A Comparative Analysis of the Bureaucratic Structure Between Large and Small Secondary Schools

No Thumbnail Available

Date

1994-07

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Addis Ababa University

Abstract

The concept of bureaucracy, here, is viewed as a means of organizing work which permits or encourages coordination. Coordination in turn is achieved in hierarchy of graded authority regulated by rules and depersonalizing mechanisms. As such bureaucracy is not a bed of roses for individuals. It is rather a system of administration which is destined to institutionalize work In organizations. Schools are the basic organizational units in the educational institutionj they have the role of dividing the work and integrating results. Thus, schools are becoming more bureaucratically structured. It is suggested that, the idea of bureaucratization of schools confirmed, to a considerable degree, Weber's specification of bureaucracy on the basis of their division of labour, their hierarchical structures, their rules and regulations, their procedures and their impersonal treatment based on competence. Hence, the educational version of bureaucracy is seen as a set of six-dimensions. The study comparatively examines the basis of the bureaucratic model, the dimensions of organizations that are chartacterstically cited as bureaucratic attributes by measuring the degree to which these dimensions are present in the two sets of secondary school systems. It is illustrated in the study that a bureaucratic structure is not unitary variable but it is multidimensional and prevalent among the selected twelve secondary schools. The prevalence and emergence of these bureaucratic dimensions are also proved to be that the schools are bureaucratic in a large number of ways. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that size is a determining factor which influences the bureaucratic structures of secondary schools. Thus, all the six-bureaucratic dimensions vary in size. Finally, the causes of disagreement (conflict) and the consequent results that reduced teachers commitment such as, seniority based promotions, lack of reconciliation between the expectations of autonomy and individual responsibility of highly trained professionals with the hierarchy of authorities, are also examined. Based on the previous comments and concluding remark in the study, in the final chapter, the writer forwards some realistic suggestion and recommendation that individual teachers need a certain amount of autonomy if they are tocontribute meaningfully to the obj ecti ves of the schools. Hence, school administrators should allow individual teachers to have enough autonomy to enhance their professional initiative and to encourage the development of positive and fruitful relationships within the school systems . Such necessary leadership styles may result from the recognition of the professional status of teachers and a substantial delegation of responsibility in them, and not from polarization of teachers and directors into 'superiors' and 'inferiors . '

Description

Keywords

A Comparartlve Analysis, of the Bureaucratic Structure

Citation