Teachers in principal charges: professional identity construction and its impact in organizational resilience

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to describe the construction of professional identity as school principal as well as its effects in the development of leadership and emotional management. Currently, specialized literature highlights the impact of leadership in organizational development, climate and culture. Identity construction, seen as tightly linked to leadership, takes place in a process in which the whole educational community intervenes. Data presented has been obtained from two schools and regards the way their dynamics and climates are influenced by principals’ professional identities, their emotional abilities and the training received. Adopting a qualitative methodology, open interviews were developed in different moments and to diverse organizational actors from two schools governed by efficient principals. The importance of motivation in the access to the charge, interest in the achievement, resilience for stress management, professional efficiency, rapid solving of problems, positive attitude and initiative for the introduction of innovation are highlighted among the findings. In sum, the necessity of training in management and the impulse to resilience as a resource for the construction of an identity that contributes to improve of organizational functioning in difficult contexts are signaled.