Tips for managing a school


“Organizations fail to meet targets not because processes and personnel fail, but because management is incompetent or at best fails to implement the core management principles in the right ways possible.”

The above quote underscores the place of sound and effective management system in meeting up with organizational goals and objectives. But then, effective management is not in theory but in practice, where certain factors must be put in place and religiously followed up to the letter.

In this post, I share with you 10 indisputable factors that guarantee an effective school management. What I’m going to share here also stands true for every kind of organization. Of course, almost all the factors have a lot to do with organizational workers- they are key to growing an organization.
I will just be brief with each point, as they are more self-explanatory.

#1. School Management Policy
When you see a school that is poorly-managed, watch out- they don’t have a policy statement, or at best, they don’t adhere to it religiously. Organizational policy statement is not the everyday instruction of an irritated boss. It is not also the sentimental red card thrown at perceived opposition at will.

Organizational policy statement is a written document that defines the core values of an organization, covering every vital facet of such an organization, while detailing the procedures for tackling each policy item when the need arises. This is as important as the organization itself, and failure to follow it up strictly means the management is not ready to work as it can’t really work.

#2. Staff Recruitment
Do you know that in every organization, staff management is key? Meanwhile, the real job of staff management starts from the recruitment process. As a school manager, what is the standard code of your school when it comes to recruitment in terms of academic qualification, religious inclination and personality trait; working experience, professional skills and general background of prospective employees? You must have these as criteria for hiring workers, otherwise you will have problem managing them at the long run.

In fact, staff recruitment criterion is one of the most important policy statement of schools that are serious with the business.

#3. Deployment of Staff
Deployment here simply means fixing the square pegs in square holes in order to build a formidable, workable team that can achieve organizational targets. It takes critical thinking management to be able to do this. That’s why many managers fail here.

Remember, in recruitment, you’re interested in their credentials; but in deployment, you must look out for their potentials- what a man can do better and more efficiently. The knowledge of the theory of comparative advantage in international trade can as well play a great part here in understanding your employees’ individual potentials as to be able to fix them right in a team.

            You can as well request for our Potential Test Kit (PTK), a new Management tool for identifying the potentials of organizational workforce so that they can be rightly fixed in a team in a way that guarantees the attainment of desired result. This tool was developed by my humble self, Chima Ezuo S. You can also hire us to guide you on this. All we need is two weeks to interact with your workers and we tell you the best way to fix them in a team.

The place of proper deployment of staff to effective school management cannot be over-emphasized. You may need to hear this from a football coach- ask him what his team will look like as well as how they would perform if he puts the goal keeper in the midfield, a striker as a goal keeper and a defender to lead the attack line. You will now learn that players are only good when played at their possibly best positions not out of it.  There is no difference when it comes to the workers in your school.

#4. Job Description
You can’t manage your staff effectively when there is no detailed job description handed out to them individually. As a manager, you’re only right to judge your employees based on what they are asked to do, not outside it. Funny enough, this might be too hard to be swallowed by a typical African manager.

African-styled management has no respect for decorum but demands same at will. It’s not proper. This is one thing we are working tirelessly to correct. You don’t hire a man without orientating him on how your organization does her thing in a unique way, as well as detailing your expectations from him.

All these ranting and shouting down on workers can’t solve the problem; let’s rather do the right thing.

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#5. Leadership

Hey! School manager, give leadership to your workers. If it takes you to create units in your organization just to make all your workers ‘leaders’, just do that. And in doing this, spread it.
It’s rather appalling that what we rather see today is the concentration of so much leadership roles on few workers, leaving the rest relegated. The problem here is that a section of your staff are overused, and they grumble; at the same time, the rest are under-utilized and they grumble too, with the wretched feeling that they’re not important to you- be sure they won’t give their all.

Do you know that every member of your staff has what it takes to run an organization like you? Why not tap from such potentials by giving them leadership roles to showcase what they have?
Please try this; it works.

#6. Line Management Functions
When you go to a typical African school, especially private schools, you will hear titles like Head Teacher, HOD, Dean of Studies, and Principal, mention them. They are all wonderful. But the problem is that many of those occupying such positions remain the proverbial ‘officer without portfolio’. Why? Because, they’re never allowed to carry out their functions freely without undue interference from school owners. How then can they work effectively?

In management studies, under the delegation theory, there is this principle called the principle of parity of authority. This principles propounds that for delegated subordinates to be accountable to their superiors, they must be given enough authority that is commensurate with their assigned duty or task in order for them to carry out such duties effectively without undue bottleneck.

School managers must embrace this principle if they want their line managers to work effectively.

#7. Remuneration
Barring any sudden financial and economic relapse your school might be facing at a particular point in time, as a school manager, do everything within your reach to give your workers a commendable fat check in return for their service. It’s very shameful that in Africa and some other insane climes of the world, managers feel it’s a sign of superiority to treat their workers like slaves by paying them peanuts at best, and at worst,  owing them salaries even when the money is there.

We can’t make progress in Africa if we continue to treat our workers as slaves- remember slaves can only give a slave service.

And do not wait until they complain- learn to do things right especially in the area of staff remuneration.

#8. Staff Development
To meet up with current industry changes, your staff members need regular on-the-job training for both self and professional development. But make sure you tailor these trainings to the core objectives and vision statement of your school. You don’t leave the regular duties to engage in all these unending trainings going on here and there. Don’t be a jack of all trade and master of none.

Only train your workers in areas that work towards promoting the aspirations of the organization- be it short term or long term.

#9. Staff Monitoring
There is this popular saying that “in every twelve, there must be a Judas”, and you know, ‘Judas’ is not good for your school business. As a school manager, you need to set up structures and mechanisms that will help you monitor your staff performance. This could be through periodic appraisal, productivity feedback etc. However you can get it right, just do it; but try to avoid witch-hunting; we are all humans, so that you don’t end up killing a fly with a sledge hammer.

You need to monitor your staff objectively so as to be able to sift the tares from the wheat. One more thing, the essence of staff monitoring is not only for disengagement purposes. It could as well be for redeployment, promotion and sanctions.

#10. Official Discipline
The truth is that in every organization, there is bound to be some bad eggs who are incorrigibly out to spoil the show. What do you do with such fellows as a school manager? Use the big stick on them. But make sure, every disciplinary action taken against any erring member of staff is in line with the disciplinary policy of the school. Don’t allow sentiment to come in between.

Conclusion

School managers should not only be interested in the structural development and numerical increase of their schools. They have to understand that effective management system is key to organizational growth. As it is, the need to embrace effective management is becoming more critical in the 21st century education environment. I tell you, a lot of schools might go down, which refuse to do things right in this regard.

Let your school rather go up. My best wishes!