The foci of this article are upon the conflict at supervisory level in a centralized educational system and the supervisory behaviour in such situations. Using an attitude…
Abstract
The foci of this article are upon the conflict at supervisory level in a centralized educational system and the supervisory behaviour in such situations. Using an attitude questionnaire it was found that the Inspector is in a conflicting situation. On the one hand he is expected by his superior to be a bureaucrat, on the other he is expected by his subordinates to be a professional educational leader. The Inspector has no clear self image. He attempts to resolve such situations by adopting a “Moral — Expedient” way of behaviour.
This study relates to a setting which approaches organizational learning. The professional ideal student trait system and the personal value system, as perceived by prospective…
Abstract
This study relates to a setting which approaches organizational learning. The professional ideal student trait system and the personal value system, as perceived by prospective and practicing teachers, are presented as constructs of the belief system. Conclusions are drawn from a comparative analysis of seven samples. Although the constructs of the personal value system and the ideal high school student trait system were similar, their content priorities were different, focusing professionally on academic traits and personally on interpersonal values. The structure of the ideal high school student multivariate system confirmed Schwartz’s bipolar continue value model: conservation versus openness to change and self‐transcendence versus self‐enhancement. Two techniques for organizational learning are presented for promoting, theorizing, and evaluating teachers’ perceptions of the ideal student trait system.
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This study examines the impact of bureaucratic structure on morale among hospital staff. Hypotheses are drawn from Hage's axiomatic theory of organizations, including the…
Abstract
This study examines the impact of bureaucratic structure on morale among hospital staff. Hypotheses are drawn from Hage's axiomatic theory of organizations, including the predicted negative impact on morale of formalization, centralization and stratification, and the positive impact on morale of task complexity. Contingency hypotheses involving structure and task complexity are also examined. Results indicate morale is either positively affected or unaffected by structure, and negatively affected by process. Some evidence of contingent effects are found. The findings are discussed within the broader context of Weber's theory of bureaucracy. This paper addresses the relationship between several structural features of bureaucracy and workers' morale in a hospital setting. It examines these relationships from broadly defined theoretical perspectives. In this connection, Weber's theory of bureaucracy is treated, as was the case in his original, as part of his general theory of rationalization in modern western society. The study considers the relationship between: 1) Formalization and morale, 2) Centralization and morale, 3) Stratification and morale, 4) Complexity and morale. These structural features of bureaucracy—formalization, centralization, stratification and complexity‐are treated as the means at the command of management for attaining organizational objectives. Worker morale is often referred to as the “level of feeling” about themselves among workers or about the work they perform (Revans, 1964; Veninga, 1982; Simendinger and Moore, 1985; Zucker, 1988). In effect, the term is used in stating that morale is high or low to suggest that something is right or wrong about the organization. Surprisingly, many of these studies do not explain why they are suggesting a particular state of morale, but only that the state of morale is crucial to the performance of the organization. In essence, morale is the level of confidence of the employees. It can vary from one department to the other due to specific or overall structural conditions of the organizations; without giving it routine consideration, performance will degenerate (Nelson, 1989).
Based on a description of the national features of the Israeli society and educational system, this chapter will briefly describe various attempts conducted since the 1970s to…
Abstract
Based on a description of the national features of the Israeli society and educational system, this chapter will briefly describe various attempts conducted since the 1970s to decentralize the Israeli educational system and promote school autonomy. It will focus specifically, on the School-Based Management (SBM) policy, borrowed by educational policymakers and implemented in the Israeli educational system during late 1990s. The decision to borrow this policy did not follow policymakers’ recognition in the limitations and shortcomings of the centralized structure of control, which characterized the educational system since Israel became an independent state in 1948. Rather, it followed pressures coming from various stakeholders who considered centralized policy plans irrelevant and not enough sensitive to the variety of local circumstances and needs (David, 1989; Hanson, 1984; Nir, 2002; Nir et al., 2016). Therefore, more than 20 years later, it appears that the implementation of SBM created limited effects in terms of teachers and school leaders’ degrees of freedom and that the educational system still maintains its centralized structure and features. The main argument the present chapter will attempt to make is that borrowed policies have a limited capacity to promote significant change in the borrowing system when policymakers do not fully believe in the policy’s values and ideas and are reluctant to abandon current patterns of organizational behavior. Specifically, it will describe the process that characterized the borrowing and implementation of the SBM policy in the Israeli educational system and will discuss the main symptoms that characterized the policy borrowing process when policymakers were not fully committed to the values and mode of operation brought by the borrowed policy.
