Strategies to manage tension between principals and school governing bodies

Abstract

Tension between school principals and school governing bodies arises despite a clear demarcation in the South African Schools Act 84 of 1996 of the powers and responsibilities of school governing bodies. The aim of this study was to devise tension management strategies that can be used to manage tension between the principal and school governing body in three selected schools in Nkomazi West Circuit. A qualitative research approach was followed, and a multiple case study research design was employed. Multiple data-collection methods, namely, a literature study, in-depth interviews, qualitative questionnaires, a focus group discussion and observations, were employed, to ensure validity of the data through triangulation. The findings of the study revealed that the main sources of tension are the overlapping roles of governance and management, role uncertainty and blurring of responsibilities and the perceived high “illiteracy” rate among parent governors. Tension management strategies, tailor-made to each school, were developed. The new and innovative tension management strategies were related to the sources of tension present in each school.