The organisational context of middle management role behaviour in Hungarian schools

Abstract

ABSTRACT Growing evidence suggests that the effectiveness of a school’s operations is determined not by a single leader, but by a community of leaders. Middle managers can coordinate processes in formal positions and lead informal groups, facilitating the realisation of leadership goals. This study utilises a large-scale survey to analyse middle managers’ perceptions of organisational learning and discuss their additional supporting roles and responsibilities considering organisational-level contingency variables in a centralised education system (Hungary). How can middle management function in a centralised educational system? How can it act as a ‘bridge’ and support organisational and individual learning? Our findings reveal that middle managers perceive leadership similarly to school staff (i.e. in terms of learning organisational behaviour), while principals’ perceptions significantly differ. The study examined teachers’ perceptions of organisational learning in various positions according to school size and type. It was found that middle managers play a more prominent role in smaller schools compared to larger ones, as they are more likely to utilise their strategic role in contexts with a more cohesive community. These findings suggest that the function of middle management should be better exploited in larger organisations.