reflective analysis

EDUC 745

Case Study Part Two

Liberty University

EDUC 745

Dr. Rector

Charles Poole

05/22/2020

Organizational Analysis

The overall chain of command of a school says a lot about expectations and how the organization runs. In most schools, it is standard to have many layers of leadership in place. The main goal of a school is to educate students but for this goal to be achieved there has to be an efficient and balanced way there will need to a plan in place (Pfeffer, 1991).

The structure of the school being analyzed for this case study has many levels of authority within the school. The different areas at this school break down as follows: Teacher, Department Chair, Athletics Office, Business Office, Administration, Instructional Support Specialist, Community Superintendent, and District Superintendent.

The chain of command in this organization is as follows. The formal authority resides with the Principal and Superintendents; these people are responsible for running the schools and making sure that everything is operating within the guidelines that he or she has set up. To a certain degree, the different levels have formal authority over all of their employees that directly report to them, but they report ultimately to the Principal and Superintendents. Everyone else in the school other than the positions mentioned above will be the direct report of someone.

As listed above, the levels of the school are broken down into the following positions, Administrative Officer, Supply Support Assistant, Labor Management Employee Relations (Legal), and Federal Education Association (Union) all directly report to the Assistant Principal for Academic Affairs who then reports to the Principal. The individual faculty members report to their department chairs.

Organizational Span of Control

The school principal has a total of 80 faculty members that are direct reports. The assistant Principal has 40 faculty members, and the community superintendent has around 270 faculty members that direct reports. The break down of faculty per level is balanced across all the schools within the community. Contracted companies provide the staff members such as the custodial staff and food services, so there are no direct reports for these employees.

Departmental Structure

The school district operates in a pyramid scheme. The District Superintendent is on top of the pyramid in this case. As with the rest of the organization is on a lower tier. All the levels within the campus work and collaborate to achieve the common goals in educating students. At the individual level (teacher and department chair) in the school report to administration. This tiered system is how everything on campus operates. Only the Teacher, Department Chair, and Instructional Support Specialist have a direct role in educating students. This method has worked well for the most in the school district. Except in situations that would need to be handled in a minimal amount of time. The complaint that is most common from teaching and non-teaching employees alike is that sometimes they feel their word fall on deaf ears.

Decision Making

The primary decision-making power resides solely with the administration’s office. When all the decision making power in a school comes from the top, those that are at the lower levels do not have much of a voice. Expressive intelligence in leadership can produce a difference in authority levels in the school. A leader that is willing to listen to his or her subordinates directly will have a much better workforce than a leader that does not socialize the thoughts of others.

Continuum

The school being examined falls far left on the centralized/decentralized band. This school is considered centralized due to one person being in charge of making all the crucial decisions that are related to the school. All employees of this organization are to report to the Principal, whether that be directly or indirectly, and this creates a tunnel within the organization. Some of the negatives linked with this particular practice have a lot to do with speed and efficiency (Gabbard, 2013).

Line of Distinction

Employees that have direct connections with students, whether that be in a teaching capacity or another education-based capacity, are called line and staff distinctions. Staff members or non-teaching employees include those individuals who are located in the Business Office, Guidance Office, Maintenance Office, and other similar departments. Those who are considered Line managers have complete authority over the employees they oversee. In a school setting, especially independent schools, almost everyone has some form of leeway in making their own decisions. Teaching and non-teaching employees is a common labeling practice amongst independent and public schools alike (Doe, Ndinguri, & Simone, 2015).

In this type of organizational structure, most individuals within the school need to be onboard with the Principal, in order for the school to operate efficiently. The problem with having a single decision-maker comes when there is disharmony among employees.

References

Doe, R., Ndinguri, E., & Simone, P. (2015). Emotional intelligence: the link to success and failure of leadership. Academy of Educational Leadership Journal, 19(3), 103-114.

Gabbard, D. (2013). Educational Leadership or Followership. DEMOCRACY & EDUCATION, 21(1).

Pfeffer, J. (1991, December). Organization theory and structural perspectives on management. Journal of Management, 17(4), 789+. Retrieved from http://jom.sagepub.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu/

Running head: CASE STUDY TWO 1

CASE STUDY TWO 6

Case Study: Part 2 Grading Rubric

Criteria	Levels of Achievement
Content 70%	Advanced	Proficient	Developing	Not present
What is the chain of command in your organization? a. What is the formal authority in the organization? b. That is, who has economic, legal, contractual, collegial authority?	14 to 15 points Criteria is addressed clearly and accurately and includes an extensive description of the specified question(s).	13 points Criteria is addressed clearly and includes an adequate description of all specified questions in the assignment.	1 to 12 points Criteria is somewhat addressed with a minimal mention/ description of all specified questions in the assignment.	0 points Not present
Describe the span of control in the organization. a. How many people report to managers at various levels? b. How many levels exist in the organization?	14 to 15 points Criteria is addressed accurately and includes an extensive description of the specified question(s).	13 points Criteria is addressed and includes an adequate description of all specified questions in the assignment.	1 to 12 points Criteria is somewhat addressed with a minimal mention/ description of all specified questions in the assignment.	0 points Not present
Describe the departmentalization structures of the organization.	10 points Criteria is addressed accurately and includes an extensive description of the specified question(s).	9 points Criteria is addressed and includes an adequate description of all specified questions in the assignment.	1 to 8 points Criteria is somewhat addressed with a minimal mention/ description of all specified questions in the assignment.	0 points Not present
Where are decisions being made in the organization?	10 points Criteria is addressed accurately and includes an extensive description of the specified question(s).	9 points Criteria is addressed and includes an adequate description of all specified questions in the assignment.	1 to 8 points Criteria is somewhat addressed with a minimal mention/ description of all specified questions in the assignment.	0 points Not present
Explain where your organization sits on the centralized/decentralized continuum.	10 points Criteria is addressed accurately and includes an extensive description of the specified question(s).	9 points Criteria is addressed and includes an adequate description of all specified questions in the assignment.	1 to 8 points Criteria is somewhat addressed with a minimal mention/ description of all specified questions in the assignment.	0 points Not present
Are the staff/line distinctions being maintained in your organization?	10 points Criteria is addressed accurately and includes an extensive description of the specified question(s).	9 points Criteria is addressed and includes an adequate description of all specified questions in the assignment.	1 to 8 points Criteria is somewhat addressed with a minimal mention/ description of all specified questions in the assignment.	0 points Not present
Structure 30%	Advanced	Proficient	Developing	Not present
APA	14 to 15 points A title and reference page is included. Paper, citations, reference pages, and sources are formatted in current APA style (0-1 errors). Body of paper is 3-5 pages.	13 points A title and reference page is included. Paper, citations, reference pages, and sources are formatted in current APA style (2-3 errors). Body of paper is 3-5 pages.	1 to 12 points A title page or reference page is not included. Paper, citations, reference pages, and sources are not formatted in current APA style (4 or more errors). Body of paper is fewer than 3 pages.	0 points Not present
Grammar, Spelling, Mechanics	14 to 15 points Correct grammar, spelling, and mechanics are used throughout the assignment. There are 0-1 errors in grammar or spelling that distract the reader from the content.	13 points There are occasional errors in spelling, grammar, or mechanics. There are 2-3 errors in spelling, grammar, or mechanics that distract the reader from the content.	1 to 12 points There are 4 or more errors in spelling, grammar, or mechanics that distract the reader from the content.	0 points Not present

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