Schools Power and Coalitions

¶ … principal of the school has the most power at any given time. Ahead of the principal is the superintendent, but since that authority figure is not a constant presence in the school, the superintendent does not count. Because the principal was assigned the job due to experience (both formally and informally) the principal assumes the position of power legitimate power. Legitimate power imbibes the authority figure with the ability to make demands of an expect obedience from others within the workplace.

Although the school gives the principal legitimate authority, the principal also has expert power. Expert power means the person has the capabilities and knowledge to outperform others. A person must be highly qualified in order to attain the position of principal. Although the principal is not a celebrity, the principal also demonstrates referent power. This is because the majority of the staff and students in the school admire and like the principal. Being liked is a form of power.

Counselors seem to fit the bill the best when it comes to having access to agendas, control over information, knowledge of procedures and an aptitude to cope with uncertainty. This is because counselors receive training to learn to handle and communicate effectively with a variety of people. They know how to open up channels of communication and are knowledgeable on school policy. They have to be in order to keep the school from experiencing lawsuits.

They also have access to and control of information as students tell them their stories and problems and counselors must keep it confidential for the sake of client privacy. They confer with other professionals, sometimes physicians, and nurses in order to help a student that may be experiencing turmoil in their home life or suffer from a certain kind of ailment. Counselors are the best when it comes to handling hard situations and can be the ones people look to for advice.

Interestingly, power coalitions and alliances that affect the group are parents and teachers. Parental involvement is a great thing for any child. However, sometimes parents develop these power structures and gather likeminded individuals to drive certain objectives across. A coalition is a powerful thing because it unites people under clear and well thought out objectives. "A coalition is an alliance of individuals who share a common goal. Coalitions are also interest groups that try to affect decisions in the organization.

Coalitions have members from widely scattered parts of the organizations" (Kirst-Ashman, 2011, p. 219). When they unite, they achieve a lot of what they set out to do. The same thing with teachers, but in a more informal way. Teachers tends to group together based on their personalities. They seem friendly enough, but they often have issues with other teachers, especially new ones. This then creates tension within the teacher population. As the teacher group actively sets out to not socialize with the ones they do not like.

My unit attempts to gain and generate upward influence within the elementary school by opening lines of communication and bringing to light important issues. By raising awareness of key issues, it is easier.