense. Our kids have done very well. In third grade they now know sounds and

vocabulary.”

The role of disturbance handler is not foreign to either superintendent. The role involves

stepping in to calm matters at a time of crisis. One problem for the disturbance handler is that a

swift response is often important and many times there is no clear-cut answer to the problem.

When Dr. C was asked how he balances his time to give his priorities ample attention, he

responded, “some days I just can’t do that”. Dr. C related stories about days that he

accomplished nothing on his list because the day was filled with one crisis after another. He

said, “When a parent knocks at your door, he or she becomes your immediate priority.” Dr. R

commented that the role of superintendent affords him more time to make fewer decisions

compared to the principals in his building. Dr. R also shared a story about a teacher who

exhibited poor judgment in a situation and had to be dismissed immediately. Another area where

both superintendents must take charge of a constantly changing situation is in the budget

development process. The New York State legislature has passed late budgets for over twenty

years. The superintendents have to present a budget to their taxpayers based on revenues that are

uncertain. They receive inside information from local legislators as to anticipated revenues but

they never know for sure what the actual amount will be until the budget is passed.

When situations arise for Dr. R that need immediate response he said it is necessary to

make your best decision and stand by it. He claimed that he is not trying to impress anyone so


he must believe in the decisions he makes. Dr. C felt that sometimes you don’t need to rush to

make a decision. He stated that “we need to get the facts.” Sometimes the facts will lead to one

right decision. If that is not the case, Dr. C makes his ruling.

The resource manager oversees allocation of all resources including money, time and

staffing. The manager often schedules his own time planning for priorities. In a school system

the superintendent often helps set the master schedule into place and verifies that no teachers

exceed the maximum number of classes or students they can teach. Conversely the

superintendent monitors the number of classes and students to help determine the number of staff

members needed.

The superintendents are faced with shrinking revenues from the state. Dr. R alluded to

the fact that the business manager often constructs the budget in larger schools but in his district

he takes and active role in the budget decision-making process. Dr. R also expressed a concern

that shrinking revenues make it impossible to serve the needs of the individual students and that

some students are being hurt by the process. Unfortunately he has no choice but to cut needed

programs in an attempt to balance his school’s budget.

Equally controversial for these superintendents is the cuts they may need to make to

staffing in order to adjust for the declining revenues and increasing costs of health care, fuel and

other rapidly increasing expenses.

The final role that must be fulfilled by a decision-making manager is that of negotiator.

The negotiator takes charge over important negotiating activities with other organizations. The

superintendent fulfills this role when negotiating with the teacher and CSEA unions. The

superintendent also fills this role in the example given by Dr. C in describing the


communications to the state legislators that is made through negotiations with a local senator or

assemblyman.

Conclusion

Mintzberg contended that managers must fulfill ten executive roles falling into the categories of

interpersonal, informational, and decisional. The superintendents interviewed are both the top

managers of their respective districts. Their styles varied in many ways and their effectiveness

could not be measured based on a simple, structured interview. As no surprise, both

superintendents responded to the interview questions indicating that they fill all ten roles. Both

superintendents work collaboratively with their staff to form a vision and goals and both seem to

exhibit leadership qualities that motivate teachers to strive for these goals. The superintendents

keep a constant flow of information in and out of their offices and both gentlemen engage in

decision-making activities. Although Mintzberg’s work was originally done with CEOs in the

business world his theory seems to apply to superintendents in K-12 school districts.


Appendix A

Thank for taking time out of your busy day to discuss your leadership qualities. This interview

is based on Henry Mintzberg's (1973) summary of executive roles. Mintzberg noted that all

managers perform 10 managerial roles: (1) figurehead, (2) leader, (3) liaison, (4) monitor, (5)

disseminator, (6) spokesperson, (7) entrepreneur, (8) disturbance handler, (9) resource allocator,

and (10) negotiator. These managerial roles are interconnected with overlap. With your

permission, I would like to tape record this interview so I can transcribe it later without

misquoting you.

1. You are the CEO of a school district and fulfill a multitude of roles each day. What

types of symbolic ceremonial activities do participate in?

2. Teamwork is an important aspect of successful leadership. As the Leader of your

district how do you encourage teamwork among your staff?

3. How do you obtain information so that you can improve or maintain your

understanding of the institution and its environment?

4. How do you monitor the district’s working environment to make sure operations

are running smoothly?

5. As the organizational leader you fulfill many roles. What three priorities do you

focus on?

