Navigating tensions in processes of school improvement: strategic versus defensive responses among teachers and leaders

School Reform: The District Policy Implications of the Effective Schools Literature

Mejora escolar, liderazgo y reforma sistémica: una retrospectiva (School improvement, leadership and systemic reform: a retrospective)

When the societies are worried about their educative process and they consider get it better, they are planning the progress in all their dimensions. There is the importance to set up politics that tend to have a high quality education. Nevertheless, the efforts in the Soledad township are not enough. In the development plan SOLEDAD CONFIABLE 2016-2019, the community indicated as a main problem the low quality education in the township. That is reflected in the performance levels measured by the ISCE. Hence, the investigation ́s objective is to analyze the continuous improvement processes of the educative quality in the successful schools of Soledad township. In other matters, this investigation used the paradigm quali- quantitative with a descriptive design to explain the academic process and the description of the factors that have influenced on this continuous process. With the help of four tools: documentary review rubric, semi-structured interview script and two questionnaires; it was achieved determine the specific practices that are using the principals and teachers to support the improvement of learnings and the integral development of the students.

Change Processes and Strategies at the Local Level

PurposeIn a fast-paced and hypercompetitive environment, organizational members are awash with paradoxes where they are forced to accomplish opposing goals simultaneously (“both/and”) instead of choosing one over the other (“either/or”). The literature has acknowledged paradox as a common type of contradiction in managing information and information technology (IT), but few studies have investigated how individuals can leverage paradoxical tensions. Drawing upon paradox theory, this study develops a research model that embodies a “both/and” paradigm in paradoxical tensions via analytical alignment, a paradox mindset and resilience under environmental dynamism.Design/methodology/approachThis study examines the research model using hierarchical regression analysis with 308 analytics experts.FindingsEmpirical results find that the alignment of analytical technology and data-driven culture (AT-2DC) has a positive effect on a paradox mindset. Results also show that a paradox mindset has a positive influence on resilience. AT-2DC alignment also mediates the relationship between paradox mindset and resilience. In addition, AT-2DC alignment is more critical to a paradox mindset under a high level of environmental dynamism.Originality/valueThis study sheds light on how individuals can leverage paradoxical tensions with a “both/and” perspective and stay resilient when managing opposing demands and changes.

This chapter provides a detailed literature review exploring the importance of data-driven decision-making processes in current Australian school improvement processes within a context of evidence-based organizational change and development. An investigation into the concept of decision-making and its effect on organizational culture is conducted as change and development are considered to be the new constants in the current discourse around continuous school improvement in schools. In a close examination of literature, this chapter investigates how key factors such as collaboration, communication, and organizational trust are achieved through data-driven decision-making within continuous school improvement processes. The critical role of leadership in sustaining data cultures is also examined for its direct impact on continuous school improvement processes based on evidence-based organizational change and development practices. Future implications of data-driven decision-making to sustain continuous school improvement and accountability processes in Australian schools are discussed.

This chapter provides a detailed literature review exploring the importance of data-driven decision-making processes in current Australian school improvement processes within a context of evidence-based organizational change and development. An investigation into the concept of decision-making and its effect on organizational culture is conducted as change and development are considered to be the new constants in the current discourse around continuous school improvement in schools. In a close examination of literature, this chapter investigates how key factors such as collaboration, communication, and organizational trust are achieved through data-driven decision-making within continuous school improvement processes. The critical role of leadership in sustaining data cultures is also examined for its direct impact on continuous school improvement processes based on evidence-based organizational change and development practices. Future implications of data-driven decision-making to sustain continuous school improvement and accountability processes in Australian schools are discussed.

Adopting a paradox (i.e., both-and) mindset, in contrast to a dilemma (i.e., either-or) mindset, is often presented as the approach to handling conflicting expectations. Despite societal progress, many female leaders remain confronted with such conflicting expectations toward their gender and leader role. They are expected to fulfill their (female) gender role by displaying communal behaviors while simultaneously adhering to their leader role, often associated with stereotypically male agency, potentially resulting in agency-communion tensions. This multi-study paper consists of an experimental study ( N Study 1 = 454 women), and a two-wave survey in an organizational setting ( N Study 2 = 167 female leaders, 154 male leaders). We explore determinants (i.e., organizational learning orientation) and postulated benefits (i.e., resilience, identity coexistence, leadership effectiveness) of female leaders’ paradox mindsets toward agency-communion tensions by empirically examining core propositions of a hitherto solely theoretical model by Zheng et al. (2018) . Results indicate that organizational learning orientation facilitates paradox mindset adoption but does not moderate the relationship between agency-communion tensions and paradox mindset adoption. Our studies show mixed findings regarding the postulated benefits of a paradox mindset. This points to necessary refinements of Zheng et al.'s (2018) study model and paradox theory in general.

American Public School Administration: A Short Analysis

The purpose of this study was to understand teacher leaders’ role in school improvement program. More specifically, examined how teacher leaders formally or informally lead school improvement; what potential challenges they face when attempting to lead school improvement; and what strategies /mechanisms they employ to improve teacher leadership role in school improvement process were the basic questions of the study. In-depth interviews with five teacher leaders and field notes were used to collect data. The data were tape recorded and then transcribed. Categories themes and patterns from data i.e. inductive analysis were used for data analysis. The findings revealed that, teacher leaders lead school improvement by different methods like collaboration, effective planning, and experience sharing, influencing others by their hardworking habit and, communicating with school community. Besides, teacher leaders face different challenges in leading school improvement such as lack of leadership and management skill, time constraints and absence of recognition and incentive. In sum, the school improvement process is not being led by teacher leaders due to different challenges. Therefore, education leaders should enhance teacher leadership by promoting and supporting teacher leadership role and Policy makers should develop a platform for teacher leadership to enhance teacher leaders’ role in school improvement program.

