Stories from the middle: Perceptions of the roles of curriculum development managers in a Maltese further education organization
Keywords:
Further Education, Middle Management, Case Study, Critical Realism
Abstract
Aim: In this case study, middle managers in a Maltese Further Education (FE) organization express their views on professionalism. The selected managers will play an academic and administrative role as Curriculum Development Managers (CDMs).
Method: In this research, we used an instrumental case study approach guided by theory and interpreted through the lens of critical realism. In this case study, ten CDMs and two SMT members participated in semi structured interviews to discuss their respective roles, skills, values, management education, and challenges.
Findings: Participants viewed their roles as administrative and managerial, with personnel management and dealing with unreasonable bureaucratic structures cited as the greatest difficulties. Efficiency, organization, fairness, and discipline were identified as the most important qualities for success in their position. Few respondents had formal management training, but nearly everyone agreed that internal training was necessary.
Implications/Novel Contribution: This paper demonstrates the potential of case studies for illuminating the lived experiences of individuals within organizations and comparing those accounts to those found in other parts of the world. Despite the study’s limitations, such as its relatively small sample size, it may be worthwhile to broaden the scope of this investigation to encompass additional FE institutions.
References
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Simmons, H. 2009. Case Study Research in Practice. Cornwall, UK: Sage.
Spencer, M. S., and Loomba, A. P. 1995. “Uncovering Implementation Problems Keeps TQM On Track at Iowa’s Department of Employment Services.” National Productivity Review 14(2): 37-46.
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Turner, C., and Bolam, R. 1998. “Analysing The Role of the Subject Head of Department in Secondary Schoolsin England and Wales: Towards A Theoretical Framework.” School Leadership & Management 18(3): 373-388.
Wallace, M., and Marchant, T. 2009. “Developing Female Middle-Managers in Australian Universities.” Higher Education 58(6): 781-797.
Watson, T. 2002. “Professions and Professionalism-Should We Jump Off the Bandwagon, Better to Study Where It is Going?” International Studies of Management & Organization 32(2): 93-105.
Williamson, R. D. 2013. Straight Talk on Leadership: Solving Canada’s Business Crisis. New York, NY: Jossey-Bass.
Zarb, N. 2015. “A Primary Investigation of Strategic Management in Further Education (FE) in the Small Island State of Malta: Quo vadis?” Presented at the symposia melitensia, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
Zembylas, M. 2006. “Science Education as Emancipatory: The Case of Roy Bhaskar’s Philosophy of Meta Reality.” Educational Philosophy and Theory 38(5): 665-676.
Anschutz, E. E. 1995. “A Point of View: TQM—The Public Sector Challenge.” National Productivity Review 15(1): 1-6.
Briggs, A. R. 2001. “Middle Managers in Further Education: Exploring the Role.” Management in Education 15(4): 12-15.
Briggs, A. R. 2005. “Middle Managers in English Further Education Colleges Understanding and Modelling the Role.” Educational Management Administration & Leadership 33(1): 27-50.
Briggs, A. R. 2007. “The Oz Effect? An Examination of Middle Management Roles and Perceptions of Professionalism in an Australian TAFE.” Management in Education 21(3): 17-20.
Briggs, A. R. J. 2003. “Modelling Aspects of Role Among Middle Managers in English Further Education Colleges.” Doctoral dissertation, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
Broadbent, J. 2011. “Discourses of Control, Managing the Boundaries.” The British Accounting Review 43(4): 264-277.
Brown, M., and Rutherford, D. 1998. “Changing Roles and Raising Standards: New Challenges for Heads of Department.” School Leadership & Management 18(1): 75-88.
Chan, F. F. Y. 2015. “A Critical Realist and Multi Methodology Framework for Product Placement Research.” Journal of Promotion Management 21(3): 279-295.
Chappell, C. 2002. The new VET professional: culture, roles and competence. Working paper no. 00-41, VTS Research Centre Vocational Education and Training, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.
Clayton, B., and Blom, K. 2002. “Re-envisioning VET Practice: Practitioners and the Experience and Implementation of Change.” Presented at annual international conference: Post-compulsory education and training, Queensland, Australia.
Currie, G., Burgess, N., and Hayton, J. C. 2015. “HR Practices and Knowledge Brokering by Hybrid Middle Managers in Hospital Settings: The Influence of Professional Hierarchy.” Human Resource Management 54(5): 793-812.
Deem, R. 2005. “New managerialism’ and the management of UK Universities.” Bailrigg, UK: Department of Educational Research and the Management School, Lancaster University.
Dodd, P., and Gutierrez, L. 1990. “Preparing Students for the Future: A Power Perspective on Community Practice.” Administration in Social Work 14(2): 63-78.
Drodge, S. 2002. “Managing Under Pressure: The Management of Vocational Education in The British, Dutch and French Systems.” Research in Post-Compulsory Education 7(1): 27-43.
Edgley, A., Stickley, T., Timmons, S., and Meal, A. 2016. “Critical Realist Review: Exploring the Real, Beyond The Empirical.” Journal of Further and Higher Education 40(3): 316-330.
Fitzgerald, L., and Ferlie, E. 2000. “Professionals: Back to the Future?” Human Relations 53(5): 713-739.
Floyd, S. W., and Wooldridge, B. 1994. “Dinosaurs or Dynamos? Recognizing Middle Management’s Strategic Role.” The Academy of Management Executive 8(4): 47-57.
