Abstract
M.Ed. (Education Management)
There is a global recognition of employee involvement in decision-making processes; authoritarian styles of leadership and management are being discouraged. The same applies to South Africa. In 1996, the department of education (DOE) carried out an audit on management strategies used in South African public schools. It revealed that principals and teachers are mostly excluded from decision-making processes in schools and that schools mostly rely on authoritarian management approaches. The audit found that most school decisions were taken by “departmental officials” (DOE, 1996, p.19). In keeping with international trends, the DOE advocated for school based and participative decision-making practices, such as those embraced by organisational development (OD), to be used in South African schools.
This study investigates teachers’ experiences and perceptions of change management strategies used in a South African independent high school. It was worthwhile conducting a study on change management strategies that are being used in South Africa’s independent schools as there is very little research that has been conducted in this area.
This is a qualitative study, which follows the interpretive paradigm. It involves a case study that has been conducted in one of South Africa’s independent high schools. In-depth, semi-structured interviews were used to conduct individual and focus group interviews. Moreover, non-participant observations and document analysis were employed to triangulate data.
The findings revealed that teachers are mostly excluded from the decision-making process as changes are invariably initiated by management. Research participants proposed for the school to adopt change management strategies which are shared and participative, diagnostic and that create change readiness. The teachers’ proposals are in line with the Department of Education’s proposal that schools should adopt an inclusive change management strategy such as OD.