ABSTRACT
Every teacher in school is a manager. In their daily classroom practices, teachers have responsibility for the creation of an effective learning environment; the nurturing of pupils; leadership with regards to support staff, volunteers or students; and the management of the application of school policies, rules and regulations which contribute to the effective overall performance of the school. Without the necessary skills of management, or the appropriate planning structures, class teachers are unlikely to be able to support the school fully in achieving its objectives. Today’s classrooms require teachers who are able to adjust to an ever-changing and increasing range of demands. Contemporary classrooms are places in which the traditional roles and responsibilities of staff are changing and established management hierarchies are blurred (Hall 1997). No matter how good the systems that are put into place in a school may be, it is only through their effective management by teams of professionals working together that the curriculum will achieve its objectives of meeting needs and establishing high standards in learning. Teachers now, more than at any time, need to demonstrate a level of initiative that enables the curriculum to be delivered in a flexible and considered way which addresses the needs of all pupils. As Morgan (1992) recognised:
The importance of the human element in an organisation is increasing along with the pace of change. Change demands innovation, and innovation demands that we unleash the creative potential of our people. In a more stable world one could organise in a mechanistic way – establish and design one’s organisation, direct and control it from the top, and rely on middle managers of fairly average ability to ‘fill slots’ with workers and oversee operations.
Now, much more is required. Bureaucracy is giving way to new approaches that require people to exercise discretion, take initiative, and assume a much greater responsibility for their own organization and management.
(p. 33)