I am (Almost) a principal now: New assistant principals’ coping strategies for establishing authority upon entering their role

This study examined the coping strategies utilized by new assistant principals (APs) in order to establish their professional and managerial authority as they enter their role. This article is based on a qualitative study of 23 APs at different stages of their careers, deriving categories from 37 semi-structured interviews (14 were repeated ones, held one year after the first interview) as well as 4 focus group interviews. The findings indicate 5 main coping strategies that new APs apply: (1) democratic-shar-ing management; (2) the expert power; (3) avoidance; (4) use of organizational politics; and (5) rewarding. This study may expand the presently-scant knowledge about the phase of entering the role of AP, and about APs’ coping strategies at this stage. On the practical level, this study can assist in shedding light on the unique challenges that new APs face, in order to know induction programs for APs so that they receive optimal coping strategies adapted to their unique role in school.