6. How do you balance your time so that your priorities receive ample attention?

7. As the disseminator of information, how do you ensure the information from the

State Education Department, such as the recent changes in the math standards, are

shared throughout the school district to all administrators and affected teachers?


8. How do you identify opportunities and situations that may require organizational

change?

9. What steps do you take to initiate and design the changes that need to be made?

10. How do you handle employees within your district who do not comply with the

district’s expectations for teachers?

11. As the superintendent of schools you are also the chief financial officer. How do you

determine where cuts will be made during this time of shrinking revenues and

increasing expenses?

12. What strategies do you employ when faced with individuals who do not agree such

as parent vs. teacher?

GENERAL QUESTIONS

• How many administrators report to you?

• How many teachers are in your institution?

• How many support staff (secretarial, cafeteria, maintenance etc) are in your

institution?

• How many years have you been employed in your current position?

• How many years have you worked for your current employer?

• How many years of managerial experience (department head or higher) do you

have?


Appendix B

A Structured Interview with Dr. R

Interview Questions: Thank for taking time out of your busy day to discuss your leadership qualities. This interview






misquoting you.



I try to maintain visibility around the building with frequent contact with everyone in the

organization. I start each day going room-to-room so I can talk to teachers. I end each day

standing out by the busses so I can say goodbye to the kids. I also make it a point of attending

meetings and functions where I am not the leader. Sitting in on somebody else’s meeting shows

my support. I publish weekly bulletins to staff and the Board of Education. The information my

be similar but each is written with different tones. I’m very careful with tones. I not look

toward my own organization but also in other organizations such as superintendents meetings

where I have a voice. I can’t separate leadership and managerial qualities from my daily life. At

the family Christmas party and other family get together they look to me to keep things going. I

think my role as leader is more important than my role as a manager.



First of all I am hesitant to take credit for anything. I am heavy in praise and encouragement for

my staff. I think you have to have honest dialogue with people. For example, in book called

Managing Transitions by William Bridges, he talks about different phases of transitions. He

talks about keeping people in a neutral state or in a planned state of agitation. I try to keep


people working on the work. If you give them the answer you become autocratic this way they

are forced to be part of the solution. An example is when we were doing a major curriculum-

mapping project in our district, some people caught it immediately and some had refused to get

on board. Instead of going ahead blindly I took a step backwards and gave them a day more than

I planned to work on it with small groups. Forcing them to work through the concerns turned

their confusion into enlightenment. That is by design because they have to work through it.

Now we’ll come back together to assess continued progress.



On the formal side I look at policies and procedures, no one wants to hear this but it is the

backbone of the institution. I visit people and ask questions such as why did you do it this way,

what are the advantages, help me to see, am I to understand? Let them tell you what is going on.

They like their voice to be heard. I ultimately get the information I need even when I don’t

agree. As for getting information out there are always three people in an organization who will

start the gossip chain. Tell these people what you want to others to know it will get out. I know

who to bring an unpopular decision to. Formal information always begins with the union

president and informal information starts with the known complainers and blockers. I often give

people options but sometimes just tell them that is the way it is going to be.

4. How do you monitor the district’s working environment to make sure operations are

running smoothly?

I try to be a neutral observer. You have to detach yourself. There is a danger that you may get

too close to actually see what is going on. Heifetz, talks about leading without authority. I

always try to get above a situation to observe it neutrally. Is it working or is it not working? If

not then I need to figure out why. I’m never too embarrassed or ashamed to call someone. My

mentor in the superintendents development program is a taxpayer in my district. His opinion

means a lot since a superintendent and a resident. I often ask him what do you think? What’s

your impression? I do this with a handful of people. You become part of the problem when you

are so close so asking others helps you to see clearer.


5. As the organizational leader you fulfill many roles. What three priorities do you focus

on?

a. Mapping a vision

b. Planning change or action

c. Follow up and monitor


I’m a Covey man. I use the 4 quadrants and prioritize across the roles, school

superintendent, father, husband, friend, and lover. I then sharpen the saw as much as I can.

7. As the disseminator of information, how do you ensure the information from the State

Education Department, such as the recent changes in the math standards, are shared

throughout the school district to all administrators and affected teachers?

