Quality Organisation Strategic Essay Example

to push boundaries. Overcoming challenges such as social and economic pressures, technological advancements, increased accountability, and a shortage of qualified educators is essential (Lesbell 2002). The purpose of this research project is to present qualitative research that provides an autoethnographic account. This account encompasses various narratives including confessional, self-critical, self-evaluative, self-affirmative, analytical interpretative as well as emotional narratives. Its goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of personal biases and emotions towards others through cultural construction known as autoethnography which promotes self-expression,self-discovery,self-reconfiguration,self-examination,and self-transformation. Successful autoethnographic writing requires analyzing autobiographical data critically while reflecting upon it before interpreting it in order to reframe the past experiences which then shape one's identityThis research aims to provide a highly personal account of the complexities, risks, and challenges encountered during the development of a strategic school development program. Using qualitative research methods, I will chronicle my experiences as a senior principal and owner of a private school in Pakistan to explore heuristic questioning by asking: What is my experience of this phenomenon? The purpose of this study is to analyze the complexities and problems involved in conceiving, navigating, and implementing a strategic school development program (Patton, 1990, as cited in Bochner and Ellis, 2000). The research will assess major and minor issues and explore emerging themes within this socialization phenomenon. This allows researchers to go beyond their personal experiences while balancing specific descriptions with general interpretations. The narrative's backward movement is intertwined with personal growth moving forward. Ellis (2004) sees autoethnographic writing not only as descriptive narratives but also as creative products. In "performative autoethnography," written text comes alive on stage (Chang pg 143). By exposing their vulnerable selves,

autoethnographers invite readers to engage in the narratives and cultivate empathy. According to Ellis (1996, 2004), this ability to connect with readers' emotions is a captivating aspect of this style of writing.The text discusses the challenges involved in preparing a strategic development program for a school, along with how to respond to these challenges and what should be prioritized. It also explores the barriers and obstacles encountered in creating a positive learning-centered environment and organization. By including an auto-ethnographic account from senior staff members acting as participant observers within a specific school, this study provides valuable insights into the socialization process for mid-career professionals aspiring to work as strategic development practitioners in schools. The study offers a personal experience that occurs within an educational and social context. It emphasizes the importance of creating a strategic school development program to effectively manage and facilitate meaningful change. This involves utilizing the core competences of a school holistically, considering factors such as strategy interpretation and implementation, effective intervention points, and the development of strategic capabilities. These considerations also take into account internal strengths, organizational culture, subcultures, as well as the expectations and accountability requirements of all stakeholders. The strategic development program is built upon strategic analysis, choice, and execution that aligns with change management needs.By customizing a suitable program that aligns with the organizational culture and nuances of autoethnography, it can result in a powerful thesis that is both clear and thought-provoking. The examination of autoethnography provides a comprehensive understanding of how the preparation of a strategic development program influences the learning environment. Autoethnography serves as a valuable approach that enables individuals to gain deeper insight into others'

beliefs, motivations, and behaviors, while also promoting shared understanding among peers and stakeholders through lived experiences. This auto-ethnographic study captures intense emotions and deeply-held beliefs that can be appreciated by readers outside of the field as it aims to foster comprehension of the challenges in change management. The thesis presented offers an informative account of the researcher's experiences as a senior principal and owner of a private school in Pakistan, providing an opportunity for heuristic questioning. Through exploring how these experiences have shaped the researcher's thoughts, feelings, and actions, this research contributes valuable insights into mid-career socialization for future practitioners involved in strategic development within educational institutions. Furthermore, it enhances existing literature by offering shared emotions and experiences through the lens of auto-ethnography. In this chapter, our objective is to gather and analyze information that will aid us in evaluating the value of organizational resultsOur goal is to establish collaborative structures that promote community spirit and encourage transformative practices that can change norms hindering positive development. The research outcomes will also benefit colleagues and educational peers, providing opportunities for them to reflect on their own careers or performance in relation to the experiences of the auto-ethnographer. This reflection will enable them to create a strategic development plan for the school. The literature review section of this chapter summarizes relevant literature that has been studied, evaluated, and incorporated into discussions about the effects, implications, and requirements for change management, leadership, organizational culture, and strategic management in developing a strategic development plan. This argument supports empowering the change leader through participatory and collaborative strategic realignment. It will raise awareness within the school about challenges posed by increasing

competition and marketization in the context of globalization. Strategic Management interventions are necessary every 4-5 years to avoid failure when complacency, stagnancy, and isolation hinder successful organizations from progressing - schools have social and corporate responsibilities too which are not exempt from this trend.The rise of marketization and the desire for a competitive edge in the knowledge-based economy and change management has created a need for strategic management in schools. The goal is to achieve balanced restructuring and re-engineering of various authorities through strategic management initiatives. These initiatives involve implementing decisions and actions that develop short and long-term plans to ensure competitive excellence. Resource allocation and mobilization are key components encompassing all stages of strategy development and implementation. Conducting a comprehensive assessment of internal capabilities and external environment is crucial to achieving the organization's mission. This includes evaluating strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats which inform the strategic planning process. Strategic management in schools aims to prevent complacency by avoiding solely focusing on operational tasks, thus helping successful schools avoid failure. However, there are signs of inactivity within organizational structure and strategy development such as excessive process orientation, limited information gathering and processing, resistance to change. A strategic development plan recognizes the importance of organizations adapting to their changing environments.
The text highlights the importance of recognizing that past success may not always be effective in different circumstances. To avoid stagnancy and failure, it is crucial to sense signals of change, address misplaced priorities, be responsive to competitive pressures, and remove barriers. All stakeholders acknowledge the need for change and a development plan, but a strong organizational culture can hinder this process. Overcoming this obstacle requires promoting

