Information Technology in Educational Management for the Schools of the Future


Book Description

This book is for both specialist and generalist. For Information Technology (IT) and Educational Management (EM) researchers, it brings together the latest information and analysis of ITEM projects in eleven countries. But the issues raised by this collection of papers are so important for schools, school systems and the future of education that it is essential reading not only for researchers but also for teachers, administrators and all concerned with the planning and governance of our education systems. New technologies may improve our lives in two ways: by enabling us to do things better (accomplishing what we do already more efficiently) and by enabling us to do better things (accomplishing new things that we were not able to do before). Sometimes "doing things better" merges into "doing better things". Thus in the 19th century the coming of the railway enabled our forbears to accomplish their existing journies in less time and in greater comfort. But it also opened up the prospect of new journies to more distant places, and led ultimately to far-reaching changes in lifestyles in new, commuter settlements far from the old city centres. So it is in the present day with Information Technology in Educational Management. Some of the papers in this volume focus on specialist tasks, for example how to develop a computer-based decision-support system to help those drawing up school timetables. Others address situations in which the power of the technology offers us the potential to change radically what we do.




Competing Values Leadership


Book Description

øIt would be unusual for a framework as powerful and predictive as the Competing Values Framework to remain unchallenged and absent of criticism. In addition to updating the examples and references, this second edition provides a new chapter motivated




Changing Organizational Culture


Book Description

How is practical change work carried out in modern organizations? And what kind of challenges, tasks and other difficulties are normally encountered as a part of it? In a turbulent and changing world, organizational culture is often seen as central for sustained competitiveness. Organizations are faced with increased demands for change but these are often so challenging that they meet heavy resistance and fizzle out. Changing Organizational Culture encourages the development of a reflexive approach to organizational change, providing insights as to why it may be difficult to maintain momentum in change processes. Based around an illuminating case study of a cultural change programme, the book provides 15 lessons on the entire change journey; from analysis and design, to implementation and how organizational members should approach change projects. This enhanced edition considers the most recent studies on organizational change practice, with new examples from businesses and the public sector, and includes one empirical study which uses the authors’ own framework, enriching their practical recommendations. It also draws on the latest theoretical developments, including ideas of power and storytelling. Accompanying the text is an online pedagogic and research ideas guide available for course instructors and lecturers at Routledge.com. Changing Organizational Culture will be vital reading for students, researchers and practitioners working in organizational studies, change management and HRM.




The Culture Cycle


Book Description

The contribution of culture to organizational performance is substantial and quantifiable. In The Culture Cycle, renowned thought leader James Heskett demonstrates how an effective culture can account for 20-30% of the differential in performance compared with "culturally unremarkable" competitors. Drawing on decades of field research and dozens of case studies, Heskett introduces a powerful conceptual framework for managing culture, and shows it at work in a real-world setting. Heskett's "culture cycle" identifies cause-and-effect relationships that are crucial to shaping effective cultures, and demonstrates how to calculate culture's economic value through "Four Rs": referrals, retention, returns to labor, and relationships. This book: Explains how culture evolves, can be shaped and sustained, and serve as the organization's "internal brand." Shows how culture can promote innovation and survival in tough times. Guides leaders in linking culture to strategy and managing forces that challenge it. Shows how to credibly quantify culture's impact on performance, productivity, and profits. Clarifies culture's unique role in mission-driven organizations. A follow-up to the classic Corporate Culture and Performance (authored by Heskett and John Kotter), this is the next indispensable book on organizational culture. "Heskett (emer., Harvard Business School) provides an exhaustive examination of corporate policies, practices, and behaviors in organizations." Summing Up: Recommended. Reprinted with permission from CHOICE, copyright by the American Library Association.




Managing Knowledge Work and Innovation


Book Description

Written by a team of highly respected authorities on management and organizational behaviour, this core textbook is grounded in an extensive body of international research and analysis that demonstrates that knowledge work depends primarily on the behaviours, attitudes and motivations of those who undertake and manage it and not simply on the implementation of information systems technology. Throughout the book, engaging case studies and role plays demonstrate the range of perspectives that can be applied to knowledge work, and the organisational conditions under which it can be managed effectively. This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students on modules covering Knowledge Management, and ideal for modules in Human Resource Management and Organisational Studies. New to this Edition: - Updated case studies based on the latest research and with international reach - Enhanced learning and teaching tools to help students understand important concepts - A new companion website with lecturer resources




Knowledge Work and Knowledge-intensive Firms


Book Description

This book provides a critical understanding of some basic aspects of knowledge-intensive work and organizations. The author adopts a social constructivist approach and explores the management and analytical challenges of knowledge-intensive firms. It will be key reading for academics, researchers and advanced students in organization studies, knowledge management and innovation.







