Succession and Bureaucracy: Gouldner Revisited

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Abstract
Using two case studies, this article amends Gouldner's findings about the effects of succession on bureaucracy in three ways. First, the introduction of an outside chief executive does not necessarily lead to increased bureaucracy; increased professionalism can also result. Second, the outcomes of change cannot be unilaterally determined by the superintendent. They result from negotiations with teachers and the board as conditioned by the actions of the state. Finally, organizational change need not be the tactical adjustment Gouldner described; formal structural changes are also possible. Implications of these findings for current efforts to restructure schools are suggested.

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