Freedman, S. 2012. “Collegiality Matters: Massachusetts Public Higher Education Librarians’ Perspective.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 38(2): 108-114.
Gillett-Karam, R. 1999. “Midlevel Management in The Community College: A Rose Garden?” in Preparing Departmental Chairs for Their Leadership Roles, edited by R. Gillett-Karam. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Gleeson, D., and Shain, F. 1999. “Managing Ambiguity: Between Markets and Managerialism: A Case Study of ’Middle’ Managers in Further Education.” The Sociological Review 47(3): 461-490
Glover, D., Gleeson, D., Gough, G., and Johnson, M. 1998. “The Meaning of Management the Development Needs of Middle Managers in Secondary Schools.” Educational Management & Administration 26(3): 279-292.
Gouldner, A. W. 1957. “Cosmopolitans and Locals: Toward an Analysis of Latent Social Roles.” Administrative Science Quarterly 2(3): 281-306.
Gubrium, J. F., and Holstein, J. A. 2008. The Constructionist Mosaic Handbook of Constructionist Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Hoareau, C. 2012. “Deliberative Governance in the European Higher Education Area: The Bologna Process as a Case of Alternative Governance Architecture in Europe.” Journal of European Public Policy 19(4): 530-548.
Joffe, M., and MacKenzie-Davey, K. 2012. “The Problem of Identity in Hybrid Managers: Who are Medical Directors?” International Journal of Leadership in Public Services 8(3): 161-174.
Kaissi, A. 2005. “Manager-Physician Relationships: An Organizational Theory Perspective.” The Health Care Manager 24(2): 165-176.
Klagge, J. 1998. “The Empowerment Squeeze-Views from The Middle Management Position.” Journal of Management Devel- opment 17(8): 548-558.
Krippendorff, K. 2004. Content Analysis: An Introduction to its Methodology. 2nd ed. Thousand oaks, CA: Sage.
Llewellyn, S. 2001. “Two-Way Windows’: Clinicians as Medical Managers.” Organization Studies 22(4): 593-623.
Martincic, R. 2010. “Change Management in Adult Educational Organizations: A Slovenian Case Study.” Man aging Global Transitions 8(1): 79-96.
McCosker, H., Barnard, A., and Gerber, R. 2001. “Undertaking Sensitive Research: Issues and Strategies for Meeting the Safety Needs of All Participants.” Forum: Qualitative Social Research 2(1): 1-11.
Miles, B. M., and Huberman, A. M. 1994. Qualitative Data Analysis: An Expanded Sourcebook. Oaks, CA: Sage.
Miyashita, M., Hirai, K., Morita, T., Sanjo, M., and Uchitomi, Y. 2008. “Barriers to Referral to Inpatient Palliative Care Units in Japan: A Qualitative Survey with Content Analysis.” Supportive Care in Cancer 16(3): 217-222.
Nash, R. 2005. “Explanation and Quantification in Educational Research: The Arguments of Critical and Scientific Realism.” British Educational Research Journal 31(2): 185-204.
Pace, A. 2015. “The Role of Performance Appraisal in Further Education: The Case of a Post-Secondary College in Malta.” Presented at the symposia melitensia, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
Pepper, C., and Giles, W. 2015. “Leading in Middle Management in Higher Education.” Management in Education 29(2): 46-52.
Ransom, J. W. 1994. “Empowerment Leads to Competitive Success.” National Productivity Review 13(3): 321-325.
Rooney, M. P. 2010. “The Current State of Middle Management Preparation, Training, and Development in Academic Libraries.” The Journal of Academic Librarianship 36(5): 383-393.
Rosser, V. J. 2004. “A National Study on Midlevel Leaders in Higher Education: The Unsung Professionals in he Academy.” Higher Education 48(3): 317-337.
Scott, D. 2005. “Critical Realism and Empirical Research Methods in Education.” Journal of Philosophy of Education 39(4): 633-646.
Simmons, H. 2009. Case Study Research in Practice. Cornwall, UK: Sage.
Spencer, M. S., and Loomba, A. P. 1995. “Uncovering Implementation Problems Keeps TQM On Track at Iowa’s Department of Employment Services.” National Productivity Review 14(2): 37-46.
Stake, R. E. 1995. The Art of Case Study Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Turner, C., and Bolam, R. 1998. “Analysing The Role of the Subject Head of Department in Secondary Schoolsin England and Wales: Towards A Theoretical Framework.” School Leadership & Management 18(3): 373-388.
Wallace, M., and Marchant, T. 2009. “Developing Female Middle-Managers in Australian Universities.” Higher Education 58(6): 781-797.
Watson, T. 2002. “Professions and Professionalism-Should We Jump Off the Bandwagon, Better to Study Where It is Going?” International Studies of Management & Organization 32(2): 93-105.
Williamson, R. D. 2013. Straight Talk on Leadership: Solving Canada’s Business Crisis. New York, NY: Jossey-Bass.
Zarb, N. 2015. “A Primary Investigation of Strategic Management in Further Education (FE) in the Small Island State of Malta: Quo vadis?” Presented at the symposia melitensia, University of Malta, Msida, Malta.
Zembylas, M. 2006. “Science Education as Emancipatory: The Case of Roy Bhaskar’s Philosophy of Meta Reality.” Educational Philosophy and Theory 38(5): 665-676.
Published
2016-12-20
Section
Articles
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