LEADERSHIP IN EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
QUESTION :
- Identify the relevant leadership theoretical frame work or model you are familiar with for to the above case, and state the strategies that you would employ to effectively lead the above sector.
- Discuss the different management theories that you need to successfully lead the education sector.
Globally the notion of providing basic social services is heavily vested in the hands of central Governments for example education, security, healthy, roads among others.
There are on going researches on how best Governments as well as individual institutions should provide total quality education and as a social service a long side other like security, health, infrastructures like roads, electricity among others is incumbent upon government and individual institutions as well.
In spite of the fact that there are multi-faceted approaches to providing and sustaining quality education, there are also counter-balancing forces of management and Leadership.
In 2015, United nations came up with Seventeen Goals of which Goal Number Four is “To ensure equitable, quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. This was the bed rock for all anticipated development and all the other Goals rest on Goal number four.
Education for All (EFA)in 1990 is an International Initiative to bring benefit of Education to every citizen in every society. A broad coalition of National Governments, civil society organizations and development agencies such as UNESCO and World Bank Group committed resources with the aim of achieving it.
Agenda 2063, adopted on 31-january-2015 by African HEAD OF state and Governments of the African Union to Champion social economic development and Education was one vehicle to deliver such development.
The Constitution of the Republic of Uganda of 1995 article 30 affirms that “Education is a basic Right therefore All persons have a Right to Education.
The Government through the Ministry of Education has brought in so many reforms through the Education sector among them include;
Democratization of Education. In Uganda in 1997, Government introduced UNIVERSAL Primary Education (UPE) this saw a massive enrolment in government Education institutions; the general objectives were to;
Children of school going to access free and quality education regardless of social economic background.
To attain literacy and numerous skills among others.
Therefore, the Government constructed classrooms to accommodate the big numbers of children. It also recruited licensed teachers to handle the teaching and learning processes. Further the government trained the licensed teachers to equip them with requisite pedagogical knowledge and skills for teaching however, this didn’t yield to the greater expectations that was stipulated in the objectives of UPE thus was characterized by a lot of challenges in as far as eradicating Illiteracy and Numerousy levels. There was total decline in standards of Education generally and because of the big enrolment registered in Government Institutions, the teaching and learning processes were compromised this means that there wasn’t effective and efficient learning.
The products of the Education were below the required standards. The buildings and the classrooms were not enough to accommodate the big numbers of learners which later also impacted on the quality of teachers who handled the learners.
In 1997, the Government of the Republic of Uganda introduced Universal Primary Education (UPE) brought in Licensed teachers who were employed by Government but lacked requisite skills and requisite pedagogical knowledge but systemically were trained on job to minimize the gap created in the teaching human resource.
The introduction of Universal Secondary Education (USE), UPPOLET and the 1.5 points for Affirmative action for entrance into universities all these were as a result of Democratization of Education.
Privatization of education as a result of Democratization of education. In this arrangement the clients and customers in education are free to the meet costs for the services received in the due processes. The major forces are push and pull factors as a global economic and social change linked to market liberalization.
Education as a sector attracted potential investments and since then has had exponential growth worthy billions of investments both in physical infrastructure, economic and social amenities.
The private sector has used this weakness or gap on the side of Government to providing improved and quality services at a cost which the customers and clients are willing to meet. Due to the above reasons therefore the prevailing democratic governance, investment with in the education sector has exponential grown in as far as educational, economic and social aspects are concerned.
In relation to the afore mentioned, the relevant theoretical framework or modal that I am familiar to ameliorate the above case would among them as discussed below;
Transformational leadership model. In this model its ideal to ameliorate the challenges with in the education sector (Yue et al., 2019).
A leadership model is a theoretical framework for how best to manage employees and it typically suggests a corresponding response style to employee and organizational needs that has proven useful in that model .
It is a useful structure for defining the management methods that fit your style and personality, knowing your personal approach to leadership both where it comes from and where you want to go with it this creates a standard from which you can make adjustments and improvements to maximize your efficacy and impact.
Leadership models don’t exist in vacuum, you can employ elements from more than one model or shift among models overtime in different settings.
Leadership models could be similar to leadership styles but these are two different concepts; while models serve as the conceptual structures to explain what makes a leader great, the style represents the pattern of leadership behaviors they exhibit in pursuit of their greatness. Leadership theory is a discipline that focuses on finding out what makes successful leaders excel in what they do and the primary distinction between leadership theory and Leadership style is that Leadership style fall under the
overall umbrella of leadership theory.
