Democratic Leadership in Education - Assignment Example

 Democratic Leadership in Education Q1 From the Structural Frame, and using an appropriate balance of theory and practical evidence from the case, identify and discuss the structural issues that impeded and facilitated the Agency's IT Project Implementation. What would be the benefits and limitations of taking a structural perspective? “The purpose of structure is the division of work among members of the organisation and the coordination of their activities” (Miller, 2007, p. 91). In the case being analysed, there were several issues cited that fell within the structural frame in the case presented. Issue One: The finance department was considered by many as superfluous to the Agency, but the government was demanding more financial information, so the Agency was “forced to broaden their focus to make a bigger role for financial reporting.” Even without the Finance Branch, the Agency was able to function in a manner consistent with world class standards both in its core business, and in other areas of its business. In this case, the Agency felt that it would have done well without the finance department, but it is a subjective and therefore imbalance point of view. The imperative to form a new department enhances the function it discharges – in this case, financial reporting and management – according to the needs and strategies identified by the higher unit (i.e., the government). What the Agency considers its “world class” performance may only be in its view, which a balanced financial reporting system using accrual accounting should provide an impartial view into. Issue Two: The existing system had to be upgraded, according to the senior financial officer, but it would result in a non-standard system. Furthermore it was perceived as risky due to the fact that “so much money had already been spent on the existing system without providing a satisfactory system.” Establishing a new system would necessitate new substructures; for it to pertain only to the finance department would necessarily create a system not consistent with the rest of the Agency, but this should not deter the move where it is deemed necessary. As Alfred Chandler (1993) put it, structure must support strategy, not impede or constrain it. Issue Three: The new Finance Director formed a small project team including Mark Black (MIS) and Henry Tell (senior financial officer) to determine requirements for the new financial management system. She also requested funding for the team. Consultants were not used for this assessment, but latitude and confidence were given to the existing staff and their technical background, with inputs drawn from key stakeholders through interviews. This appeared to be a wise move. In the development of new structures within an existing organization, it is important to build a sense of legitimacy and acceptance. Bringing in outside consultant who hardly know the Agency would have been a mistake; although the resultant system might have been superior, if it were prejudged as unacceptable for being irrelevant, then the new unit may not get the chance to prove its system’s merits and the benefits it may provide the organization. The benefits of taking a structural perspective is that it focuses corporate activity to the specific goals it wishes to achieve, organizes and coordinates the efforts taken towards this effort, and therefore optimizes the firm’s resources. Resources should be organized to support vital functions, and organizational units seen as superfluous should be taken out (Lievegoed, 1973). The usefulness of the structural frame in this case is to realign roles and responsibilities according to a new (accounting) environment, as well as to transmit facts and information (Bolman and Deal, 2011, p. 306. The disadvantage of taking a purely structural perspective is that it tends to leave out those creative ideas that do not fit squarely into the developed structure. While rigid structures tend to enhance efficiency, it however also tends to minimize creativity, because eventually “structure eventually dominates strategy (Ellis, 2011). While considering structure is important, it should not be considered singly to the exclusion of other frames of reference. Q2 From the Human Resource Frame, and using an appropriate balance of theory and practical evidence from the case, identify and discuss the human resource issues that impeded and facilitated the Agency's IT Project Implementation. What would be the benefits and limitations of taking a human resource perspective? The human resources frame focuses “on the needs of people as well as their roles, skills, interests, values and interactions” (Bolman & Deal, 1991 in Black, 1999, p. 16). It seeks to maintain a balance between individual needs and the formal roles they are tasked to perform within the organization, to keep people involved and keep communication lines open (Bolman & Deal, 2011, p. 306). The following issues that bear on the human resource frame are hereunder presented: Issue One: Most finance staff had clerical backgrounds and long tenures, because “After a few years that was all you knew and you couldn’t get a job in another organisation.” The lack of financial competence translated to “a serious lack of skills” when the accrual system had to be implemented. The lack of training was also scored in the project plan, which apparently did not allow for sufficient time to train. The HR approach would have drawn attention to possible problems like this, where personnel are not afforded the chance for growth and self-actualization (Bolman & Deal, 2011, p. 306). Stagnation is imminent in an organization that does not provide sufficient training and development for the people who function within its structure. Issue Two: The new Finance Director was the first senior manager to have been appointed from outside the Agency as well