a shared culture that includes recruitment policies promoting diversity of perspectives and encouraging dissenters to seek supporting signals and develop alternative scenarios. Merely relying on competition is insufficient to prevent complacency. A strategic planning process with appropriate structures and systems is key (Fidler, 1998). The text suggests that fostering a shared but diverse civilization involves avoiding reliance solely on past successful patterns and having a narrow view of success. It recognizes the importance of multiple standards for measuring success in order to create strategies aligned with an organization's needs through decision-making, initiative-taking, and engagement in relevant activities (such as cognitive examinations).Overall, strategic management is crucial in the knowledge-based economy for gaining a competitive advantage. It requires collaboration between top, tactical, and operational management to achieve change management objectives. Strategic analysis, choice, and implementation are closely connected to school development and improvement. These processes enhance a school's core competencies and its ability to respond holistically to its environment. Strategic direction involves considering long-term goals, the external environment, internal strengths, organizational culture, and stakeholders' commitments. The demand for effective school management has grown due to the increase of self-managing schools worldwide as education plays a vital role in economic competitiveness. The term "strategy" originates from military actions aimed at achieving specific objectives but has evolved into an essential tool for modern managers today through strategic planning. Effective strategic management involves defining the organization's mission, conducting an analysis of its internal conditions and capabilities (Pearce and Robinson 2000).The text highlights the importance of evaluating the external environment of an organization, taking into account both competitive and general contextual factors. Once these aspects are analyzed, it is crucial to

align the company's resources with the external environment to identify viable options. The most desirable options should then be assessed in relation to the organization's mission. From there, a set of long-term objectives and grand strategies should be chosen that will achieve these desired outcomes.

To support these long-term objectives, annual objectives and short-term strategies that align with the selected set of long-term objectives should be developed. Implementing these strategic choices requires allocating budgeted resources while emphasizing alignment across tasks, people, structures, technologies, and reward systems.

Evaluating the success of this strategic process is vital for informing future decision making as it allows for adjustments or improvements in subsequent strategies. According to Davies and Ellison (1998), traditional approaches to school planning no longer adequately meet schools' evolving needs. They convincingly argue for using strategic intent instead of limited school development planning models in addressing these changing needs effectively.The text explores various factors involved in achieving a specific strategic purpose, such as high expectations and fostering a successful culture, accurate performance indicators, technology-based education for all students, and learning communities that connect home and school. It also mentions different schools of thought on strategic management presented by Mintzberg et al. (1998), each focusing on a different aspect of the strategic planning process. While these perspectives may be narrow in some ways, they are also intriguing and insightful. The planning school advocates for systems development, the positional school suggests rational decision-making, the incremental school proposes logical incrementalism, the corporate school emphasizes strategic purpose, the airy school focuses on organizational learning, and the acquisition school highlights core competencies. Mintzberg's Safari provides valuable insights into organizations' approaches to strategic management by

offering a comprehensive view of the process. The text emphasizes the importance of strategic management and the need for a practical model that incorporates strategic analysis at various organizational levels. It highlights techniques that aid in decision-making, execution, and control for informed decision-making while integrating principles of corporate social responsibility.Johnson and Scholes' (2005) model is particularly relevant due to its embrace of conceptual pluralism. Their model suggests that adopting a harmonized approach would be advantageous, consisting of three stages: Strategic analysis, Strategic choice, and Strategic implementation and change. The model emphasizes the importance of conducting an inventory to anticipate potential external factors that may impact an organization. This involves conducting an internal resource audit, environmental scanning, and analyzing culture and values.

The internal resource audit evaluates tangible and intangible resources, their potential, and methods for development. However, it is crucial to acknowledge that not all potentials can be fully utilized simultaneously by a school. In such cases, the internal resource audit framework can offer guidance on necessary corrective actions if needed. It is essential to avoid overly optimistic assumptions that might misguide the internal resource audit process.

When conducting environmental scanning (Fidler, 2007), it is vital to consider the concept of the environment within the context of competition and system theory in administration. According to this theory, everything outside an organization's boundaries should be considered part of its environment. The abbreviation PESTE (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, and Educational) represents socio-proficient influences.

Effective strategic analysis involves assessing changeable analysis as well as organizational culture while keeping these concepts in mind.The conditioning effect of the organizational culture has a significant impact on the thinking of school staff. This can hinder

the exploration of strategic possibilities as they are judged based on pre-existing acceptance and rejection within the administration's mindset. Rather than remaining unchanged, it is important to recognize latent values and assumptions that hold the organizational culture together (Dimmock and Walker, 2002).

