Institutional Complexity in Schools: Reconciling Clashing Logics Through Technology?

Authors

  • Cecilia Gullberg School of Social Sciences, Södertörn University, Sweden
  • Jenny Svensson Academy of Public Administration, Södertörn University, Sweden

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v24i1.8626

Keywords:

institutional complexity, materiality, information systems, schools, teacher practice

Abstract

The article analyses the introduction and use of an IT platform in two Swedish schools. The aim is to examine the role of information systems in shaping institutional complexity, and the research questions addressed are: what logics are manifested through the use of the system and how do they interact with each other in relation to teachers’ emerging work practices? The article is based on a qualitative case study of how teachers and principals perceive and use the system, and it combines theoretical thinking on institutional logics and complexity with ideas on materiality and its role in organisational change. An analysis of three teacher practices that are emerging with use of the system enables a discussion of the presence and, notably, interplay of three primary logics. Logics of professionalism, bureaucracy and management are shown to interrelate in competitive but, primarily, cooperative ways. The very materiality of the IT system is shown to attenuate experiences of incompatibilities between logics and facilitate the management of different logics when they are actually perceived to be incompatible. Contrary to what much previous literature on institutional complexity in the field of education suggests, we therefore argue that institutional complexity may facilitate and enrich teachers’ practices instead of merely constituting a hindrance.

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Author Biographies

Cecilia Gullberg, School of Social Sciences, Södertörn University, Sweden

Cecilia Gullberg (PhD) is senior lecturer in Business Administration at the School of Social Sciences, Södertörn University. Her research is located at the intersection between accounting, organisation and digitalisation and concerns how roles, relationships and everyday practice change as new digital tools enter organisations. Empirically, her work includes private, public as well as non- profit settings. In particular, her work revolves around how digitalisation redefines the conditions for transparency and accountability, both within and across organisations.

Jenny Svensson, Academy of Public Administration, Södertörn University, Sweden

Jenny Svensson (PhD) is senior lecturer in Business Administration at the Academy of Public Administration, Södertörn University. Her research is located within the field of public management, and primarily concerns organisational reform and policy change. Focusing on the areas of culture and education, and working primarily with qualitative methods, she has employed institutional theory (notably institutional logics and institutional complexity) to analyse contemporary changes in governing ideas, organisational set-up, and emerging practices in these policy fields. Her publications address cultural and creative industries, the complexities of managing schools, and the prevalence of audit in the educational field.

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Published

2020-03-13

How to Cite

Gullberg, C., & Svensson, J. (2020). Institutional Complexity in Schools: Reconciling Clashing Logics Through Technology?. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration, 24(1), 49–71. https://doi.org/10.58235/sjpa.v24i1.8626

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Section

Original Articles

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