Investigating and comparing the effectiveness and efficiency of appointed and selected managers in terms of the level of management skills (human-technical-perceptual) with an emphasis on the education sector

 Dissertation for Master's Degree

in Educational Sciences 

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to investigate and compare the effectiveness and efficiency of appointed and selected managers and officials in terms of the level of management skills (human-technical-perceptual) with an emphasis on education. This research is practical in terms of purpose and descriptive-survey in terms of data collection method. The statistical population of the research includes all managers (male and female) working in education in one Urmia district, from among them a sample of 186 people was selected by stratified random method. A questionnaire was used to collect the required data. The resulting data were statistically analyzed in two descriptive (frequency, percentage, average, etc.) and inferential (independent groups t-test) methods. The results of the research showed that the managers of the statistical sample have three management skills at a medium to high level; But there is a difference between the average scores of selected and appointed managers, and this difference is significant for perceptual skill at the error level of 0.05. Also, the managers of the two statistical sample groups are different in terms of effectiveness and efficiency, and this difference is significant at the error level of 0.05. The result is that 95% of elected managers have a higher level of effectiveness and efficiency compared to appointed managers.

Keywords: triple management skills, efficiency, effectiveness, education and training organization.

Chapter 1

Generalities of the research 

Introduction:

Management is working with and through others; Although managers are responsible for various tasks and perform diverse and complex activities, no manager can rely only on his individual efforts to perform tasks related to his job; Based on this, it becomes necessary for managers to have different skills and abilities, regardless of the type of activity and the mission of their organization. The manager must be able to plan for all the tasks related to his duties and other subordinates, start organizing various affairs, create the necessary coordination to achieve specific goals and put the efficiency [1] and effectiveness [2] of the organization on his agenda. In all these activities, managers use skills that are called management skills (Roghni et al., 2018).

The most common and accepted classification of managers' skills is provided by Robert Katz[3]. Katz defines skill as abilities that are not inherent in how to perform tasks but can be cultivated. He considers the manager as someone who directs the actions of others and is responsible for the realization of certain goals. The requirement for successful management is to have the three skills of technical[4], human[5] and perception[6] (Shoveband, 1375). Obviously, it is possible to achieve such a thing by using management skills. Formal education schools, like other formal education centers, are trying to achieve educational and educational goals by having managers, trainers, equipment and facilities. But without a doubt, achieving such goals requires accurate goal setting, educational and lesson planning, correct organization and finally effective implementation of programs, all of which depend on the skills and abilities of managers. In other words, the effectiveness and efficiency of any organization depends on the level of knowledge and skill of its managers (Hersi and Blanchard, 2015). Therefore, in the present research, the effectiveness and efficiency of selected and appointed managers of education and training are investigated according to their three skills. Especially in the education system, as the most important organization in every society in terms of its influence on the performance of other organizational factors, it has been the focus of experts. One of the ways by which the performance of managers is considered is to observe them from the angle of skills that are necessary to successfully ensure effectiveness and efficiency. " Katz" He has studied the skills required by managers by categorizing them into three spectrums: technical, human and perceptive (Alegh Band, 2015).

Technical skill means knowledge and ability to perform special tasks, which requires proficiency in using special tools and techniques and practical competence in behavior and activity. Technical skills are acquired through education, internship and experience. Knowledge, techniques and methods of planning, budgeting, control, accounting, finance, recruiting, processing, etc. are among the technical skills in which the highest degree of ability and competence can be achieved. Because this type of skill is precise, specific, has objective and measurable criteria. The technical skills needed by educational managers, in addition to the above, include skills and expertise in educational planning, educational guidance, teaching techniques and methods, and administrative and financial education techniques. Human skill means having the ability and power to employ the people of the organization and the manager's own company as a member of the group to perform joint and coordinated activities and create collective efforts to achieve the goals of the organization. Human skill is the manager's ability to create understanding and cooperation and the skill of dealing with people. Human skill is the opposite of technical skill; It means working with people versus working with things. Human skill requires that the manager has self-confidence, trusts others, respects their opinions, feelings and values, understands them, and can provide a safe environment to attract the participation of others. Human skill is the common feature of different levels of management; The educational manager must have a significant set of human skills; On the other hand, interacting with people and being sensitive to their motivations, expectations, and behaviors help a person to gradually understand the causes and factors that shape human behavior, and to learn the way and customs of working with people and influencing their behavior. All of these are related to perceptual skill. In order to be able to know the educational environment, understand the interrelationships between different factors, recognize educational priorities, make effective decisions and achieve the best results for the educational system, the educational manager must have considerable perceptive skills (Khodadi and Hassoumi, 2013).

Since education is considered one of the most important social institutions, therefore, the quality of the activities of other institutions largely depends on how it functions. The concept of performance is defined by efficiency and effectiveness; Because effectiveness indicates the extent to which goals are achieved and efficiency refers to how resources are used to achieve goals from an economic point of view, they can be considered as two important dimensions of performance; Therefore, performance is a function of the efficiency and effectiveness of the activities carried out. In order for educational management to lead to the efficiency and effectiveness of the educational system, it is inevitable to pay attention to the three skills of managers; But the results of some researches conducted in this field indicate the existence of various deficiencies and problems. As Delkhosh Kasmai (2012), in a research, investigated the relationship between the three skills of high school principals in Tehran and came to the conclusion that the aforementioned skills are necessary for principals to better perform their duties in order to achieve the effectiveness of schools, and there is a significant positive relationship between the three skills of principals and effectiveness. Afshari et al.(2009), in the study of the three managerial skills of managers of physical education departments of universities across the country, concluded that there is a significant difference between the three skills of managers, and the priority of these skills for managers includes human, perceptual, and technical skills, respectively. The researches of Bigdali (1380) and Seyyed Shoja'a (1385) confirm that the need of managers in the field of management skills is technical, perceptive and human skills respectively. Khodadi and Hassoumi (2013) also investigated the relationship between the three skills of managers and their effectiveness from the point of view of the teachers of girls' high schools in Sari city, and concluded that managers need training in all three skills, especially paying attention to the technical and human skills of managers is essential. Meanwhile, there is a positive and significant relationship between the three skills of managers and their effectiveness. Hasko (2006) has stated the skills needed for leadership as one of the main requirements of teamwork. Pant and Barondi (2008) in a research confirmed the importance of academic training of human and technical skills for project managers. Sambasivan et al. (2009) showed in a research that personal capabilities and management skills have a positive relationship with opportunity recognition skills.