Contrary to assumptions of the supergame model, agents in exchange situations will normally not be perfectly informed about past behavior of their partners. Moreover, they will generally be in a position to choose their partners. The formal model of this article, reputation formation, attempts to take account of these facts. (JBJ)

This paper explores the leadership strategies of four exemplary high school department chairs. It develops a model based on social-exchange theory to show how chairs, as middle managers, must satisfy the expectations of both teachers and administrators. Data were derived from a case study of department chairs identified as exemplary in four…