Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this instrumental concurrent mixed-methods study was to explore how principals and teachers union representatives formed a dyadic interdependent relationship that shared authority, leadership, and decision making within the relational and conflict processes. Methodology: The subjects of the present study were 22 K-5 principals and 20 K-5 teachers union representatives from 4 Northern California school districts. Subjects responded to 2 research instruments: (a) an open-ended 5-question interview session, and (b) a 15-item online survey instrument. Both instruments were aligned with 4 main research questions and embedded with synonyms for the key elements of an interdependent dyadic relationship; shared authority, leadership, and decision making; dyadic approaches to conflict processes; and constructive and destructive conflict processes. Findings: Examination of the data from principals and teachers union representatives from the 4 Northern California school districts indicated converged qualitative and quantitative findings that presented significant challenges to the notion that principals and teachers union representatives were in an interdependent relationship that shared authority, leadership, and decision making on any significant level. The findings offered support that principals and teachers union representatives created positive relational patterns that, in turn, helped them use constructive approaches in conflict situations to craft constructive conflict resolutions. However, it was difficult to know if positive conflict behavior and resolutions were dependent on the benevolence of the powerful principal and the acquiescence of the subordinate teachers union representative. Conclusions: The findings for the qualitative and quantitative data analyzed in this study challenged key components of interdependence and organizational theories' definition of shared authority, leadership, and decision making of formal and informal leaders. Recommendations: Further research is recommended to examine the extent to which shared authority, leadership, and decision making in an independent partnership between principals and teachers union representatives exists. And is there something about schools and the roles of principals and teachers union representatives that can account for this divergence from generally applied organizational research on shared leadership between formal and informal leaders?