Making sense of complex relationships in the workplace: principals in action

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article presents findings of research focused on school improvement efforts in two secondary academy schools in England, examining how principals make sense of their role, their (inter)actions within their schools, and the complexities of their relationships with their rapidly changing environment. Sensemaking serves as a foundation for thinking about leadership and organisational change, providing a framework for understanding how disruptions of existing practice, uncertainty and ambiguity lead school principals to rethink and reorganise how they perceive their role within their organisational context. Based on semi-structured interviews and document analyses, this article identifies how problem-solving capacities, trusting relationships and professional collaboration with an array of stakeholders encourage adaptation of organisational activities and support openness to change. The study contributes to the growing body of knowledge on how school leaders think and act in their roles and on how the focus on relationships transform and interact with existing norms and values.