Transformational theory is where leaders exhibit integrity and vision as core qualities. They achieve goals through open lines of communication with staff, demonstrating integrity and respect for staff’s experience and knowledge. This mutual respect leads in staff satisfaction and employ retention based on the Leaders values, beliefs and needs of followers.
In this theory Leaders are highly active and dynamic as for the two examples discussed below;
The prime of Uganda Rt. Hon.Nabbanja Robinah employs this theory as evidenced in her activeness and dynamism. She is a charismatic leader as she has proven worth unlike the previous Prime Minissters because she has mastered the art of leading people.
The ‘Katikiro’ of Buganda Owek.Peter Charles Mayega can also be regarded as a charismatic and dynamic leader using this theory because of their distinctive exhibition of leadership styles in history in relation to duty and activities for example Negotiation between Buganda Kingdom and the Central Government to Return ‘Ebyaffe’ literally meaning ‘Our things that were grabbed’ by the Central Government.
Uganda Management Institute (UMI) and Makerere Bossiness School (MUBS) cannot go unnoticed for their outstanding Management and Leadership styles among others. Therefore, in this theory a leader has more appeal for his or her followers using the Integrated array of culture and competitive advantage by focusing on the Vision, Mission, beliefs and Values in order to achieve the general objectives of the Organization.
Soo Foon,2016, Gallup,2021 and Katherine Brandy,2014 In relation to the above all contend that in today’s work place Leaders must be endowered with a multi-faceted approach to Management and Leadership skills however, the strategies that I would employ to managing in the above scenarios can be discussed as below;
Strategic plans that are tailor made within the organization’s both internal and external environment aimed at attaining attainable objectives for example lack of Proper Planning leads to half hazard work fails to the scarce resources to optimum use. Top-Bottom or Bottom-Up planning is ideal putting resources to good use and above all considering the top priorities for organizations and such plans should be followed using agreed mechanisms.
Creating an Inspiring vision of the future. Employs needed to be communicated to the Vision of the organization so that it becomes part of each employee the Mission, Values and Beliefs of the organization which becomes a culture of the organization. This does not only help in achieving organization objectives and goals but also re-align individual goals with that of the organization for example Ministry of Education, Science Technology and Sports in Uganda states “Quality Education and Sports for all” and the Mission states “To provide for Technical Suport,guide,coordinates,regulate and provide the delivery of Quality education and sports to all persons in Uganda for national integration, individual and national development. “Therefore, this means that the employees have got to work towards attaining this vision and mission of the Ministry and many individuals have excelled both academically and in sports attracting scholarships and winning medals internationally like the Inzikuru, Kyeputegei, Kiprotich among others.
Motivating people to buy into and deliver vision. Using the theories and principles of motivation employees are naturally lazy to work but when some hygiene are put in place then there will evidence of work as seen from results for example financial rewards basing on peoples work as opposed to the current case in Uganda today where science are paid four times compared to their counter parts in secondary schools this is suicidal eventually. Therefore payments renumeration and allowances should be based on fairness and equity (Pawar et all., 2020).).
Managing delivery of the vision. According to, Mary Parker Follet, Management is working with and through other people to achieve organizational goals (PA squali, & Gambineri,2018). Effective communication to the employees is key and vital in implementing the vision of the organization and ensuring every one is part of the team as the a culture of the organization, clearly demarcating each individual roles and responsibility embedded in job analysis and job description and organization structure for example holding meetings with different stakeholders of the organization keeps the organization afloat as a communication mechanism (Kelly et al., 2014).
Build-ever-strong, trust-based relationship with your employees, listening to their individual problems and a sense of direction which is imbued in a strong culture of the organization. Transparency and accountability, integrity and honesty are such virtues that leads to building confidence amongst the employee because as a manager, once the employees bestows their trust will work with all effort and there will be high level of cooperation for example in my school Namusaala Church of Uganda Primary School once I get capitation grant I call all department heads and issue out funds to as per their budgets following the laid down guidelines. This has invigorated the efforts of the staff members as they are aware of the school’s income and expenditure and we are all accountable.
Robert. Greenieaf,1997,2008, asserts that Servant Leadership is where a Leader focuses on the needs of others before considering own Needs and in this Philosophy the Goal of the leader is to serve. As managers we need to build strong systems in our respective institutions other than powers around you. Institution systems that are resilient help to keep them afloat despite challenges so that absence of an individual business remain as usual therefore Managers are servants just as any individual employee of an organization.
