MANAGERIALISM IN EDUCATION: EFFECTIVENESS OF THE MANAGEMENT TEAM OR ABSOLUTE RESPONSIBILITY OF LEADERSHIP

Abstract

Summary. Based on the foreign and domestic scientific discourse of managerism, individual experience of public management related to this ideology, public policy and management practice, the author of the paper attempted to substantiate the absence of comparable alternatives to managerism in the recent past and present, despite its ambiguous, often diametrically opposed assessments. In order to recreate an objective picture of the phenomenon under study, its real causes and sources, essential characteristics, obvious results, as well as unrealised opportunities in education management are analyzed.

As a result of the interpretation of the ideological, theoretical (conceptual) and pragmatic meanings of the introduction of managerism in education, as well as on the basis of the analysis of judgements and arguments pro et contra of this introduction, we can draw the following general conclusions.

1.Throughout its almost half-century history, managerism has remained a relevant political-and-ideological project, a scientifically based theoretical-and-methodological concept (theory, doctrine) of management in education, an area that receives significant state and local resources, but, unfortunately, whose management often demonstrates its lack of effectiveness. And in view of this, the practical significance of managerism in today's realities is only becoming more pronounced.

2.The main interconnected vectors of practical implementation of managerism in the educational system as an ideology of its state reform, as a policy of improving educational management itself to improve the quality of services and as values of responsible management and leadership of an educational organisation are decentralisation of education management, gradual moving from state protectionism, leading to structural transformation of state/public education management, optimisation of the network of educational institutions, reduction of financial costs for their maintenance, prudent use of public funds, expansion of managerial autonomy of educational organisations, etc;

Increasing the importance of entrepreneurial approach, market mechanisms and public control in education, accompanied by strengthening the relationship between education and employment (labour market), increasing labour productivity;

Awareness of the absolute responsibility of management at all levels of education management for decisions on the processes and results of service provision, guaranteeing and ensuring their quality.

It is proposed in the paper to take responsibility rather than educational managers’ efficiency as the basis of managerism, since only responsible management allows combining economic efficiency and managerial humanity in the management of an organisation, balancing rational (analytical) and irrational (intuitive) decision-making.

In its turn, educational managers’ responsibility implies an adequate understanding of the organisation they manage, an understanding of the processes that take place in it and outside it, an understanding of the nature of managerial activities and the art of management, and, finally, an understanding of their vocation as a manager-leader. Without this, managerism as the theoretical postulates of what and how a manager should do to be effective will never become a successful practice that changes the organisation and the people in it, and therefore society.

Undoubtedly, the systemic nature of managerism, its multidimensionality, comprehensive methodology, and practical application in various fields of education require a holistic picture of scientific knowledge of this phenomenon. Thus, outside the scope of the study, the issues of value orientations of managerism in education, its links with change management and strategic development of educational institutions, corporate culture, traditional and modern management paradigms, management and leadership, educational managers’ competence and professional training, state regulation of education and freedom of action of managers responsible for its improvement remain poorly understood. In addition to successful practices of managerism, the consequences of its negative impact and ways to minimise or overcome them in education management deserve special research attention.