Die bestuur van weerstand teen verandering deur die skoolhoof

Abstract

The management of resistance to change by school principals of secondary schools in the North-West Province was investigated in this study. Changes are continually occurring on all levels of a rapidly developing society, and resistance is an inseparable part of this process. Since the school stands in the center of the developing community, the school principal, as education manager, should have a firm knowledge of skills which will enable him to efficiently implement the management of resistance to change. Examples of large-scale changes that occurred in education during the past five years are the implementation of Curriculum 2005 and the transformation of Model C schools. The aim of this research centered on the following problems: What is the nature of resistance to change? What does the management of resistance to change encompass? To what extent and in which way do school principals manage resistance to change? Firstly a literature study was undertaken to ascertain the nature of resistance to change, as well as methods and models according to which resistance to change can be managed. Findings from the literature study points to a number of aspects of resistance to change which plays a decisive role in the management of change. These include factors giving rise to resistance to change, types of resistance to change, manifestations of resistance to change and reaction phases of resistance to change. The way in which resistance to change is managed is influenced by, among others, factors indicating whether or not the school is ready for change, techniques which can be employed in the management of resistance to change, and also existing models which can be used successfully to facilitate the management process of resistance to change. Secondly an empirical investigation was undertaken to investigate the degree and way in which school principals manage resistance to change. For this purpose a structured questionnaire as well as a semi-structured interview schedule was used. Findings from the empirical interview revealed that in general school principals handled the management of resistance to change better than what was initially surmised, although few of them had enough relevant knowledge to be considered specialists in this field. Recommendations ensuing from this study comprise the inclusion of a module in educational management courses specifically aimed at change, resistance to change and especially the management of resistance to change with the view to better equip education managers, the development of a refined model for the management of resistance to change in schools, and also further research into such management model(s) to ascertain the practical application or its relevance in practice.