Resistance to Change in Educational/Organisations.

Abstract

Research has shown that change imposed from above by a bureaucracy will usually engender resistance. The education system under the new democractic South Africa recently underwent change. This paper presents findings of a study that examined whether principals in South Africa perceived any internal or external resistance-to-change factors in their schools. A survey of all secondary school.principals in the Free State Province of South Africa (n=81) elicited a 79 percent response rate. Results indicate that principals did not perceive either internal (psychological) factors or external factors (which include changes in material and organizational conditions) as creating resistance to change. However, psychological factors played a more important role than external ones in implementing change. The highest ranked factor was the fear that change would harm job security. The results suggest that principals did not perceive resistance to change because it occurred primarily at the internal level and they therefore do not have to manage the change. One table and one figure are included. (Contains 24 references.) (LMI) ******************************,' ************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *******************************************_*************************** RESISTANCE TO CHANGE IN EDUCATIONAL ORGANISATIONS Philip C. van der Westhuizen Graduate School of Education, Potchefstroom University, Potchefstroom 2520, South Africa