Sociocratic management practices at schools: school administrators and teachers' views

Introduction Sociocratic management has recently gained attention as a participatory and consent-based governance model that may enhance democratic leadership practices in schools. This study aims to explore school administrators' and teachers' perceptions of sociocratic circular management practices within educational institutions. Methods This qualitative phenomenological study involved 16 school administrators and teachers selected through purposive sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using descriptive thematic analysis. Results The findings reveal a clear divergence between participant groups: while teachers mainly perceived existing school management as autocratic, administrators tended to describe it as democratic. Both groups emphasized that the centralized structure of the educational system restricts participation in decision-making processes and limits the implementation of sociocratic principles. Additionally, participants' limited conceptual understanding of sociocratic circular management emerged as a barrier to practice. Discussion The study concludes that the effective implementation of sociocratic management in schools requires structural support for shared decision-making as well as leadership roles grounded in facilitation and representation. These findings contribute to the literature by demonstrating how centralized governance contexts shape the applicability of participatory management models and by offering implications for educational leadership practices.