Ggi,2020. Contends that Stewardship Governance calls for integrity and honesty when performing our roles and responsibilities diligently as managers in our respective organizations for example using our organization resources as desired for the benefit of the organization as opposed to using these resources for our selfish gains for example in my School (Anderson, 2018)), government sends capitation grants to facilitate various activities but a mare diverting these funds to things which are more personal other than what it is intended for like using it to pay your children’s fees is not in itself a stewardship heart, some managers use institution vehicles to work on their Farms this is not right in this regard therefore to it straight managers are just custodians of individual institutions (Keay, 2017).
Buil, Martínez, & Matute, (2019), asserts that a good statesman has to display a heart of a shepherd therefore as managers in our respective institutions we have to be compassionate towards the people we lead and as well as to all stakeholders for this therefore we have to engage them at every stage of development and innovation, active participation and in consultation with them. Managers are leaders with authority which we ought to use well not as a means to defeat those that don’t comply with duty demands. In corporate Governance every single individual matters a lot therefore no one is left behind.
According to Researches today, there isn’t a single management theory that can be used in any one given institution but rather management is incumbent upon situations as discussed below;
There are many theories of management which are essential in understanding the influence of management in an organization.
Basic management techniques have been traced to the city of Ur (Iraq) in 3000 BC where Sumerian priests were the first to keep written records as a means of recording business transactions, similar records have been found for ancient China, and Socrates defined management as a skill separate from technical knowledge and experience.
Henry Fayol, scientific management theory
The following are some of the principles of Henry Fayol
Principle 1: Division of Work Henry Fayol’s first principle for management states that staff perform better at work when they are assigned jobs according to their specialties.
Principle 2; this principle of authority, suggests the need for managers to have authority in order to command subordinates to perform jobs while being accountable for their actions.
Principle 3: Discipline this principle advocates for clearly-defined rules and regulations aimed at achieving good employee discipline and obedience.
Principle 4: Unity of Command This principle states that employees should receive orders from and report directly to one boss only. This means that workers are required to be accountable to one immediate boss or superior only.
Principle 5: Unity of Command This principle proposes that there should be only one plan, one objective, and one head for each of the plans.
Principle 6: Subordination of Individual Interests to Organization’s Interests The interests of the organization supersede every other interest of staff, individuals, or groups. Imperatively, employees must sacrifice all their personal interests for the good of the organization.
Principle 7: Remuneration Payment of staff salaries should be as deserved. The salary should be reasonable to both staff and management and neither party should be short-changed.
Principle 8: Centralisation This principle suggests that decision-making should be centralised.
Principle 9: Scalar Chain This principle is a product of the formal system of organization. It is also known as the hierarchy principle.
Principle 10: Order this is another formal organizational control system which has been interpreted in different ways.
Principle 11: Equity Another word for equity is fairness. Henri Fayol suggested that managers should be fair to their staff.
Principle 12: Stability of Personnel Tenure In this principle, Fayol expresses the need to recruit the right staff and train them on the job with a hope to retain them for long.
Principle 13: Initiative a good manager must be one who can be creative to initiate new ideas and also be able to implement them. Fayol was direct to managers at this point.
Weaknesses of Henri Fayol’s management theory
Henry Fayol’s theory is too rigid and it will only shows its effectiveness in formal organization structure.
Fayol’s theory is too management oriented and often neglect the wellbeing of the workers. Workers often are treated as a mechanical tools which their only concern is how to follow orders.
The human behavior is most uncertain and it is not possible to predict how man will react into a particular policy decision. It is not possible to formulate definite principle. Uniform principles, rules and policies cannot be laid down for all type of organization.
Strengths of Henri fayol’s theory of management
It is the most comprehensive administrative management theory Henri Fayol’s theory is extremely comprehensive as a way to deal with management techniques.
Max weber theory of bureaucracy
Bureaucratic Theory means the process of managing an organizational structure through a defined administrative process and systematic process according to Max Weber (Weber, 2016).
Max Weber proposes the concept of Bureaucracy in a context in which he considers rationalization of society as inevitable (Pollitt, 2008), causing a growing impersonality in the social relationship, disenchantment of the world (Zuberbier et al., 2018). In short, bureaucracy is the phenomenon of affirmation of the rationalization of the world (Oberfield, 2014). Rationalization boosted the project of modernity by enabling the application of the general principles of reason to the conduct of human problems, fostering the ability to respond to unstable environments and to manage the inherent complexity.
Principles of max weber theory of management
Hierarchy; Hierarchy is a type of system that shows arrangements or departments from above and below.
Job Specialization; Job specialization is defined as a process and knowledge employees gain through education, training and experience to enable them to become professionals at on particular job.
Division of Labor; Division of labor is important and essential for economic progress. Promotes efficiency and effectiveness in an organization and reduces the total cost of products due to its element of specialization.
