The Superintendent's Use of Cooptation in Handling Internal Interest and Pressure Groups: Its Effects and Consequences

This paper illustrates how the school superintendent may use coopta tion to cope with the pressures upon the school system, sometimes as a final resort after trying the usual methods of arbitration, negotiation, and compromise. Cooptation is examined as a means whereby the organization can adapt to its environment, often defensively. Distin guishing between formal and informal cooptation, the author hypoth esizes that there are fewer detrimental consequences in formal than in informal cooptation. The author is Assistant Professor in the De partment of Special Education, University of Oregon.