It becomes a power play between governing and being governed to gain legitimacy for both sides : A study of how collaboration is practiced by principals and workplace representatives

The Swedish educational landscape has changed due to the reforms of the 1990s to be influenced by a neoliberal logic. These changes have transformed the tasks and responsibilities of principals, and thus the relationship between principals and teachers. Previous research has shown that teachers' influence has decreased despite the tradition of the Swedish model. This study examines how participation and influence are practiced within the collaboration agreement that exists between school management and the teacher union. The study highlights and problematizes the position of workplace representatives as employees of the principal and representatives of their members.The empirical material is based on two focus group interviews with a total of five workplace representatives, fifteen minutes from collaboration meetings and the City of Stockholm Policy Collaboration Agreement (UTBF 2023/4986). The material has been analyzed using Ball et. al. (2012) policy enactment and Ball (2016) neoliberal technologies to see which policy subjectsare made visible within the discourse that has come to influence the Swedish school system. The results show that the collaboration is governed by a neoliberal leadership where the market, results and efficiency are central, and processes become symbolic. The results also show that there is an antagonistic relationship between the school management and the workplace representatives. This makes the workplace representatives feel disadvantaged due to their union duties. Furthermore, the results show that engagement and trust within the teacher union are lacking, making it difficult for the workplace representatives to gather a strong collective voice.