title: Keeping things on track: School principals as managers

authors: Earl Rinehart, (Suzanne) Kerry

abstract: Literature about education in New Zealand and internationally over the past 30 years has increasingly focused on the need for effective school leadership. In New Zea- land a major Best Evidence Synthesis study (BES 2009) led to an emphasis on instructional leadership aimed at raising achievement. This emphasis has tended to undervalue management, linked to the status quo rather than change and improvement. However, extended interviews with rural primary principals revealed they saw management as crucial to responding to parental concerns, handling disruption, and keeping the school ‘on track’. Making use of local knowledge and taking advice, they held the core responsibility for an observable response. These principals believed that managing issues helped them build and sustain the trust of the school community, which was of value ‘next time’. Thus, aspects of management combine the relational and context-dependent work of school principals. Drawing on Mintzberg (1990) we argue that the recognition and valuing of management aspect of school leadership is crucial for principal effectiveness.

text: Keeping things on track: School principals as managers Literature about education in New Zealand and internationally over the past 30 years has increasingly focused on the need for effective school leadership. In New Zea- land a major Best Evidence Synthesis study (BES 2009) led to an emphasis on instructional leadership aimed at raising achievement. This emphasis has tended to undervalue management, linked to the status quo rather than change and improvement. However, extended interviews with rural primary principals revealed they saw management as crucial to responding to parental concerns, handling disruption, and keeping the school ‘on track’. Making use of local knowledge and taking advice, they held the core responsibility for an observable response. These principals believed that managing issues helped them build and sustain the trust of the school community, which was of value ‘next time’. Thus, aspects of management combine the relational and context-dependent work of school principals. Drawing on Mintzberg (1990) we argue that the recognition and valuing of management aspect of school leadership is crucial for principal effectiveness.

year: 2019

title: The Impact of Interventional Change Techniques on an Internet Banking Cross-functional Team.

authors: Siritanachot, Chansit

subjects: internet banking

abstract: This study investigates the team aspects of a process improvement project situated in
an Internet banking system maintenance and modification phase. To investigate how
team processes could be improved in this context, four interventional change
techniques were introduced and implemented during an action research study in
which the researcher was included as one of the team members and participated
during group meetings and discussions.
Internet banking is an important Internet-delivered service which is expected to
provide benefits for both commercial banks and bank customers. Internet banking
allows bank customers to have the freedom to perform their financial activities at their
convenience. Developing, maintaining, and improving Internet banking systems
requires large amounts of investment to maintain high levels of Internet banking
service quality, and the maintenance and modification phase of the overall lifecycle
cost is a considerable part of this investment. Therefore, in order to ensure high levels
of usability, reliability, and quality for these Internet banking services, commercial
banks need to make significant investments in the maintenance and modification
phases of their Internet banking systems' lifecycle.
The four interventional change techniques used in this study were: departmental
participation, equal participation, holistic scenario, and management support. The four
techniques were found to be influential in developing process improvements in the
maintenance and modification phase of Internet banking systems. These techniques
generated several significant improvements which directly affected the way team
members managed their work. The significant contributions of these interventional
change techniques were: the creation of cross-functional multilevel teams,
development of effective departmental participation and communication techniques,
extended scope and knowledge by the team members of Internet banking systems, an
increase in team learning and understanding, techniques to change problem structure,
and an  end to end  problem-solving approach.
ii
These contributions also directly improved the performance of the Internet banking
systems maintenance team, and there was a significant improvement in the outcomes
of the Internet banking systems maintenance and modification phase.

text: The Impact of Interventional Change Techniques on an Internet Banking Cross-functional Team. This study investigates the team aspects of a process improvement project situated in
an Internet banking system maintenance and modification phase. To investigate how
team processes could be improved in this context, four interventional change
techniques were introduced and implemented during an action research study in
which the researcher was included as one of the team members and participated
during group meetings and discussions.
Internet banking is an important Internet-delivered service which is expected to
provide benefits for both commercial banks and bank customers. Internet banking
allows bank customers to have the freedom to perform their financial activities at their
convenience. Developing, maintaining, and improving Internet banking systems
requires large amounts of investment to maintain high levels of Internet banking
service quality, and the maintenance and modification phase of the overall lifecycle
cost is a considerable part of this investment. Therefore, in order to ensure high levels
of usability, reliability, and quality for these Internet banking services, commercial
banks need to make significant investments in the maintenance and modification
phases of their Internet banking systems' lifecycle.
The four interventional change techniques used in this study were: departmental
participation, equal participation, holistic scenario, and management support. The four
techniques were found to be influential in developing process improvements in the
maintenance and modification phase of Internet banking systems. These techniques
generated several significant improvements which directly affected the way team
members managed their work. The significant contributions of these interventional
change techniques were: the creation of cross-functional multilevel teams,
development of effective departmental participation and communication techniques,
extended scope and knowledge by the team members of Internet banking systems, an
increase in team learning and understanding, techniques to change problem structure,
and an  end to end  problem-solving approach.
ii
These contributions also directly improved the performance of the Internet banking
systems maintenance team, and there was a significant improvement in the outcomes
of the Internet banking systems maintenance and modification phase.

year: 2008

title: Researching collaborative artistic practice.

authors: Barbour, Karen

subjects: arts research

abstract: In this paper we offer discussion of collaboration in artistic practice, based on a two-and-a-half-year-long research project undertaken by artists/researchers at the University of Waikato, working in collaboration with local performers. Grounded in kaupapa M¯ori, feminist and phenomenological research methodologies, this research project provided a context for exploring existing understandings of collaborative processes in the arts, and for immersion in and development of alternative processes, across artistic mediums and cultures. Drawing on contemporary understandings of cross-cultural and intercultural practices in the arts, we discuss how shared conceptualisation of ideas, immersion in different creative processes, personal reflection and development over extended periods of time were found to foster collaboration. In this paper we will explore the value and nature of relationships within collaboration, and discuss how selfdetermination or tino rangatiratanga might be maintained within the context of collaborative performance art.

text: Researching collaborative artistic practice. In this paper we offer discussion of collaboration in artistic practice, based on a two-and-a-half-year-long research project undertaken by artists/researchers at the University of Waikato, working in collaboration with local performers. Grounded in kaupapa M¯ori, feminist and phenomenological research methodologies, this research project provided a context for exploring existing understandings of collaborative processes in the arts, and for immersion in and development of alternative processes, across artistic mediums and cultures. Drawing on contemporary understandings of cross-cultural and intercultural practices in the arts, we discuss how shared conceptualisation of ideas, immersion in different creative processes, personal reflection and development over extended periods of time were found to foster collaboration. In this paper we will explore the value and nature of relationships within collaboration, and discuss how selfdetermination or tino rangatiratanga might be maintained within the context of collaborative performance art.

year: 2007