Development of an Institutional Culture: A Prerequisite for Performance Management in Schools

Abstract

Culture is a set of beliefs, attitudes and orientations which serves as a normative guide for behaviour within a group. As individuals engage in social interactions, they develop common conceptions of desirable and acceptable behaviour. Common values arise to define ideal states of affairs and social norms develop that prescribe what individuals should do under different situations and establish the consequences of deviations from those expectations.

Performance management according to the Government of Kenya, (2005:5) is the systematic process of planning work and setting expectations, continually monitoring performance, developing the capacity to perform and periodically rating performance.

Performance management involves taking desirable and effective actions that serves as a critical link between a school's work output and outcomes aimed at facilitating achievement of efficiency and effectiveness.

Performance management works best when it is an integral part of a school's culture, is seen to be fair and open, understood by everyone and based on shared commitment to supporting continuous improvement and recognizing success (Godia, 2000:19). Target setting, monitoring and evaluation arrangements are well established in some schools. Aduda (2004) argues that there is high competition for form one places in few performing schools with tract records of good performance. It is believed that these schools produce high quality graduates. There is no doubt that these schools have developed a culture of good performance over the years. Those that have not sustained the culture are trounced by those that have realized that they need the culture. It's often common to hear of stakeholders say that the good results are as a result of hard work between the teachers' parents and students.

Performance management is a way of helping schools improve by supporting and improving teachers work; both as individuals and in teams. It sets a framework for teachers and their team leader to agree and review priorities and objectives within the overall framework of schools development plans. It focuses attention on more effective teaching and leadership to benefit pupils, teachers and schools.

The ministry of education conceives performance based management as the current thinking which places emphasis on measuring performance of staff at all levels. The document proposes that at the beginning of each year, staff will draw work plans specifying the actual targets to be met. It will require that all staff regardless of their position is accountable for the implementation of agreed work plans.

This paper therefore seeks to show how an institutional culture is a prerequisite for performance management in schools and will propose that schools develop a culture of good performance if they want to excel. The paper also discusses in details the performance management process.