is important remember that modern organizations incorporate participation as an effective management tool, allowing information to flow from lower levels to higher levels or managers. Many of the operational problems in an organization has to do with the ignorance that have management levels about what happens at lower levels and vice versa.
In this sense, Zepeda (1999: 152) states that "it is common for organizations that undertake total quality programs and reengineering opened important spaces for participation, which is a prerequisite for them." These spaces are related to the ability to make decisions at the departmental or work teams.
For its part, within the scope of the organizations other than education, Senge (2000: 185) argues that "participation is mainly a process of listening to people, not to send communications." This statement also applies to educational organizations. The participation to this author represents a fundamental shift in relations of members that occur within organizations.
In general, in education, participation is primarily concerned with the curricular proposals and express opinions on educational topics of interest for the education unit. Moreover, in many educational establishments shows the involvement of teachers in making decisions on institutional issues, such as in the development and implementation of Institutional Educational Project (PEI) in the definition of disciplinary rules, the hourly distribution subjects and in the preparation of the Annual Development Plan.
Moreover, although in recent years show that teachers are more involved in educational decision making, these are absent in all decisions related to institutional management. This is because traditionally the administrative lies in management and learning management, which is subordinate to the first, lies in teachers.
Zepeda (1999: 152), for its part, argues that ensuring effective mechanisms of participation brings the following benefits to organizations:
a) Identification of operational problems that impact customers, users or beneficiaries of it.
b) Use of expertise and creativity of operational managers and middle managers in solving problems.
c) Higher energy and organizational commitment in the implementation of the proposed solutions.
d) Greater personal satisfaction involved in these actions.
e) Generally, the faster the reaction and results.
In light of the above, we can say that for the proper functioning of the educational organization and strengthening of educational actions aimed at improving the quality of education, the director has to promote participation among teachers and provide spaces for critical reflection as these help to assess the pedagogical practice in its entirety, and many decisions are the result of a series of reflections with the teachers. This implies:
- Encourage the participation of teachers in the various educational processes.
- Develop mechanisms for collaboration among teachers and between them and management.
- Integrate the learning of personal development ideas.
- systematize formal request for discussion among teachers.
- exploiting the bodies of reflections for strategic improvements.
Moreover, the educational organization must offer teachers the opportunity to express their views in pursuit of a permanent organizational learning. This requires:
- Building sympathetic to teachers to facilitate the free expression of views.
- Finding the common ground between the interests of teachers in the interests of the organization.
On the other hand, as a way to encourage participation in the educational community, the director has to spread the Institutional Educational Project (PEI) and ensure the participation of all stakeholders in the planning and execution of the project. This requires the director to develop the following tasks within the educational unit:
- Communicate the organization's educational project.
- Promote the development of a shared vision of the educational project.
- Ensure that changes within the educational unit reflect in planning the facility.
- Ensure that planning is based on relevant information, considering the actors in the internal and external context.
References - ZEPEDA, F. (1999). Organizational Psychology. Mexico: Addison Wesley Longman.
- Senge, P. (1992). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning Organization. Buenos Aires: Ediciones Granica. SA
Author: Fernando Vera. MA in Educational Research and MA in Science Education with a major in Educational Administration and Management (c).
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