PurposeOrganizational scholars are intrigued about stakeholders who propose multiple and conflicting ideas about what is good for their organization. Such contradictions are called paradoxical tensions. Although researchers have singled these out for analysis, focusing only on individual tensions prevents scrutiny of multiple paradoxical tensions that simultaneously emerge and how effectively organizations can manage them. In complex environments – especially during an organizational restructuring – multiple and interrelated tensions occur. Therefore, the objective in this paper is to investigate how organizations create multiple paradoxical tensions and how the combined effect of such tensions can constrain organizations during restructuring. The authors thus aim to help managers think reflectively and to plan interventions to deal with issues arising from restructuring through the lens of paradox theory.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopted purposive sampling for an archival research-based case study of a major restructuring of a leading IT firm in India in the decade 2009–2019. This study focused on the types of paradoxes created and the response of the organization to these during the restructure. The authors identified key events using public documents and news reports from that decade. They drew on two sources of data: mainstream media coverage and third-party documents about the company. The latter included monographs and academic publications written by critics, business historians and design and management scholars.FindingsThe findings address the gaps in the literature about how reorganizing during a restructure shapes the contradictions that lead to tensions and coexisting conflicting dualities, creating paradoxes. This study provides the reader with deeper insights into belonging, organizing, learning and performing tensions – core to paradox theory – along with their short- and long-term implications for organizational restructuring. The study demonstrates organizational responses to paradox and its practical implications for managers. The paradoxical nature of cultural–structural tensions in Indian organizations continues to be researched but, by focusing on paradox theory, the authors have opened doors for future research.Originality/valueAlthough there is no dispute that effective management of tensions can facilitate organizational performance, contradictory demands that lead to tensions have only intensified as organizational environments become more global, dynamic and competitive. Paradox theory is thus valuable for understanding tensions between equally valid principles, inferences and insights. Although this paper is based on a case study, the framework proposed here can form the basis for theoretical generalizability within certain limitations. Because organizations face similar paradoxical situations under competing demands during restructuring and because paradoxes are becoming increasingly prevalent in organizations, the authors expect their propositions to apply in other cases of restructuring. However, the authors would like to caution that the model developed here should be tested and refined in other contexts to more fully establish its validity and generalizability.

This study analyzes the relationship between employees’ paradox mindset and IWB. This study also investigates thriving as mediating variable in the relationships between employees’ paradox mindset and IWB. Individual innovation is accompanied by paradoxical tension. Adopting a paradox mindset, which reflects the extent to which individuals embrace and are energized by tensions, can help people deal with tensions and innovate. Data were collected from 202 banking employees and analyzed using the partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) technique. Findings reveal that employees’ paradox mindset positively affects IWB and is improved when the organization drives the employees to practice thriving at work.

Research on effective schooling in secondary schools has identified generic characteristics and processes associated with effective schooling and school improvement but has stopped short of articulating and explaining sub processes of institutional improvement. This paper discusses the impact of school context on effective schooling. It is argued that generic school improvement characteristics and processes take on different meanings in practice, and these meanings are shaped by a school's response to the particular circumstances and challenges of its environment. In turn, this response has implications for the way school improvement programmes are developed and for the role and contribution of teachers. In focusing on meaning through context, the paper highlights the idiosyncratic and reflexive nature of effective schooling and school improvement, and in view of this, advocates a grounded or inductive theory of school improvement to guide practice. Such a theory assumes a capacity on the part of...

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine the destructive effects of stretch goals on employees’ work–family conflict (WFC). Drawing on the conservation of resources (COR) theory, this study examines the mediating role of resource scarcity. By integrating the paradox theory with the COR theory, this study explores the moderating role of employees’ paradox mind-set.Design/methodology/approachTwo-wave data were collected from a sample of MBA students in Northwestern China (N = 294). PROCESS was used to assess a moderated mediation model.FindingsThis study found a positive relationship between stretch goals and WFC, and resource scarcity mediated this relationship. For employees with a high paradox mind-set, the relationship between resource scarcity and WFC was weak; and the indirect effect of stretch goals on WFC via resource scarcity was weak.Practical implicationsOrganizations should provide enough resources to employees when using stretch goals. Human resource managers could recruit candidates with high paradox mind-set and foster employees’ paradox mind-set through training.Originality/valueThis study makes contributions to the literature on stretch goals by examining the negative spillover effect of stretch goals on the family domain and exploring the mediating mechanism. This study also extends the paradox theory by using it at micro level to address questions on WFC.

This study uses a ‘paradox lens’ to contribute to employability debates in HRM by examining the effectiveness of employability enhancing policies and practices (hereafter EP&Ps) in three case organizations. We identify three organizing paradoxes reflecting the complexities of the Dutch economic, political and socio-cultural contexts. In line with the EP&Ps' competing goals, we label these: the ‘(inverted) flexibility/commitment paradox’; ‘self-management/(human-resource) management paradox’; and the ‘sustainability/effectiveness and efficiency paradox’. We further analyse how their underlying paradoxical tensions spill over and create role-performance, belonging and learning paradoxical tensions at the micro-level and how these cumulatively impact managers' and employees' responses to EP&Ps. We then explore how HRM tries to actively go beyond ‘reinforcing paradox cycles’ by creating awareness and stimulating contextual change to foster the wider adoption of EP&Ps. In conclusion, we argue that the paradox lens can inform HRM scholars and labour market stakeholders to search for innovative ways to study and govern contemporary employability issues.