Abstract

These field notes derive from an ethnographic study carried out by the author in a high school in the North-West of Italy. The shadowing analysis in question describes the face-to-face interactions that take place between the School Principal and the Administrative Director of the aforementioned high school, pointing out the relationships that arise between the two fundamental figures of the school structure. On analysing the tendency to share methods and objectives and the partial use of the delegation tools by the School Principal when interacting with the Administrative Director, an ambivalent picture emerges, particularly with regard to the organization and management of administrative tasks.