The Importance of Participatory Management in Education

 

The Importance of Participatory Management in Education

 

1. What is participatory management?

Educational management is the process of utilizing available resources in such a way to promote efficiently and effectively in the development of human qualities (Mishra, 2008). In order to achieve an educational institution's objectives, management of education refers to the actual actions used to make sure the educational system functions properly. Managing a school is making sure that everything runs well within the boundaries of the institution. The term "educational management" describes the managerial procedure through which the actions of individuals within the educational system are coordinated, organized, managed, directed, and monitored in order to achieve and realize educational goals and objectives.

Participatory management is a leadership process that involves consultation with subordinates and a serious consideration of their opinions before making decisions. This approach leads to a reduction in the power differential between superiors and subordinates. Making sure that every individual working for an organization has the opportunity to contribute to organizational decision-making is known as participatory management. All organizational levels can benefit from a participative management approach.

The accomplishment of the organization's objectives depends on the involvement of all the members in the administration of educational institutions. The level of effort each member puts into his/her work will depend on how much they have to involve in various programs and activities, and their goals will be based on their efficacy and efficiency. Participatory management fosters a sense of belonging through fostering a sense of ownership inside the organization, which inspires workers to become more productive in order to meet their objectives. With the sense of belonging in a collaborative team working towards achieving a common goal, employees have higher self-worth and innovative accomplishment by contributing to the operation of organizational decisions.

It has long been recognized that one of the key components in the drive for better schools is the use of participatory management. Researchers frequently mention school-level criteria when describing effective schools, which include collaborative planning and collegial work, parental and community involvement (Creemers, 1994; Edmonds, 1979; Joyce, 1991; Marzano, 2003; Purkey & Smith, 1983). In order to increase school effectiveness and efficiency, participatory school management has long been identified as a major characteristic. Given this crucial function of participatory school management, an assessment of its adoption status and effects on academic achievement is necessary. According to several studies, participatory management is associated with increased productivity and organizational change.  

Figure 1: Diagram of Participative Management

 

2. Participatory Management Vs Non-Participatory Management

Non-participatory management is a management approach in which one individual makes all the decisions and solicits very little input from the rest of the organization. Autocratic or authoritative leaders make judgments based only on their personal convictions and do not consult anybody else for suggestions or counsel. It tends to produce extremely strict and highly organized environments and hinder innovation and outside-the-box thinking. On the contrary, the concept of "participative" leadership is based on the belief that a leader's primary concern is promoting participatory involvement. In practice, participative leadership has positive effects on the cohesion and work load of personnel involved, as well as on the effectiveness of a school unit. In addition, it encourages the involvement of teachers in the school's mission, which has positive effects on the school's overall performance.

One of the most significant ingredients to start with participatory management is participative decision making. In education, participatory decision making is based on the idea that active involvement of teachers, parents, or community members in school decisions will lead to improve school performance. (Lunenburg & Ornstein, 2008). Although the decision-making process may be slow, active participation and involvement in decision making encourages prioritization of investment within the contexts of the school and people involved. School management team is to be composed of representatives from various stakeholder groups (Cheong Cheng & Ming Cheung, 2003). Instead of making the decision unilaterally, participatory decision making, also referred to as shared, collaborative, or group decision making, focuses on decision processes that involve others. In opposition, non-participatory management involves centralized decision making that comes from the top positions of the organization. Since group members are not given the opportunity to make important decisions, decisive contribution from group members is minimal to nonexistent. Decision-making process is fast and fixed because it does not go through all levels.

Figure 2: Participatory Management Vs Non-Participatory Management

 

Participatory management is a progressive system of management which is dynamic, flexible and people-oriented. In participatory management, since decisions emerge from all individuals within the organization, they all identify their own indicators of success and goals with their self-motivation. It is innovative in nature, promoting creative and experimental ideas, based on sharing and learning from other’s experience. The whole process of participatory management is also proactive by taking precautionary measures before the commencement of factors and problems. There is a multi-dimensional communication system, providing freedom and dignity to each member. As all the employers work with the leader, the success of the leader depends on the cooperation of all concerned, meanwhile, job satisfaction is guaranteed for the whole group (McMillan, 2013).   

On the other hand, non-participatory management is a traditional system of management which is static, rigid, autocratic and organization-oriented. It only involves decision from the top level by the leader or manager, sometimes even by outsiders. Since there is no sharing of experience, the employees or members have to accept the decision of the power holder with the lack of creativity, innovation and positive thinking. There is just a pre-determined indicator of success, goals and motivation that is mainly directed by the manager. The success of management depends upon the ability and experiences of the manager to direct others. Non-participatory management emphasizes orders and disciplines with the unidimensional communication system. The absence of freedom and self-directed involvement create job unsatisfaction (McMillan, 2013).

