Management of education organisations

Abstract

This study focuses on the Chief Executives of seven of the education organisations that were established after the Department of Education and the six education boards were disestablished in 1989. It explores the management of these organisations and the management mode or style of their founding or first Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) in three main areas: 1) the context the CEOs and organisations are operating in; 2) the way the CEOs get things done, and 3) how they manage with and through other people. In one part of the process this third aspect was labelled the CEOs views of managing and management. Information was obtained through observations, interviews and a literature review. The study draws on current management research and writing plus the writer's experience of dealing with the data collected. A framework or continuum of positive and negative management characteristics was developed and the observation and interview data coded accordingly. Totals of positive scores from the coding results form a continuum with CEOs ranging between 30% and 94% in positive ratings within the framework for the observations and between 29% and 93% for the interviews. The conclusion of the study is that the personal self awareness and reasoning styles of each CEO affects the relationships she has within and outside the organisation and affects the whole organisation. Therefore, the wide range of styles could have implications for the development and implementation and delivery of educational policies. Totara manawa kaha, tu pono ki te tika. Ruia, taitea kia tu ko taikaka. Stout hearted Totara, standing straight and true. The sapwood surrounds the heart beneath.