1
Week 2 Assignment
Raymond Foster
EDUC745: Organizational Analysis and Problem Solving
Case Study: Structural Analysis Assignment
Liberty University
2
Week 2 Assignment
Introduction
It is necessary to assess an organization in order to find answers to any difficulties
that may arise. In order to operate the organization in an efficient and effective manner, a
leader must be aware about the various management theories. The leadership style and
structure that the leader establishes determine the framework of how an organization runs on
a regular schedule. Leadership is the most critical part of an organization's capacity to
function properly. Schools, according to (Beycioglu & Kondakci, 2021), need to be prepared
with knowledge of various management theories in order to function effectively and
economically and cope with the many issues that schools confront.
Chain of Command
As with other organizations, a chain of command must be established and adhered to
in order for the system to function properly. An organization's success is dependent on its
staff' ability to work cooperatively, on their ability to properly express their aims and
objectives, and on their ability to maintain healthy working relationships. It's easy to see the
hierarchy at a school since it is clearly defined. The highest level of command is where the
chain of command begins. The State Superintendent of Schools is responsible for the school's
chain of command. This person is in charge of the state's educational policy and processes as
a whole. As evidenced from the situation of the pandemic, many schools took directions from
the State Superintendent of Schools on what to do next.
The State Superintendent of Schools not only assists in making the right choices to
ensure the safety and legal duties of schools, but also oversees the financial elements. The
amount of money allotted for schools in each county is determined by the county's economic
condition. Four assistant superintendents report to the superintendent and serve in diverse
responsibilities such as marketing/enrolment, curriculum/instruction,
3
Week 2 Assignment
administration/compliance, and Catholic-leadership. Principals and assistant principals often
collaborate with the four assistant superintendents to resolve concerns before referring them
to the superintendent of schools.
Span of Control
The chain of command in the public education system includes a large number of
personnel. The state superintendent, county superintendent, Board of Education, principals,
team leaders, and professors are all in authority. Each state is represented by a single
superintendent. The state superintendent appoints one county superintendent for each county
in the state. The county superintendent is responsible for ensuring that the 22 members of the
local board of education, which includes payroll and assistant superintendents, are properly
staffed. The county superintendent is in charge of these 22 educators. It all depends on the
size of the institution when it comes to the number of administrators. The superintendent
receives information from the board of education's faculty members, who in turn report to the
principal. The school's head of school assigns duties to each member of the faculty. The
school's secretaries, custodians, chefs, and team leaders must all report to the principal.
Structures
The system's structure may help us better grasp the chain of command. The county
superintendent appoints a member of the board of education to fill a particular position. Size,
division of labor, specialization, official jurisdiction, rational-legal authority and the idea of
hierarchy are some of the particular tasks that Max Weber identifies as a formal organization
(Liebler & McConnell, 2004). The board of education is divided into 13 divisions, each of
which is staffed by a member with specialized knowledge in the area in issue. Having
specialized departments allows employees to handle challenges more quickly since they
know the rules, regulations, and idiosyncrasies of their area of expertise. A school's
4
Week 2 Assignment
procedure is the same as this. The school's principal picks the leaders of each department who
have the required training and certification. Each department's team is led by a team leader.
For any issues or concerns, the team leader will meet with their principal and if necessary
they may approach the board of education's department of procedures and legal affairs.
Decisions
State, county, and school districts all have a role in making choices about education.
Education policy is made for the whole state by state governments. It is the individual's
responsibility to keep up to date on all of the state's laws, certification requirements, and
standards. The county superintendent demonstrates that these regulations will continue to be
enforced. The county superintendent is in charge of ensuring that every school in the county
adheres to the rules and regulations put out by the superintendent of the state. The county
superintendent has complete faith in each school's principal to keep things running properly.
When it comes to making choices that are specific to a particular school, that authority rests
with the principal. Decisions are made by the principal based on information from team
leaders and partnerships with other school staff members. Organizations must collaborate
with team leaders and school staff in order to develop and maintain a well-oiled
machine (Kouzes & Posner, 2017).
The centralized/decentralized Continuum
Different tiers of the public education system have their own centralized and
decentralized continuum. The school's purchasing department exemplifies centralized
control. Buying anything for a school requires a certain amount of planning and preparation.
Purchasing at the board of education is the following phase, which is where a decision on
whether to accept or deny the purchase request is made. The central buying chain extends all
the way to the classroom. A warehouse order or a purchase order must first be completed by
5
Week 2 Assignment
the faculty senate president and the school's administrator before it may be acquired by the
faculty members themselves. One other example of centralization in action is the selection of
superintendents and members of school boards. All board members are appointed by the
superintendent, who also appoints himself or herself as superintendent. This is the exact
opposite of recruiting school administrators, educators, and support staff. The recruiting
procedure for school administrators, teachers, and support staff comes within the
decentralized continuum. The recruiting process in the decentralized continuum enables the
county superintendent to develop a method for interviews and form a committee for the
hiring process. The principal, like the county superintendent, follows the decentralized
continuum when it comes to appointing teachers and other staff members. The decentralized
continuum may lead to a higher level of employee engagement since they feel more involved
in the organization's decision-making process. It is the principal's responsibility to organize
regular meetings with all of the school's employees in order to get input and suggestions from
them (Jarl, Andersson, & Blossing, 2021). There is a more decentralized continuum in the
existing individual school structure because of the ambiguous orders from the principle and
team leaders in the current model.
Staff/line Distinctions
Currently, the proper chain of command is not being followed at the particular school.
On paper, the school's procedures for handling diverse circumstances are well organized.
Sadly, these procedures are not being adhered to. The principal should have the last say about
what must be done and what will be accomplished. The principle allocates responsibilities to
staff members and trusts them to carry out the desired job in an equitable and efficient
manner throughout the faculty. Unfortunately, there now seems to be a breach in the chain of
command since those who have been assigned duties are just looking out for themselves and
6
Week 2 Assignment
not the corporation as a whole. If everything were functioning flawlessly, there would be no
need to change anything (Kouzes & Posner, 2017).
7
Week 2 Assignment
References
Beycioglu, K., & Kondakci, Y. (2021). Organizational Change in Schools. ECNU Review of
Education , 4 (4).
Jarl, M., Andersson, K., & Blossing, U. (2021). Organizational characteristics of successful
and failing schools: a theoretical framework for explaining variation in student
achievement. School Effectiveness and School Improvement , 32 (3).
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The Leadership Challenge: How to Make
Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons,
Inc.
Liebler, J. G., & McConnell, C. R. (2004). Management principles for health professionals.
Sudbury, Mass. : Jones and Bartlett Publishers.