Practice among novice change agents in schools

Abstract

The aim of the article is to understand practice as negotiation of meaning among novice and internal change agents in school organisations. The research question is as follows: What themes of participation and reification/management occur among the change agents? The study was qualitative in design using the social learning theory of community of practice, as well as organisation development theory in the analysis. Primarily, the data source comprised 36 change agents’ journals during 3 years from 2009 to 2011. Four themes of participation and reification were identified in the agents’ negotiation of meaning in their new role: (1) daily work management, (2) emotional supervision, (3) role development and (4) community development. The change agents reified or managed the problems with various micro-processes to structure the work with the teachers. Over time, more macro-processes became visible. The article concludes that the core of practice is the following question: How should the change agent’s role be developed and built upon? This is the question that nurtures the negotiation in the ongoing participation and reification process of being a change agent.