Leadership and Administration in Education Essay Example

Leadership and Administration in Education Essay Example Leadership and Administration in Education Essay Leadership and Administration in Education Essay Leadership and Administration in Education Name: Course: Date: Leadership and Administration in Education Administrative Changes The financial administrator was taking a lot of time in processing students’ financial balances and the secretary was making major errors in her work. These and the continued poor performance of the school in district assessments prompted me to introduce some changes in the organization. The first change that I sought to implement was to introduce penalties for employees showing laxity in their duties. These rules, I reckoned, would ensure employees worked harder despite the fact that I faced major challenges in their implementation. There were various ethical, human relations and legal concerns relating to these new changes. Ethical Issues Ethics is an inherent attribute founded on the beliefs of a particular community (Starrat, 2003, p.144). Administering the penalties on errant members of staff was the responsibility of the human resources assistant. The school however refrained from handing stiff penalties and rather concentrated on an arbitration process. Arbitration for first time offenders had a general positive effect on the workers and they started posting a higher performance (Palestini, 2005). Arbitration also saved on the time that would have been incurred in managing the penalties handed out to offenders. Human Relations There was visible opposition from the workers during the initial stages of the program understandably due as the employees were afraid of the new rules. The reception of the changes was poor. Apparently, they could not accommodate the new system to its required specifications. It was a tough choice for the administration considering the good relationship it had with its workers. However, as time went by and through the arbitration process workers understood their responsibilities and avoided problems with the administration. Legal Issues Due to the new changes introduced, some workers had to be relieved of some duties and those duties handed to others. This change of job descriptions posed a potential legal hurdle to the institution. Possible areas of litigation would have been the potential loss of income for some of the employees (Begley Leonard, 2005). There is also a potential risk that embittered employees might file a suit against the institution, but we held talks with employees and made some salary reviews in line with the responsibility changes. These talks helped avert the legal hurdles posed by the changes in the system. References Begley, P. T., Leonard, P. E. (2005). The values of educational administration. London: Taylor Francis e-Library. Palestini, R. H. (2005). Educational administration: Leading with mind and heart. Lanham, Md: Rowman Littlefield Education. Starratt, R. J. (2003). Centering educational administration: Cultivating meaning, community, responsibility. Mahwah, N.J: L. Erlbaum Associates. Educational Leaders and Change Leadership Roles Educational administrators have several roles to play in effecting change in an organization. Most administrators’ roles focus on decision-making, information processing and interpersonal contact (Hord, 1992). Second, they must be well skilled in management, show visionary leadership and have respect for their workers. In addition, such leaders must be proactive, risk taking and facilitators of internal communication and symphony (Mendez-Morse 1992). An administrative leader facilitates the organizational processes through his/her outstanding example. Administrator as an Entrepreneur An administrative entrepreneur endeavors to change an organization by identifying a problem and finding solutions to the problem. An educational administrator should act as an entrepreneur as he or she governs the organization to make positive strides as any successful business would. Entrepreneur administrators generate ideas that increase collaboration between employees and management. Entrepreneurs focus on the value of the product delivered to the market (Davies, 2005, p.152). They thus find new and efficient ways to boost the performance of the staff in order to provide quality services to the students. Administrator as an Organizer Organizer administrators carry out their duties in a structured, systematic way focusing on policy, process and people (Davies 2005). Organizing will entail enhancing processes to increase human relations and utilize the skills of his subordinates to their full potential. The administrative organizer seeks ways to improve organizational systems to increase co-ordination among workers. Creating a structured decision-making process that encompasses all organizational units. Organizers focus on efficient and standard organizational processes that have the potential of improving the overall output of the organization. Administrator as an Instructional Leader An effective leader has greater communication skills and values worker’s contributions in a bid to inspire individuals and effect change according to the goals of the institution (Mendez-Morse 1992). The administrator with instructional leadership endeavors to maintain a good relationship with his/her employees. Communication and instruction are of significant importance in maintaining good relationships with staff members. The instructional leader aspires to interact with employees in an understanding manner. Through instruction and understandable dialogue the administrator guides employees in understanding critical organizational issues and processes. References Davies, B. (2005). The essentials of school leadership. London: Paul Chapman Pub. Corwin Press. Hord, S. M. (1992). Facilitative Leadership: The Imperative for Change. Retrieved from sedl.org/change/facilitate/ Mendez-Morse, S. (1992). Leadership Characteristics that Facilitate School Change. Retrieved from sedl.org/change/leadership/welcome.html