3. Why is educational participatory management important in the 21^st century?

In order to make educational improvements, educators have been introducing new innovations in the field of educational management. These innovations help to encourage decentralization and the implementation of collaborative school governance. (Anderson, 1998; Chan & Sheung Chui, 1997; Walker and Dimmock, 2000)

In the 21^st century, decentralization-autonomy has had a great impact on the opening of the community's freedom to plan and carry out education in accordance with their own needs. Community-based education is one of the initiatives. As a result, managing education in decentralized strategies and allowing for as much community involvement as feasible is essential (Matsuhu, 2003). According to several researches, an approach to education known as "community-based education" is one that is founded on the values of "community, by community, and for community." Every educational program in this setting must involve the community actively and encourage continuous participation. Community participation is an aspect of the collaborative process of community-based education.

The skills that are in demand and will be rewarded in the 21^st century are Critical Thinking & Problem Solving, Communication, Collaboration, Citizenship (global and local) and Creativity & Innovation. It is the participatory involvement that can sharpen and broaden each and every individual’s 21^st century skills development. The success of an educational organization or institution depends on the effective management of its personnel and resources. To achieve this, the people who are affected by school decisions and progress, must be involved in making those decisions, and in finding out ways of problems solving. Under participatory school management, collaboration will definitely work well through multi-dimensional channels of communication in the school, and every member will be cooperating to share their innovative and creative ideas and experiences when the opportunities are given.

According to findings of several researches, involving educators and other interested parties in decision-making produces beneficial outcomes. Employee participation in decision-making and implementation has a favorable impact on their motivation, self-esteem, and morale. In addition, experts assert that because concerns are thoroughly explored through open communication among participants in participatory setups, better solutions come out, and better outcomes and improved efficiency are attained.

Employees will hold the key to an organization's growth and success in the 21^st century. Researchers stated that employees are beginning to demand more from their employers. They desire greater participation in decision-making and teamwork (Owens, 2001; Wood, Chapman, Fromholtz, Wallace, & Zeffane, 2004). Participatory management with a focus on employee growth, entails more than simply forming groupings of people. Along with getting them interested in group activities, the people' abilities are also being improved, and thus participation depends on the persons' mental involvement rather than their physical presence (Muhs, 1982). To be effective and productive, educational organizations need to make sure that the goals of the organization and the goals of their administrators, teachers and staff are aligned. This means that individuals from different levels feel comfortable taking on responsibility, being creative, and being involved in their work. This is critical for all the participants to be able to reach their own goals, which in turn helps the organization achieve its goals.

In the age of globalization, the world is getting more and more connected and integrated. The concept of connectivity and interrelationships with the community as well as other different sectors is a key impediment that highlights the long-term success and continuity of a school. Participative management approach, with the current trend towards globalization, greatly affects in achieving sustainable goals. An impact of participative management worth noting is that participants often feel a feeling of ownership for change initiatives and subsequently offer more support to achieve the objectives of such efforts. In addition to participative methods, raising trust levels within the school community boosts productivity and educational outcomes. Obtaining a competitive benefit, as evidenced by high academic attainment and school enrollment, is the ultimate goal of participative management. Participatory management reduces the ease with which head teachers may influence other stakeholders, gives teachers a sense of ownership over their own working life, balances power disparities, and makes more resources accessible to schools.

4. Conclusions

Schools and educational systems today can serve as the foundation for advancing to a participative management strategy to meet quality criteria by considering the views and concerns of all the parts and stakeholders in school administrations. School management teams can be formed to promote participatory leadership by involving the people who will be affected by the decisions. Participatory school administration can be promoted through reform initiatives across the education sector globally. The foundation of these reform projects is the idea that involvement from parents, teachers, and students may help bring about the desired change in education. From recognizing requirements to designing and putting plans into action, stakeholders are expected to be actively involved in every step of the planning process. Stakeholders must also monitor and assess how well the plans are progressing. The best way to overcome the obstacles in school management is to promote collaborative strategic management and planning. Schools must employ participatory strategic management to ensure accountability and openness in the allocation and use of these resources.

The motto “Education is for all” has been applied and practiced as a worldwide trend in order to provide all individuals with the opportunities for being able to learn. It is essential that every citizen in every society has access to education programs in which his/her learning can take place. It must be a lifelong education for all people. Additionally, with the lifelong education process, educational management comes along together. Educational management is to be based on the idea that active involvement of teachers, parents, or community members in school decisions and strategies will lead to improve school performance by continuously developing the content and learning process. 

Therefore, if “Education is for all,” it also must be “All for Education,” meaning that the whole community from different sectors is responsible for educational management, it is essential for all to be actively involved in every step. Participatory action plays a significant role to conduct a public opinion for designing plans. Through collaborative approach with all stakeholders, curriculums and strategic plans are to be modified and updated by integrating the different influencing factors. Undoubtedly, such kind of collaboration is participatory management that will definitely work to improve educational management system for the society. 

 

 

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