Naming positions in an organisation

Tshwarelo Hosia | Monday May 20, 2024 06:00

Some positions, especially those sitting at the top of the organisational structure, are general in nature and scope making it difficult for the uninitiated to determine with accuracy the duties the holder of the position is expected to carry out while many other posts have a specific focus rendering them self explanatory even to outsiders. To keep pace with emerging issues and challenges, the organisational structure should never be static but should be a dynamic living organism ready to undergo mutation if necessary in order to achieve relevance and efficiency.

No organisation worth its salt and also desiring to stay in the game remains content with ancient and archaic structures while expecting to miraculously thrive and prosper in an ever fluid and dynamic world. Change is therefore a necessity for continuing survival and also a prerequisite for improved service delivery. This is the principle that has universal applicability and all organisations seeking to find lasting and durable solutions to their pressing challenges should fully exploit the principle to inject a new lease on life.

The desirability of performing at optimal strength makes a strong and compelling case for organisational structural adjustments in general and renaming of positions in particular. Going this direction reflects seriousness and it is a statement of intent to repurpose the organisation in line with new demands. Schools are generally failing to rise to the new challenges as learning outcomes continue to be a source of grave concern. If there is any critical sector in dire need of mutational changes and structural adjustments, it is the education sector.

A culture of under achievement has besieged the sector and it is unrelenting. It can only be driven back by a serious overhaul of the prevailing approaches. This now brings one to the situation confronting the education sector. The clarion call is that all schools should urgently turnaround to serve students with diligence and with a more sense of urgency.

Unfortunately, movement towards this direction is painfully slow measured in inches and not miles. This is worrisome because education cannot afford to wait any longer. Poor education delivery frustrates the very dreams and aspirations of the young generation and literally results in loss and wastage of livelihoods of a whole generation. That is why an urgent and appropriate response is not an option. Beginning with small but by no means less important changes can kick-start the ball rolling towards the change we all desire to see.

Renaming key positions at the central command centre and in the peripheral structures, the schools and regions could be the flagship programme showing the road to a better and more prosperous education system.

There exist too many positions, which carry miscellaneous responsibilities while tinkering on the surface of the problem hindering attainment of improved learning outcomes. For example, a school turnaround is the buzzword yet there is no single position at the central ministry, regions and schools designated specifically to address challenges associated with the turnaround- transformative agenda.

If a turnaround is what the doctor has prescribed for schools then each education outpost must as a matter of necessity have a mini school turnaround department and there should be some passionate officer playing an advisory role in high places on matters of school turnaround.

There is a need to phase out high-sounding general positions, which do not necessarily capture the urgency of the school turnaround. General positions, which are ambitious in scope, covering wide ranging issues are irrelevant to the present challenges because the key message focusing on a school turnaround does not enjoy special attention and continuing focus. School turnaround should be moved from the periphery to the centre.

A huge chunk of the budget should be dedicated towards execution of a turnaround programme. Strategic thinking is not about beating about the bush but it is about being intentional about pursuing a narrow specific focus in order to achieve high impact results. The futility of attempting to boil a whole ocean is well known.

All thoughts and actions should centre on turning around chronically low achieving schools into centres of academic excellence. Capacity building programmes in the teaching profession should cease covering miscellaneous issues rather should draw inspiration from the need to raise the quality and depth of classroom pedagogy, enhancement of students’ participation in the learning process, upgrading of school governance and parental engagements.

All struggling schools should be renamed turnaround schools to encourage speedy recovery and school principals deployed to the schools should be those who graduated from school turnaround programmes. Those who are not school turnaround compliant may choose to pursue other ‘worthy’ agendas at the cost of the very subject of swiftly transitioning a school to a high performing status. Big business entities when faced with a crisis do embark on rebranding in order to outsmart competitors. Rebranding would alter drastically the performance trajectory of the ailing education sector. So all in all, nomenclature matters in an organisation.