The Relationship Of Selected Managerial Behaviors To Performance Levels Of School Principals

Rensis Likert's 'Linking Pin' function of managerial behavior was used as the theoretical framework for a study of thirty-eight school principals from Florida. Five behaviors related to the function itself (the principal's liaison activities, their frequency and duration; the principal's dissemination of information activity and its frequency), and one Intervening variable (staff morale), were employed in the statistical analysis. Investigation focused on the extent to which these variables could distinguish between a predefined sample of High-Performing and Moderate-Performing principals.The descriptions and groupings of principals were provided from criteria applied in a large project conducted under the auspices of the Florida Council on Educational Management. The criteria were: (1) academic performance of students (using SES weightings); and, (2) superintendent ranking of school and principal. The first criterion was considered an End-Result variable. Data on High- and Moderate-Performing principals made available through this project formed the bulk of information for the study.Eight case studies of principals' 'Linking Pin' activities were compiled from observation data and examined within the same framework. Questionnaires administered and prepared specifically for the study were used to identify typical issues in which principals had been influential with their superiors. One of these instruments also provided a measure of superintendents' perceptions of the influence, persistence and frequency of liaison from principals over important issues.Discriminant Analysis procedure did not support the 'Linking Pin' hypotheses which suggested that the six variables would distinguish between High- and Moderate-Performers. Case studies, however, did suggest that influence with superiors was more characteristic of High-Performers than of Moderates. The 'Linking Pin' model was concluded to have limited potential for understanding managerial behavior in schools' systems, at least as these variables were measured in this study.