Supervisors generally believe that the goals of education are obvious to everyone and that teachers can be effective if they implement good standard classroom practices. Student achievement is equated with mastering materials. Administrators believe that school effectiveness is highly associated with the attitudes of teachers and students, rather than with the implementation of specific programs or through the distribution of material or psychological incentives. Administrators emphasize the importance of interpersonal dynamics and good communication as substitutes for material incentives. Administrators pay particular attention to their role in supporting and coordinating staff activities.
Managers tend to sense that broad social support for education is no longer available.
Change, then, becomes more important than implementation of established programs. Managers perceive task definition to be more important than nurturing interpersonal relationships. The manager views teaching as a skilled craft that is improved by careful research-based program design and application of instructional techniques. Further, managers are likely to emphasize the importance of performance indicators as explicit measures of school productivity. Leaders are needed in settings where social and cultural support for the school is weak and where adequate incentive systems are not available.