I distribute information on several levels, first, I don’t answer every question myself. I provide

broad information and point the people who need the information into the right direction. For

example, I asked my lead math teacher to tell me what the new changes looked like. She went

on the web and looked up the information and then she went to Albany to the dissemination

meeting. She gave a full report to the math staff and me. I also looked over to information to

verify that things were correctly shared. Ultimately it is my responsibility to make sure the

correct information is shared.


change?

I think it is bigger than identifying, it’s having a vision ahead of time. When something happens

it is a problem or opportunity or both. I can plan accordingly. Charles Archilles, Problem or

Opportunity, from my NOVA reading list, had a major impact on me. An example this week

was we threw a kid out for 5 days. His parent came to the Board of Education meeting hostile

and angry. He said that we are incompetent administrators etc. It is a problem for me because

he makes me look bad to board, but an opportunity to educate the board and demonstrate how

my due process sheet works. I used this as an opportunity to look at policy and an opportunity to

do some staff development with my principal.



I map everything ahead of time. I use Inspiration software and map out the problem or situation

and then step it out. Principals and Superintendents have very different situations. A principal

makes hundreds of decisions all day long. A superintendent has more time to make few

decisions so he can map them out.



Districts quibble too much. You must be honest, direct and put everything in writing. Don’t beat

around the bush, my patience if growing thinner for those who don’t do. Use the open-ended

question. Call them on it. (ie curriculum mapping)

I had a teacher who did some tutoring after school with a student who was on an extended leave.

He was one of my best, young teachers. He put himself into a vicarious situation. I had not

choice but to let him go. I called him in with the union president. I put the facts on the table. I

told him that I had no option but to let him go. He hugged me on the way out and said Dr. R,

you’re a hell of a guy.




I’m making too many arbitrary decisions these days. I’ll give you an example. Right now I have

an $8 million budget. One million of which is being spent in special education an increase of

over 47% increase in the past two years. In that time we increased from eleven to eighteen

students with an IEP. I forecast a 42% tax increase in tax levy this year. My plan is to take 400

thousand in special education costs and shave 200 thousand by hiring my own staff and returning

two 12:1:1 programs to the building. I have to take a more direct role in the budget decision-

making, small district. We’re at the point where we are hurting kids, and the state is responsible.


They can’t afford to keep this district. I won’t tell them. I’ll give data and let them see it

themselves. I’ve trusted our business manager before; he’s hardheaded and tight with a buck.

12. What strategies do you employ when faced with individuals who do not agree such as

parent vs. teacher?

Don’t be a pussy. Make your best decision, have backup and support it. Don’t be a cupcake.

I’m not selling myself to please the board of education.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

• How many administrators report to you? 2 administrators and a cabinet of 5 people

• How many teachers are in your institution? 50

• How many support staff (secretarial, cafeteria, maintenance etc) are in your

institution? 45

• How many years have you been employed in your current position? 2

• How many years have you worked for your current employer? 2

• How many years of managerial experience (department head or higher) do you

have? 17


A Structured Interview with Dr. C

Interview Questions: Thank for taking time out of your busy day to discuss your leadership qualities. This interview






misquoting you.



I make sure I circulate the building; I don’t stay in my office. It is symbolic of trying to gather

more information about the environment. I do teacher evaluations that are symbolic of letting

my staff know I care about the curriculum. You can’t implement something unless you know

some of the information. I want my administrators to attend workshops about the goals and

information we are trying to implement. I also disseminate statistical data that correlate test

scores and achievement. It has led to us creating new programs. For example, the school based

health clinic and GED program.

We also do symbolic things to show that we treat kids fairly. All kids are in the school except

those who are sent to the psych center. They are educated here and our own teachers need to be

educated in differences in instruction. The greatest variation in student potential is within the

regular classroom where students IQs range between 77.6 – 145. When they talk about special

education the students’ abilities are more restricted. Regular education teachers need to know

more about learning theory. Symbolically, I teach a Supervision of Instruction course at St.

Lawrence University and try to disseminate the information I learn back in my school.


I do not use a fully collaborative approach but try to get information from a variety of places.

There are times I must make the final decision but by using collective minds I hear all sides of

the problem.



First I have an administrative council meeting with all the department heads including two

teachers, cafeteria manager, guidance counselor, transportation supervisor, and business

manager, once a month. Discuss issues with the group. I set the agenda they send areas of

concerns. Every meeting everyone has a chance to say what is on his or her mind. The

elementary and high schools have planning teams. They give me their ideas that they would like

to propose. Hiring has a four-step process that includes parents, students, teachers and

administrators. We ask applicants to teach a lesson to the teachers. We also set up a role-

playing situation for potential administrators.