Corporate Culture and Performance


Book Description

Going far beyond previous empirical work, John Kotter and James Heskett provide the first comprehensive critical analysis of how the "culture" of a corporation powerfully influences its economic performance, for better or for worse. Through painstaking research at such firms as Hewlett-Packard, Xerox, ICI, Nissan, and First Chicago, as well as a quantitative study of the relationship between culture and performance in more than 200 companies, the authors describe how shared values and unwritten rules can profoundly enhance economic success or, conversely, lead to failure to adapt to changing markets and environments. With penetrating insight, Kotter and Heskett trace the roots of both healthy and unhealthy cultures, demonstrating how easily the latter emerge, especially in firms which have experienced much past success. Challenging the widely held belief that "strong" corporate cultures create excellent business performance, Kotter and Heskett show that while many shared values and institutionalized practices can promote good performances in some instances, those cultures can also be characterized by arrogance, inward focus, and bureaucracy -- features that undermine an organization's ability to adapt to change. They also show that even "contextually or strategically appropriate" cultures -- ones that fit a firm's strategy and business context -- will not promote excellent performance over long periods of time unless they facilitate the adoption of strategies and practices that continuously respond to changing markets and new competitive environments. Fundamental to the process of reversing unhealthy cultures and making them more adaptive, the authors assert, is effective leadership. At the heart of this groundbreaking book, Kotter and Heskett describe how executives in ten corporations established new visions, aligned and motivated their managers to provide leadership to serve their customers, employees, and stockholders, and thus created more externally focused and responsive cultures.




Win from Within


Book Description

There is significant evidence that an effective organizational culture provides a major competitive edge—higher levels of employee and customer engagement and loyalty translate into higher growth and profits. Many business leaders know this, yet few are doing much to improve their organizations’ cultures. They are discouraged by misguided beliefs that an executive’s tenure and an organization’s attention span are too short for meaningful transformation. James Heskett provides a roadmap for achievable and fast-paced culture change. He demonstrates that an effective culture supplies the trust that makes managing change of all kinds easier. It provides a foundation on which changes in strategy can be based, and it’s a competitive edge that can’t easily be hacked or copied. Examining leading companies around the world, Heskett details how organizational culture makes employees more loyal, more productive, and more creative. He discusses how to quantify its effects in order to sell the notion of culture change to the organization and considers how to preserve an organization’s culture in the face of the trend toward remote work hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Showing how leadership can bring about significant changes in a surprisingly short time span, Win from Within offers a playbook for developing and deploying culture that enables outsized results. It is a groundbreaking demonstration of organizational culture’s role as a foundation for strategic success—and its measurable impact on the bottom line.




The Impact of Organizational Culture on Information Sharing


Book Description

A key factor in the failure of the intelligence community is the resistance to information sharing. Organizational culture is an essential link in understanding the resistance to information sharing. Using Edgar Schein's organizational culture model, this paper analyzes the organizational culture of the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau Investigation with an eye toward how organizational cultures of the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau impact information sharing. The Department of Homeland Security must identify, understand, and work through the barriers of organizational cultures within the intelligence community. Part of creating a culture of information sharing involves changing the way people value information sharing and collaboration by encouraging behaviors that foster sharing and discouraging those that do not. The Department of Homeland Security lacks several key characteristics in building an organizational culture such as a stable membership and shared history. The Department of Homeland Security is a newly structured organization with multiple agencies and departments with diverse missions. The creation of a unified organizational culture within the Department of Homeland Security will take time to develop because of the magnitude and complexity of the organization. In comparison, the Federal Bureau of Investigation was established in 1908 as a law enforcement-centric organization. However, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Director, Robert Mueller, changed the organization to threat-based and intelligence driven organization after the events of 9/11. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has maintained its organizational culture while undertaking reorganization. The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigation have an opportunity to bridge the information sharing gap through the development of joint threat assessments. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Homeland Security have some similarities in their missions. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has experience in developing threat assessments and the Department of Homeland Security is required to produce threat assessments. The Federal Bureau of Investigation offers an opportunity to teach and mentor members of the Department of Homeland Security in intelligence functions. If the organizations shared their resources and pooled their knowledge, information would become more transparent.