The efficiency of a school can be improved by implementing the five management principles

identified. These principles include: planning, organizing, staffing, leading and controlling.
These five functions are part of a body of practices and theories on how to be a successful
manager. Hence this assignment will outline how the five principle of management can be
used to run a school.

Before going into our discussion let us look at what is management. Management is the
process of planning and organising the resources, operations and workflow of a business to
achieve specific goals in the most effective and efficient manner possible. Efficiency in
management refers to the completion of tasks correctly and at minimal costs. Effectiveness in
management relates to the completion of tasks within specific timelines to yield tangible
results. (Akerele, 2007).

Understanding the five management principle will help managers or school managers focus
efforts on activities that gain results.

The first one is planning. The school manager must start from where people are: The
management of change is one of the most important (and difficult) aspects of management,
especially in schools, because, as Pam Young (1985:185) points out, schools 'are expected
not only to be the means of achieving social change, but also have to cope with the
integration of both stability and change, notably in curricular matters. When you think of
planning in a management role, think about it as the process of choosing appropriate goals
and actions to pursue and then determining what strategies to use, what actions to take, and
deciding what resources are needed to achieve the goals.

The second principle is Organizing. According to Drysdale, L.; Goode, H., & Gurr, D.
(2011). States that the school administrator must be some who has an Organizing skill.
Organizing is the function of management that involves developing an organizational
structure and allocating human resources to ensure the accomplishment of objectives. The
structure of the organization is the framework within which effort is coordinated. The
structure is usually represented by an organization chart, which provides a graphic
representation of the chain of command within an organization. Decisions made about the
structure of an organization are generally referred to as organizational design decisions. This
process of establishing worker relationships allows workers to work together to achieve their
organizational goals.

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Organizing also involves the design of individual jobs within the organization. Decisions
must be made about the duties and responsibilities of individual jobs, as well as the manner in
which the duties should be carried out. Decisions made about the nature of jobs within the
organization are generally called “job design” decisions. Drysdale, L.; Goode, H., & Gurr, D.
(2011).

Organizing at the level of the organization involves deciding how best to departmentalize, or
cluster, jobs into departments to coordinate effort effectively. There are many different ways
to departmentalize, including organizing by function, product, geography, or customer. Many
larger organizations use multiple methods of departmentalization. Ayeni, A. J. & Akinola, O.
B. (2008). According to Ayeni, A. J. & Akinola, O. B. (2008). Organizing at the level of a
particular job involves how best to design individual jobs to most effectively use human
resources. Traditionally, job design was based on principles of division of labor and
specialization, which assumed that the more narrow the job content, the more proficient the
individual performing the job could become. However, experience has shown that it is
possible for jobs to become too narrow and specialized. For example, how would you like to
screw lids on jars one day after another, as you might have done many decades ago if you
worked in company that made and sold jellies and jams? When this happens, negative
outcomes result, including decreased job satisfaction and organizational commitment,
increased absenteeism, and turnover. Recently, many organizations have attempted to strike a
balance between the need for worker specialization and the need for workers to have jobs that
entail variety and autonomy. Many jobs are now designed based on such principles as
empowerment, job enrichment and teamwork.

The third principle Leading: the school administrator must lead , Leading involves the social
and informal sources of influence that you use to inspire action taken by others. If managers
are effective leaders, their subordinates will be enthusiastic about exerting effort to attain
organizational objectives. Ogunsaju, S. (2002). The behavioral sciences have made many
contributions to understanding this function of management. Personality research and studies
of job attitudes provide important information as to how managers can most effectively lead
subordinates. For example, this research tells us that to become effective at leading, managers

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must first understand their subordinates’ personalities, values, attitudes, and emotions.
Studies of motivation and motivation theory provide important information about the ways in
which workers can be energized to put forth productive effort. Studies of communication
provide direction as to how managers can effectively and persuasively communicate. Studies
of leadership and leadership style provide information regarding questions, such as, “What
makes a manager a good leader?” and “In what situations are certain leadership styles most
appropriate and effective?”

The fourth principle Controlling: The school administrator must be someone who can take
control of everything at school. Controlling involves ensuring that performance does not
deviate from standards. Controlling consists of three steps, which include establishing
performance standards, comparing actual performance against standards, and taking
corrective action when necessary. Performance standards are often stated in monetary terms
such as revenue, costs, or profits but may also be stated in other terms, such as units
produced, number of defective products, or levels of quality or customer service. The
measurement of performance can be done in several ways, depending on the performance
standards, including financial statements, sales reports, production results, customer
satisfaction, and formal performance appraisals. Managers at all levels engage in the
managerial function of controlling to some degree. This should be done to teachers and
learners by the school manager. The managerial function of controlling should not be
confused with control in the behavioral or manipulative sense. This function does not imply
that managers should attempt to control or to manipulate the personalities, values, attitudes,
or emotions of their subordinates. Instead, this function of management concerns the
manager’s role in taking necessary actions to ensure that the work-related activities of
subordinates are consistent with and contributing toward the accomplishment of
organizational and departmental objectives.

Controlling requires the existence of plans, since planning provides the necessary
performance standards or objectives. Controlling also requires a clear understanding of where
responsibility for deviations from standards lies. Two traditional control techniques are
budget and performance audits. An audit involves an examination and verification of records
and supporting documents. A budget audit provides information about where the organization
is with respect to what was planned or budgeted for, whereas a performance audit might try
to determine whether the figures reported are a reflection of actual performance. Although

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controlling is often thought of in terms of financial criteria, managers must also control
production and operations processes, procedures for delivery of services, compliance with
company policies, and many other activities within the organization. The management
functions of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling are widely considered to be the
best means of describing the manager’s job, as well as the best way to classify accumulated
knowledge about the study of management. Although there have been tremendous changes in
the environment faced by managers and the tools used by managers to perform their roles,
managers still perform these essential functions. Hall, Mackay and Morgan (1983).

In conclusion , school manager that provides quality and value in the provision of their
educational services is likely to grow and prosper. Such schools gain benefits such as, loyalty
of students, staff and even parents, lower vulnerability to economic changes. Improving the
management of a school involves a combination of effective leadership, strategic planning,
communication, and collaboration.

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 References

Alaba, S. O. (2010). Improving the standard and quality of primary education in Nigeria:
A case study of Oyo and Osun States. International Journal for Cross
Disciplinary Subjects in Education, 1(3), 156-160.

Akerele, S. A. (2007). Principals Leadership Styles and Teachers’ Job Performance in Lagos
State Public Secondary Schools. Unpublished M. Ed Thesis, University of

Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. 110(124):71-86

Ayeni, A. J. & Akinola, O. B. (2008). Influence of principals‘ leadership styles and

motivation
of teachers on quality assurance in secondary school: A case study of Ondo

State. Ife Journal of Theory and Research in Education, (1&2), 162-170.

Drysdale, L.; Goode, H., & Gurr, D. (2011). Sustaining school and leadership success in two
Australian schools. In L. Moos, O. Johansson & C. Day (Eds.). How
school
principals sustain success over time: International perspectives. Dordrecht,

Netherlands: Springer.

Mohammed, S. (2016). The Principals’ Supervisory Roles for Quality Education and
Effective
School Administration of Basic Education Schools in Nigeria. Proceedings
of ISER 18th International Conference, Dubai, UAE, 16th January 2016.

Ogunsaju, S. (2002). Educational planning process in Nigeria: A historical perspective.

University of Ife Press Ltd.

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