We administrators make sure to involve ourselves to be available at all extra curriculum

activities including basketball games, dances, concerts etc. I’m the CSE chairperson and our

providers are excellent. I learn a lot a lot about what goes on in the programs by facilitating the

meetings. I let them, (special education providers) take control if they stay within district

objectives.

I also meet with teams of people throughout the summer to determine the year’s goals and

objectives. The board (board of education) evaluates the administrators based on the goals and

the progress toward the goals. It’s kind of like management by objectives.



The most important way is by circulating and joining meetings, meetings that are not mine, and

hearing what people have to say. I pop into faculty meetings and do teacher evaluations. I am

all over the place. I am the CSE chairperson so I have 130 CSE kids and I have the opportunity

to meet and talk with their parents. I listen to everyone.


Okay, so I get information by being accessible, circulating, and listening to people. I encourage

people to go out and learn new things so they can disseminate new ideas. Hopefully we have the

money and resources to implement new things.

4. How do you monitor the district’s working environment to make sure operations are

running smoothly?

The administrative council has people from every department and area where we discuss how

things are going. Information from these meetings also goes to teachers and the Board of

Education. We do not hide errors or concerns. We try to diminish weaknesses and accentuate

the positives. I email board members before they hear things elsewhere. We try to maintain a

family type orientation and be approachable by everyone. I am lucky to have experienced

administrators with a wealth of experiences. They have a cadre of different experiences. The

High School Principal was a special education teacher; the Elementary principal was a counselor

and high school principal. It helps smaller schools share their experience. We try to give our

kids the support they need. We advocate for the children and are willing to spend money for a k-

8 counselor and k-12 psychiatrist, and a universal pre-k program. Parents and kids know this and

they are willing to talk to us about concerns. We give in turn give the Board of Education

important information about various facets of the school.

5. As the organizational leader you fulfill many roles. What three priorities do focus on?

My top priority is learning. We focus on achievement having a depressed, poor area. Our 4th

grade scores are not that hot but by 8th we are in the top 5 schools at the eighth grade level. Our

regents grades are up there. Our kids don’t go to Yale, Harvard etc., but many of the kids do go

on to college. I try not to put too much pressure on the early elementary as many of our kids

come to school with limited skill. I have mainstreamed kids with a 65 IQ. We are big on field

trips and experiences so we can give our kids things they won’t get at home.

An orderly, safe environment is an equally important goal. After Columbine, thirty-two cameras

were installed around the school. This helped hallway procedures and vandalism. We use the


Second Step for bullying prevention. The high school principal takes the kids skiing. We have

more dances than anyone. I think there is a dance every other week. We want the kids to have a

feeling of belonging and knowing they are in a safe environment. We feel the more the kids are

involved the less they are ostracized. My teachers are humane; they still hug kids in the k-8.

I also want my employees to develop feelings of trust and integrity. They need to know that we

are supportive and understanding. We want everyone to have a high work ethic. We extended

the school day to 7:45 – 3:15. It is important to have a longer day to handle mandates of AIS

(academic intervention services) etc. Our kids need to be here longer. We implemented an after

school program that we modeled after Hermon DeKalb school.


That is very difficult. Some days I just can’t do that. I have relinquished going to workshops.

As CSE chairperson, I have chosen to stay here. I get information from the other superintendents

and website. I depend on my principals. The high school principal is the coordinator of the

leadership academy in Lake Placid. He works with administrators from around the North

Country. I ask them to be leaders. We share responsibilities. If someone is out we consume

other jobs. If the high school principal is out I keep his shop going. I do the paperwork on the

students but I don’t do the judgment because I don’t know the child’s history. Sue and Jeff take

over for me sometimes. Camaraderie is the answer to our relationship.

7. As the disseminator of information, how do you ensure the information from the State

Education Department, such as the recent changes in the math standards, are shared

throughout the school district to all administrators and affected teachers?

Whether it comes to the principals or me, we have regular meetings to discuss these things. We

plan how to give out the information. We built in three curriculum days when we release early.


Probably it is six because of parent report cards . We built these in to share important

information. We also hold regular in school and after school meetings.


change?

The way I look at that is I present either a problem or perceptions of what I see. I analyze the

reception I get from staff about this particular problem. If there is a big gap between where I

want to go and the staffs willingness to go then we scaffold steps toward success. If there is a

desire of people to move then we move. If not we work with them incrementally to take them

there. There are times the administrators or teachers ask for more educational rational. I listen.

