Governance and professionalisation of executives :influence and emotional relationshipsCaroline de Rham & Laetitia Progin Our plan takes place in an exploratory research, directed by professor Monica Gather Thurler, in which we are taking part, in relationship with our doctoral researches. This poster is tighly linked with the main conference paper we shall be presenting. We aim at the identification, description and comprehension of trials headteachers are confronted with in their daily work. During this presentation, we shall particularly stress out themes like influence, power, emotional relationships.Absence of distributed leadership but presence of cooperation The emergence of new (post-bureaucratic) governance models in the fields of organisations and educational policies gets along with modernizing discourses on professionalisation of actors - teachers, headteachers and school executives. Recent researches (Maroy, 2006; Barroso, 2005; among others) reveal convergences about models of governance and regulations which the European countries are trying to set up - the search for a balance between centralisation and decentralisation, free choice of users, setting up of evaluation tools, reinforcement of management of autonomy. These researches underline contradictions and paradoxical injunctions which get along with the evolution of models of governance. In this context, headteachers aren't considered as mere administrators anymore. It is now expected that they act as professionals, by contributing to the empowerment of various educational partners in order to improve the efficiency of their institutions. Leadership thus becomes distributed and cooperative. Indeed, transformation of practices, appropriation of change stakes cannot be performed without any comprehension or adhesion of all the concerned actors (Gather Thurler, 2000). However, the first results of our exploratory research reveal that headteachers in secondary schools do not actually embody distributed leadership, inspite of the fact that they are daily forced to work and cooperate with their colleagues in order to influence their decisionmaking and work. Our research thus concerns the way headteachers manage to sustainably involve their colleages in participatory quality development.Links between harmonious relationships and quality development inside schools This research is aimed at specifically observing the place, status and functions of headteachers in relation with teachers' team and at identifying the professional relationships that bind them. The tension that exists inbetween school authorities (hierarchical pressures), and the school management in leading a school (what headteachers actually do with teachers) will be analysed. The trials that they are confronted with in their daily work will be the main part of the analysis, in order to understand how trials are useful in order to establish harmonious relationships, to go on learning and to meet success and quality inside schools ?Research questions: Are professional relationships between headteachers and teachers' team needed or wished to promote school quality and organisational development? What is needed from headteacher and teachers' team to make it work? Which are the determining criteria to attain a good functionning and a successful professional relationship, which contribute to institution development in terms of quality? How success in professional relationships could help ou impede a sustainable organisational development and school quality?In how far do trials, and the way they are felt and overtook, lead actors to progress in their learning, and facilitate relational development and cooperation development? Theoretical framework The present research aims at observing the impact of governance policies on leadership and its various forms, change, professionalisation of educational staffs, cooperation, power relationships, reflexive practice, empowerment, culture of socio-cognitive conflicts, learning organisation, collective autonomy, work organisation and task distribution, professional relationships and their incidence on professional identity, professional cultures and change, daily work of headteachers. Methodology This is a qualitative exploratory and ethnographical research based on grounded theory. The approach is psychosociological, clinical and ergonomic. Comprehensive interviews and field observations by shadowing will be lead. We will proceed to an analysis of daily work by identifying the subjective trials headteachers have to face and overcome. References Barroso, J. (2005). Les nouveaux modes de régulation des politiques éducatives en Europe : de la régulation du système à un système de régulations. In Dutercq, Y. (dir) Les régulations des politiques d'éducation. Rennes : Presses Universitaires de Rennes.Gather Thurler, M. (2000). Innover au cœur de l'établissement scolaire. Paris : ESF,Maroy, Ch. (2006). Ecole, régulation et marché : une comparaison de six espaces scolaires locaux en Europe. Paris : Presses universitaires de France.