as the only female senior manager. Despite these, she had a tough job of introducing the new system that will have to run counter to what the Agency has been used to doing and insisting on doing. One of the major issues scored was that the new plan was too labour intensive; it required fifteen staff when only seven were available from the present complement. The lack of staff or labour-intensiveness of the new system were but excuses that would have been easily surmountable if the personnel viewed the system with greater enthusiasm and support. The fundamental problem is that people are normally comfortable with the status quo and would tend to resist change (Keener, 1999). Getting over the initial resistance and developing a sense of ownership in the process is the key purpose of adopting the HR frame of reference. Issue Three: The project team gave their full commitment to the project once they discerned from the Finance Director that she was also devoted her absolute commitment to the project, since they were aware that the Finance Branch was held in poor esteem. However, there were strong differences of opinion between Mark Black and Henry Tell that bred animosity between them. Eventually Henry left the Agency, and although the Finance Director ensured that respect was accorded all parties, Tell’s departure still caused a drop in morale. Personal differences and conflicts are difficult to prevent and more difficult resolve once they have developed to an advanced stage. The best bet of a manager would be to provide informal occasions for involvement, sharing and feeling, thereby developing relationships and interpersonal interactions that give individuals the opportunity to confront conflict at an early stage (Bolman & Deal, 2011, p. 306). When the differences become insurmountable, however, then possible break-ups are inevitable. The advantages of taking a human resources perspective is that the human element is the motive force behind the organization, thus it provides insight into how individuals can be helped to grow and improve (Bolman & Deal, 2011, p. 306) and, in the process, help the organization grow and improve too. This is evident in Issue One above. The disadvantage of taking the human resources perspective is that it is also often the most complicated element in an organization. People are more than mere resources; they have their individual aspirations, opinions, concepts of right and wrong. People are emotional and there would be lots of occasion for friction to develop between individuals who would otherwise be bright, creative, inspired an industrious, and potential assets to the corporation, but who could not work together because of irreconcilable individual differences. In the case of the Agency, this dilemma was encountered in Issue Two above. Q4 From the Political Frame, and using an appropriate balance of theory and practical evidence from the case, identify and discuss the political issues that impeded and facilitated the Agency's IT Project Implementation. What would be the benefits and limitations of taking a political perspective? According to Bolman and Deal (2011), organizations are “living, screaming political arenas that host a complex web of individual and group interests.” (p. 186). Organizations are actually coalitions in which there exist differences among its members. Resources are scarce and interests which they intend to serve within the organization diverge, making conflict and power plays inevitable. There then emerge the organization’s goals and decisions from the subsequent “bargaining, negotiation, and jockeying for position among competing stakeholders” (p. 187). In the case under discussion, three issues are discussed below that involve the political frame: Issue One: The Agency Head strongly opposed with the cost-cutting directives, and had “quite fixed ideas” on the information that would purportedly be supplied to the government. This left the finance department feeling left out, since the Executive branch produced its own management information. (“We are 2nd class citizens, we are third or fourth class.”) Even when working, the presence of the finance department was merely tolerated by the Agency, and did not really work integrally with them. The perceived lack of political power and support for the finance department has largely contributed to its lack of effectiveness within the Agency. Issue Two: New directives in 1997 called for (1) the use of accrual accounting two years thence, and (2) to standardize computer systems across the whole of the government. At the same time, a new Finance Director was appointed who was unfamiliar with the way the Agency did things. At the outset, the choice for finance director appeared to have been a mistake, because the outsider (i.e. to the Agency) comes from a position of political weakness, and will have little power to bargain, negotiate or influence others sufficient to institute changes. As later made evident, however, the new director was astute and courageous enough to perform the job of instituting fundamental change. Issue Three: The MIS did not fail technically but because of lack of sponsorship. All that was needed was more direction at a senior level. The Finance Director’s role is “to stand between the CEO and the workers…and have enough faith to believe it is going to work…and to take the flack (to protect the team).” In addressing the problem, she got the support of Brian Minister who was the Agency Head’s right hand man and well respected in the Agency. The finance director was admittedly a weak force, being new and a perceived outsider taken to head a unit that was not viewed as superfluous. Thus, obtaining the support of a highly respected individual (within the organization) in the person of Brian Minister was a strong positive determinant in balancing out the disadvantages the new director was encumbered with. The advantage of