I use the Socratic process to learn more and find out all my options. I learn from political and

educational power groups. I pay close attention to community reactions. Sometimes perception

is different from the right things to do.

We must also see what the school looks like. We must look at the data and ask, “is this the right

thing to do.” Down deep you feel some educated responses are not as valid as where you can

take them. There are times when the majority is not on board. Some times you take the lose

because you must pick your battles. It has to do with your objectives. Are you short term or

long term? If you are in for the long haul you don’t need to win every battle. If you are only in

for the short term you can push things so you can put them on the resume. The longer you stay

the better they know you and the better you know them. You establish more credibility.


You have to articulate the problem, diagnose who’s involved in the problem, and know the

people and their motivation. Do they react better to intrinsic or extrinsic motivation? You must

know and understand people so you can analyze their reactions. If you want to go from A to C

you might need to stop at B for a while. You must know your resources. Who in your staff can

you share with? Who is on board to convince them? Analyze and synthesize who can best

deliver information. What do they want?


I’ll give you an example. We wanted to start a new series, Saxon Phonics. The kids in grades 3

and 4 didn’t have a lot of phonetic background. They did whole language, which did not work

with phonics. The teachers were concerned with how much more work must I do. I found that

Hermon DeKalb had a prepackaged program called Saxon Phonics. Everything we needed was

in there but the cost was prohibitive. I talked to the Board and our teachers made visitations.

We planned ahead for who my hard sell teachers would shadow. I explained to the other

administrators that I have three teachers who will be hard to convince and asked who at your site

can help me? She connected them with people who would say, “when my superintendent started

the program I didn’t want to do this” and then would go on to give a testimonial. With teachers

on board we could go to the board to convince them that it is a worthwhile expense. Our kids

have done very well. In third grade they know sounds and vocabulary. Comprehension is the

area we are working on. We also know that without follow up any staff development is a waste.

We want things to be meaningful down the road. They know I will stay and look at this to see it

through.



If in the three years time I have any doubts about competency or work ethic, I don’t tenure. For

the first year and a half I will do a lot to help a new teacher. I know that sometimes the

undergraduate program may not give a new teacher enough help. If the work is not up to par, I

do mentors and send teachers to workshops. I evaluate quite a bit. I pick out a few small chunks

at a time. If I saw seven things of concern I will concentrate on three. We talk about these

things. Early on I ask things like, do you need help? Later on I insist you are going to this

workshop. If they don’t improve considerably by the end of the 1.5 to 2 years they are out!

Children should not have mediocre or bad teachers. I also use evaluations to praise people.

Teachers need positive strokes. They have a difficult job taking on the roles of counselor,

probation officer, mom and dad, and policeman. Teaching is a tough act and society has

changed. Kids don’t look at things the same way.





I try to give my kids the things they need. I would rather raise taxes than cut out something that

will hurt kids. I use my administrative council to get information about programs and people’s

perceptions. Ultimately when I need to cut money I try to do so across the board. That is one

reason I became the CSE chair.

The New York State legislature has passed late budgets for over twenty years. Schools have to

create a budget based on constantly changing revenue projections. Our local legislators share

information as it becomes available but it is like shooting at a moving target.

12. What strategies do you employ when faced with individuals who do not agree such as

parent vs. teacher?

We need to get the facts. I don’t feel the need to rush through a situation based on hearsay.

Once the facts are in I make the individuals aware of my findings. If this information is not

sufficient to end the problem I make a ruling.

GENERAL QUESTIONS

a. How many administrators report to you? 2

b. How many teachers are in your institution? 67

c. How many support staff (secretarial, cafeteria, maintenance etc) are in your

institution? 59

d. How many years have you been employed in your current position? 20

e. How many years have you worked for your current employer? 14

f. How many years of managerial experience (department head or higher) do you

have? 26


References

Bass, B.M. (1990) Bass & Stogdill’s handbook of leadership. Theory, Research, and managerial applications. 3rd Ed. New York: Free Press.

Mintzberg, Henry PhD.(1998). The role of the CEO, Issues www.di.net/article.php?article_id=23 - 19k Van der Velde, M.E.G., Jansen, P.G.W., Vinkenburg, C.J., (1999) Managerial activities

among top and middle managers: self versus other perceptions, Journal of Applied Management Studies, 8, 2, 161-74

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