Procedures; Procedures are important to any organization and its processes. They can be in form of policies and together provide direction for daily operations.
Recruitment on merit; the recruitment on merit process being consistently applied in an organization increases professionalism.
Fairness; Bureaucracy brings about exemplary impartial and just treatment among employees. Through bureaucracy, people’s behavior and conduct is regulated without favoritism.
Strengths of max webers theory
Running of Administration duties: The key responsibility of Bureaucracy is to run the day-to-day administration in accordance with the policies, laws, rules, regulations, and decisions of the government (Faupel, & Süß, 2019).
Division of labor: Division of labor makes work easier and leads to specialization. One cannot discuss the advantages and disadvantages of bureaucracy without discussing the need for division of labor.
Efficiency: Work is efficiently performed under the supervision of immediate managers in the hierarchy and competency increases.
Accountability and answerability: Common citizens can hold government officials and bureaucrats accountable for the actions they perform in the course of dispensing their duties.
Decision-making: Hierarchy provides for a top-down management structure. Decisions generally come from managers to supervisors and so on down the ranks of the organization.
Rules and regulations: Clearly stated rules and regulations, in most cases, allow for greater adoption within the bureaucratic structure.
Efficiency in administration: Efficiency provides for a more rationally arranged structural hierarchy, making administration easier.
Role in Legislative Work: Civil servants play an important but indirect role in law-making. For example, civil servants draft bills that ministers submit to the legislature for law-making. With the help of civil servants, ministers provide all the information asked for by the legislature (Afsar, & Umrani, 2020).
Role in Public Relations: The era of the modern welfare state and democratic politics has made it essential for the government to keep close relations with the people of the state.
Collection of Government Taxes: Civil servants play a vitally important role in financial administration. Specifically, they advise the political executive in respect of all financial planning, tax structure, tax administration, and the like (Kelly et al., 2014).
Weakness of Bureaucracy of bureaucracy by Max Weber
Poor efficiency of services and goods: A bureaucracy creates numerous rules and laws that must be followed to the benefit of all (Afsar, & Umrani, 2020).
Expenditures determine projects: A budget cycle for a bureaucratic structure is an annual event. As a result, money is available for the current cycle only.
Huge difference in employee salaries: Workers, from the top of the chain of command to the bottom, are considered equal members of the team, but they do not get paid the same wages and salaries.
Red tape: Bureaucracy, by its very character, follows a certain set of rules and regulations. As a result, this imparts a lack of flexibility and can often lead to inefficiencies.
Bureaucratic delays in delivery of services: The complicated set of rules in a bureaucratic system often causes long delays. People become focused on adhering to rules instead of increasing their production.
Nepotism: Nepotism in bureaucracy is often a problem. The managers sitting on top may favor their own people and help them rise quicker than more deserving individuals.
Bureaucratic corruption: Corruption in the higher rungs of bureaucracy can be very disastrous to the economy. What’s more, is that it comes in many different forms and is present in every country.
Fredrick Taylor theory of management
Taylor believed that the worker should be focused on labor, due to insufficient capacity and/or education, while managers should be focused on and held accountable for optimizing performance.
Principles of Fredrick Taylor’s’ theory
- Develop a science for each element of work
- Scientifically Select, Train, Teach, and Develop the worker
- Cooperate with the Worker
- Divide the Work and Responsibility
Other management contemporary theories include;
Contingency theory; A contingency theory is an organizational theory that claims that there is no best way to organize a corporation, to lead a company, or to make decisions. Instead, the optimal course of action is contingent (dependent) upon the internal and external situation. Contingent leaders are flexible in choosing and adapting to succinct strategies to suit change in situation at a particular period in time in the running of the organization
Chaos theory; Chaos theory focuses on the unpredictability in occurrences and behaviors. It regards organizations/businesses as complex, dynamic, non-linear, co-creative and far-from-equilibrium systems. Their future performance cannot be predicted by past and present events and actions. In a state of chaos, organizations behave in ways which are simultaneously both unpredictable (chaotic) and patterned (orderly) (Eliyana, & Ma’arif, 2019)..
Systems theory; The Systems Approach to management theory, commonly viewed as the foundation of organizational development, views the organization as an open system made up of interrelated and inter-dependent parts that interact as sub-systems.
Thus the organization comprises a unified singular system made up of these subsystems. For example, a firm is a system that may be composed of sub-systems such as production, marketing, finance, accounting and so on. As such, the various sub-systems should be studied in their inter- relationships rather, than in isolation from each other.
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