viewing the situation from the political frame is that the leader or planner gains an understanding of the underlying power structure moving the organization (which may be entirely separate and distinct from the formal organizational structure). As in a military campaign, strategy formulation in business undertakings requires an insight into the forces that motivate human interaction and compel individuals to act; much of this has to do with the dynamics between competing forces, something not easily tangible but highly relevant. Astute managers could use this knowledge to employ bargaining, influencing, forcing if need be, divergent elements to come to a state where they could work together within the organization (Bolman & Deal, 2011, 306). Certainly, disadvantages also arise in adopting this perspective. Sole reliance on the political perspective persuades many organizations to adopt a manipulative strategy in obtaining the results it desires. Business is replete with instances of institutionalized manipulation or the apparent intention thereof; contributions to political campaign funds by big business comprise one such activity. In the case, some the varied conflicting interests that exemplify the political frame are shown in the following issues: SECTION B – Compulsory Q5 Taking into account the benefits and limitations of the four frames: a. What would be the best way of managing the processes of change at the Agency in future IT project implementations? and b. What kind of leadership would be needed to meet the challenge of a more successful approach to project implementation and change management in the future? The best way of managing the change process at the Agency The change process should be adopted from a perspective necessarily combining the three frames discussed above. From a structural viewpoint, the director was right in first tapping the feedback from internal staff to man the team and determine the working relationships, but need not be limited by it. Subsequent resort to external consultants may have been necessary to introduce the relatively new SAP into the system, a move which has proved advantageous in attaining the ultimate goal but which understandably fostered some resistance within the Agency. The team should therefore work to build functional links with other units in the Agency in order for familiarity with the new system and troubleshooting of potential defects to be more effectively undertaken. From the human resources perspective, two major problems appear to emerge – that of lack of skills among the staff in order to operationalize the project plan, and the labour intensiveness of the processes involved. The answer to the first would be to provide skills training for those existing staff who would be serving in that capacity. Skills upgrading would provide a chance for personal improvement and enhanced self-esteem. As for the shortage in personnel, the possibility of streamlining processes automating others (i.e. through computerization) that may reduce the additional staff requirements. Where this is no longer possible, then the finance director should contemplate hiring additional staff. New personnel entering from below may infuse new perspective and an open-minded outlook into the group. Finally, and most importantly from a political point of view, the finance director is presently in a position of low power and influence, but she has much in her favour. Alliances with influential persons such as Brian Minister are critical and she should develop these. She should explore synergies and create links with other units that may foster a higher level of engagement and involvement. Kind of leadership to more successfully implement projects and institute changes Given this particular situation, the appropriate leadership approach to take would be the democratic or participative style of leadership. “The essence of democracy is how people govern themselves, as opposed to how they are governed by others (Williams, 1963 cited in Woods, 2005, p. 1)…Democracy serves neither society nor individuals. Democracy serves human beings insofar as they are…creators of their individual and collective lives” (Touraine quoted in Woods, 2005, p. 1). Democratic leadership espouses participation, shared leadership, and democracy exercised in the context of the group, team, or organization. In an organization where personnel are highly skilled and performing highly specialized jobs, staff would typically prefer to exercise a measure of personal discretion in determining the conditions of their work. This includes having some influence on the decisions that have a bearing on their work, a level of participative management. Adopting an autocratic leadership style in this type of organization would merely aggravate what resentment or disinterest Agency personnel currently hold for the finance department and its project. Furthermore, in the introduction of change, it is best to engage participants in the democratic process to facilitate exchange of information and sentiments, allow for collaboration and coordination, and eventually pave the way for a smooth adoption of the change initiative through a democratic approach at the top level. “Innovation through collaboration usually requires significant changes in the design of the organization, such as pushing decision making down the hierarchy to the lowest levels” (Beyerlein, Beyerlein & Kennedy, 2006, p. xvi). In this case, therefore, democratic leadership would best effect acceptance of the finance department’s project by the Agency, and allow for changes to be more smoothly adopted throughout the organization. References: Beyerlein, M M; Beyerlein, S T; & Kennedy, F A 2006 Innovation Through Collaboration. JAI Press, Kidlington, Oxford Black, J 1999 Navigating change in the new millennium: Enrollment leadership strategies. 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