A crucial aspect of Johnson and Scholes' model is strategic choice. This involves creating, evaluating, and selecting the most appropriate options for achieving management objectives over a five-year period. Strategic analysis requires both hindsight and foresight to align with an administration's future vision, including schools.

Once primary concerns such as student enrollment are addressed, there are secondary issues that offer a wider range of options. The academic curriculum encompasses various disciplines such as engineering, linguistic communications, athletics, and creative arts. Community engagement and innovative use of ICT are emphasized. Additionally, there are music, art, and play performances, athletic events, and charitable work. The focus is on preparing students for their future (Fidler, 1998).

Evaluating options entails considering aspects such as consistency, suitability feasibility,and acceptability (Fidler 2007).The implementation of a strategic plan involves several critical aspects such as organizational structure, systems, staff and change management, and resources. This process is preceded by strategic analysis and decision-making, ultimately leading to the final stage of implementation. During the evaluation phase, viability is assessed by considering factors like available resources, cooperation from others, staff readiness, and external risks. Managing change over an extended period of time is crucial for effective staff collaboration. Alongside adjusting the structure, it is essential for systems to evolve in order to support progress in the new direction. Anticipating staffing needs is important to facilitate desired strategic changes. Additionally, enhancing Bing's staff capacity would contribute significantly

towards driving implementation forward.

This text addresses the transformation that has occurred in organizational leadership within schools throughout the years. It acknowledges the complex nature of this role and frequently used descriptions such as manager, executive, guardian, instructional leader, and instructional facilitator when referring to school leaders. The extent of change determines the contingency plan's nature and amount of annual support required while also considering available resources and their sources as well as mobilization over a span of several years (Fidler 1998; Fidler 2007; Bush & Coleman 2000).The text emphasizes the importance of strategy control and continuous improvement in creating a comprehensive approach to strategic analysis and decision-making that aligns with a school's corporate social responsibility. This involves implementing a rewards system, functional tactics, empowering policies, and overarching strategies that merge together. This process is not solely focused on maximizing profit but can also benefit non-profit entities. Strategic management takes a holistic and integrative approach to ensure the organization aligns with its externalities. Accountability is prioritized through guidance and facilitation rather than strict management in areas such as learning environments, curriculum development, staff training, monitoring and evaluation, student counseling, and resource allocation. Leadership plays a vital role in this process; however, there is an ongoing discussion about who the actual leaders are. To effectively address global challenges, it is necessary to shift traditional leadership concepts and adapt to new roles.While a leader's management techniques and interpersonal skills are important factors to consider, it is also recognized that situational factors can impact the relationship between leadership style and organizational outcomes. Transformational leadership emphasizes proactive engagement with the organization's vision and influencing members' beliefs, values, and attitudes. In

contrast, transactional leadership takes a reactive approach that motivates followers through transactions towards organizational goals. Apart from goal development and member influence, transformational leaders prioritize cultivating a culture that encourages student-centeredness and professional growth-oriented behaviors within schools, including establishing school norms, beliefs, values,and assumptions. Educational leaders in the era of globalization, information technology, and knowledge-based economies play a crucial role as transformational leaders by facilitating paradigm shifts in learning, teaching, and curriculum while overcoming contextual constraints. Their goal is to create new opportunities for development for their institutions, students,and staff (Cheng 2002). Transformational leadership aims to restructure enterprises to prepare schools for the challenges of the new millennium.The primary objectives of transformational school leaders involve fostering a collaborative professional culture among staff, promoting teacher development, and facilitating effective problem-solving within the school community (Leithwood, 1992a). According to Leithwood (1992b), school administrators should prioritize using facilitative powers to bring about changes in their schools. Collaborative strengths are crucial for achieving these goals. Transformational leadership empowers individuals who contribute to organizational goal development and influences those goals. This approach helps teachers find more significance in their work and enhance their instructional abilities to meet higher-level demands. There is a renewed dedication to success for students, teachers, staff, and parents. Teacher commitment plays a significant role in a school's capacity for change according to Leitwood and Jantzi (2006). The quality of teachers themselves and their dedication to change determine the quality of education and school improvement. In addition to commitment, other factors like teachers' decision-making power, the school climate, and parental engagement also influence how teachers contribute to strategic planning and change management. These factors are part of

Chang's (1994) comprehensive model of leadership which encompasses five dimensions.Human leadership focuses on nurturing positive social relationships and facilitating social interaction in order to increase staff commitment and satisfactionStructural leadership, which involves setting clear goals, policies, and organizational structures, also emphasizes holding staff accountable for achieving results. Adequate technical support is provided to plan, organize, coordinate, and implement policies within institutions.

Political leadership focuses on building alliances and partnerships to encourage participation and collaboration in decision-making processes. It also aims to resolve conflicts among stakeholders.

Cultural leadership acknowledges the significance of organizational culture in driving change and fostering innovation.