Challenges of Principal Succession – Examining the Challenges of Hiring Internal vs. External Candidates

Abstract

As school districts face shortages of well-qualified and willing candidates to assume the role of school principal, the development of internal succession planning programs, along with the strategic use of external hires for school leadership positions is becoming more common. Based on a multi-year study of five (5) Central Florida school districts, this paper examines the benefits and tensions that district level administrator’s face when selecting internal or external candidates for school based administrative positions. We begin with a brief review of the literature regarding internal vs. external hiring. Data from the field is examined thorough the lens of the intersection between the theoretical perspectives of Systems Theory and Person-Environment Fit Theory. Detailed descriptions of findings from the analysis of twenty-one interviews conducted in two of the most active districts involved in formal succession planning work is included along with identified challenges associated with internal vs. external hiring, including resentment from internal candidates when external hires occur, district administration willingness to hire externally, and the challenges associated with recognizing and understanding the culture and climate of a district as an external hire. Opportunities for district leaders are also presented including an examination of the values of new practices that come with external hires, external candidate perspectives on the existing climate and culture of the district or school, and building new networks associated with external hires. Finally, future implications for school districts and universities who prepare school leaders are discussed.

Keywords

• external candidates
• leadership
• organizational theory
• principalship
• succession planning