Effective School Management

Step 5:
 selection of a course of action
Few alternatives will meet all the ‘desirable’ criteria and be without
disadvantages. Our choice should in the end be a balanced judgement in
which we are aware of the potential snags and in which we weigh the relative
priority which we give to each of the desirable criteria and the extent to which
each alternative satisfies each criterion.
PERSONAL APPLICATION
Before moving on to the next section, think of some problem with which you are currently
faced and work through the decision-making steps systematically.
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DECISIONS
The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, and the road to managerial
and organizational ruin is paved with decisions that have not been
implemented  – or, worse still, that have been implemented halfheartedly.
There are managers who are sufficiently foolish or immodest to believe that
whatever they have decided will automatically be done. The wise head
knows better.
Apart from the obvious consideration of practicability, whether or not a
decision is effectively implemented depends on two things:
(1) A clearly defined and communicated structure for implementation.
(2) The commitment of those responsible for implementation.
A STRUCTURE FOR IMPLEMENTATION
This is by far the simpler part of the process though it is too often forgotten in
the joy of having reached an individual or group decision. Basically the
structure consists of
(1) determining (agreeing?) who will do what by when (the action plan);
(2) communicating the action plan to the parties concerned; and
(3) ensuring that reviews take place.
To avoid ambiguity it is usually advisable for the action plan to be
communicated in writing either as a memo or as  part of the minutes of a
meeting. Additionally it may be necessary to speak to the people responsible
for action to ensure that they have actually read the paper and that they
understand exactly what is intended.
The review procedure may take the form of a special meeting, or bringing
up the action plan on the agenda of a more general meeting.

---

TAKING AND IMPLEMENTING DECISIONS
5 1
Where actions involve more than one person it is important to state – and
to repeat – to all those involved in implementation that anyone who at any
stage feels unable to fulfil his or her part of the action plan on time should
immediately inform whoever is responsible for co-ordinating the action plan.
An  ‘update’ of the plan may then prove necessary. The most vulnerable
decisions are often the simplest, where, for example, one or two people agree
informally that they will ‘let each other have a copy of …’ or that one of them
will ‘ring X and sort it out’. The discipline of jotting down any such action to
which you have personally committed yourself is a good beginning to
establishing a reputation for ‘reliability’.
If you do not already have on your desk an ‘action book’ in which you
systematically read and work through ‘things to be done’, you should at least
try that discipline. Each morning you should review the book to ensure that
actions agreed the previous day are added and that ‘things left undone’ are
brought forward.
STYLES IN DECISION-TAKING
 Four types of decision-taking can be identified:
(1) Autocratic: the decision is taken without consultation, then others are
informed of what is to be done and what is expected of them.
(2) Persuasive: the decision is taken before consultation and then ‘sold’ to
others.
(3) Consultative: the views of others are sought and taken into account before
a decision is taken.
(4) Codeterminate: decisions are taken on either a consensus or majority basis.
The appropriate style will depend on people and circumstances.