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Adam Nir, Adi Ben-David, Ronit Bogler, Dan Inbar and Anat Zohar
The purpose of this paper is to analyze two parallel processes in the Israeli educational system: first, the idea of school autonomy, exploring its origins and its pedagogical…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to analyze two parallel processes in the Israeli educational system: first, the idea of school autonomy, exploring its origins and its pedagogical implications and effectiveness; and second, the development of the progressive education evident mainly in the cognitive domain of twenty-first century skills (21st CS), focussing on fostering “deep knowledge” and children’s thinking skills. The manuscript explores the various “waves” of progressive pedagogies that have taken place in the Israeli school system over the years, describing and analyzing the processes that characterize them.
Design/methodology/approach
Based on a historical perspective, the paper describes chronologically the main developments related to school autonomy and 21st CS policy initiatives, based on a literature review and analysis of policy documents.
Findings
The review indicates that the Israeli educational system is still caught in the “centralization trap,” inhibiting major changes in the patterns of central control and degrees of freedom granted to school-level educators. As for school pedagogy, it is evident that most of the changes in pedagogy suggested by the numerous policy documents over the years have not resulted in sustainable, system-wide change. In both issues a large disparity is evident between declarations about innovative pedagogies and school autonomy and their actual implementation.
Originality/value
The review reflects the idiosyncratic articulation of policy plans conducted by the Ministry of Education, producing discrepancies and incongruences at the school level. Some implications of the “declarative culture” created are further discussed.
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The study aims to explore the diverse meanings and sources of frustration among Israeli principals working in special education settings. The study poses two questions: 1. What…
Abstract
Purpose
The study aims to explore the diverse meanings and sources of frustration among Israeli principals working in special education settings. The study poses two questions: 1. What are the perceived expressions of frustration among principals working in the context of special education? 2. What are the perceived sources of frustration among principals working in special education settings?
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with principals working in special education schools for complex disabilities to investigate perceived expressions and sources of frustration.
Findings
The study identified four themes through data analysis: helplessness regarding the children, helplessness regarding bureaucratic aspects, frustration from conflicts and disappointment and frustration from feeling alone.
Originality/value
Despite the extensive acknowledgment of emotions and feelings in the context of educational leadership, the experience of work frustration among special education school principals has not been explicitly investigated. This research provides empirical insights into the nuanced experiences of frustration among special education principals, offering both empirical and practical implications for understanding and addressing this critical aspect of their work.
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Jisu Ryu, Jeff Walls and Karen Seashore Louis
The purpose of this study is to examine how context shapes leaders' caring approach in ways that influence organizational learning and the cultivation of professional capital.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study is to examine how context shapes leaders' caring approach in ways that influence organizational learning and the cultivation of professional capital.
Design/methodology/approach
This exploratory study draws on case study data from two schools. Within each school, the authors draw primarily on semi-structured interviews with teachers and leaders.
Findings
The authors found that school context and the accompanying leader beliefs shaped the structures and practices where organizational learning occurred, and thereby influence the diffusion of organizational learning in the school and the flexibility by which organizational lessons can be applied.
Research limitations/implications
This research demonstrates that the context and place in which schools are situated influence how problems are apprehended and addressed. Leaders' relational approach, bounded by this context, influences how members of the school develop professional capacity. Larger scale studies would help clarify the nature of these effects.
Originality/value
Although context has been shown to influence leadership, no study has examined the links between context, leaders' relational approach and organizational learning.