Managing the Work of Leadership: An Activity Theory Perspective

Abstract

Because school principals are accountable to a broad array of stakeholders and impacted by numerous reform efforts, principal workloads are reaching crisis levels. This study aims to address four key questions about how principals manage their work, including the challenges and frustrations they experience, strategies they use to overcome these challenges, adaptations they make to increase the effectiveness of these strategies, and approaches to managing social aspects of leadership work. These research questions are addressed through a qualitative multiple case study design informed by Activity Theory. The principal activity system is defined as the unit of analysis for each case, and mediation is suggested as a key concept for understanding how various factors impact the work of principals. A broad definition of instructional leadership work—inclusive of operations management work—is suggested for accurately understanding what principals actually work on, and how their impact on student learning might be increased.