Abstract:

As evidenced in literature worldwide (Bennett, Woods, Wise e Newton, 2007; Fleming, 2013; Jones & O’Brien, 2014; Fullan, 2015; Harris & Jones, 2017; Hargreaves & Ainscow, 2015), middle management has gained considerable attention, including the Italian school contexts. Schools are considered as complex organizations characterized by various stakeholders with a high subjective component who share ways of thinking and acting with respect to contemporary educational challenges through an interaction based on human relationships (Argyris, 1995; Daft 2002; Brundrett, Burton & Smith, 2003). Through a distributed leadership process, teachers acting as middle managers are appointed to assist heads of school in coordination processes such as the monitoring and capitalization of resources and the creation of a synergistic collaboration among colleagues aimed at promoting and sustaining high-quality inclusive practices.
Focusing on Italian schools, where inclusive education policies are highly prioritised at all levels, it is interesting to point out that among the specific roles attributed to middle managers, one is specifically dedicated to coordinate and promote full inclusion. Indeed, they are considered to be key players (Ribolzi, 2009) to reach this fundamental goal.
On the basis of these premises, this paper presents a research proposal aimed to investigate how and to what extent these middle managers, known as “funzioni strumentali per l’inclusione” support initiatives to improve inclusive practices in such complex organisations. Semi-structured interviews will be carried out using Appreciative inquiry (Cooperrider & Whitney, 2001). This methodological approach allows both the researcher and the interviewees to concentrate their attention on the strong points which already exist within an organization and elicits possible paths and actions that may support further improvement. Thematic analysis will be adopted to answer the following research questions:
- Which actions do middle managers implement to contribute to the development of inclusive policies, culture and practices?
- What are the middle managers’ opinions regarding the competencies required to implement such actions?
It is hoped that further insight on these aspects will help in identifying good practices, developing course programmes for professional development and, through Appreciative Inquiry, entice reflection among the research participants on their central role to further guarantee quality inclusive education for all.

Keywords:

complex organisations, middle management, inclusive schools.