ERIC Number: ED165299
Record Type: RIE
Publication Date: 1979-Jan
Pages: 36
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
". . . So Go the Days of Their Lives." A Descriptive Study of the Superintendency. OSSC Bulletin Vol. 22, No. 5.
Pitner, N. J.
The study reported is a replication of Henry Mintzberg's study of five executives at work to determine the scope of their job-related activities. For this study superintendents in three suburbs contiguous to a large midwestern city were observed at work for one week, including evening meetings when they were scheduled. An attempt was made to record completely and objectively everything that occurred. The prominent propositions arising from Mintzberg's investigations were (1) managers work at an unrelenting pace; (2) managerial activities are characterized by brevity, variety, and fragmentation; (3) managers gravitate toward the more active elements of their work; (4) managers demonstrate a strong attraction to verbal media; and (5) managers maintain communication relationships with three groups--superiors, outsiders, and subordinates. These propositions are discussed within the framework of the structure of superintendents' everyday activities, the characteristics of their work, and their network of contacts. The findings suggest that the structure and content of the superintendents' everyday activities are very similar to the activities of other chief executives in public and private organizations. (Author/MLF)
Descriptors: Administration, Administrator Role, Behavioral Science Research, Educational Research, Elementary Secondary Education, Occupational Information, Superintendents, Teacher Administrator Relationship, Work Attitudes, Work Environment, Working Hours
Oregon School Study Council, 124 College of Education, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403 ($2.00; $1.50 if prepaid; discount of 10% for 10 or more copies)
Publication Type: Journal Articles
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: Oregon School Study Council, Eugene.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A
Note: Tables 1 and 2 may be marginally legible due to small print