At your service 24/7: preschool managers on their tasks and daily work

The article focuses on Swedish pre-school leaders’ views on their tasks and daily work: activities, conditions and ideas about leadership. What activities are highlighted by pre-school leaders when they talk about a day at work? What conditions and challenges do pre-school leaders have to deal with? What ideas of leadership are implemented by pre-school leaders?

The diary notes show that pre-school leaders take their work seriously, that they want to do a good job and that they have to juggle a lot of tasks at the same time. The diaries also show that the leaders rarely delegate tasks further down the system. Furthermore, the diaries show that pre-school leaders find themselves in an intermediate position between several parties. The position is emotionally demanding, as the leaders want to satisfy all parties. The leaders state that they feel they are unable to offer pre-school teachers the support they need, and that they find parental collaboration demanding because the internet enables contact outside of regular office hours. Finally, the diary notes show that the leaders perform their tasks in accordance with curricula and legislation while also making efforts to create a positive working environment for pre-school teachers. 

The data was collected via diary notes from five pre-school leaders, who kept a diary over a period of two weeks. The analyses of the diaries are based on the hierarchical taxonomy of leadership behaviour, which has been developed in connection with research on management. In the article, the taxonomy is used to identify positions, not attitudes. 

Franzén, K. & Hjalmarsson, M. (2018). “At your service 24/7: preschool managers on their tasks and daily work”. Early Years, 41(1), 23–35.