Session Information
26 SES 03 B, Leadership Formation and Development
Paper Session
Contribution
International effective school research outlines the central impact principals have on the quality of their school (Hallinger & Heck 1998; Waters, Marzano & McNulty 2004).Therefore, the selection of prospective leaders gains more and more attention (Whitaker 2003, Huber & Pashiardis 2008). Internationally several states already implemented competence based approaches to identify suitable leaders (Pont, Nusche & Hopkins, p.161). In some states, there is a growing expertise in the application of the – in economic context well established – assessment center-technique for identifying school leadership potential (Jeswald 1977; Brandstätter & Riedl 2006). In Germany, the school system is under federal control and the strategies to select principals differ widely (Huber & Pashiardis 2008). The federal state North Rhine-Westphalia first adopted the assessment center technique and integrated it in the formal selection process in 2009. The successful completion of the “Eignungsfeststellungsverfahren” (EFV) is a premise for applying for vacant principal positions.
The EFV was evaluated by the Institute of Further Education and Educational Management of Freie Universität Berlin. This paper concentrates on a secondary evaluation of the generated EFV-dataset, highlighting the question if the data can prove an increasing institutionalization of the EFV.
The research question is theoretically framed by the neo-institutional theory that emphasizes the relevance of institutions and myths for the development of formal organizational structures (Meyer & Rowan 1977). “Institutionalization involves the processes by which social processes, obligations, or actualities come to take on a rulelike status in social thought and action” (Meyer & Rowan 1977, p. 341). Whereby the traditional view on institutionalization conceptualizes the process in two steps (DiMaggio & Powell 1983, p. 148), the work of Tolbert and Zucker (1996) defines the three levels habitualization, objectification, and sedimentation (p.181f.). In the pre-institutionalized stage of habitualization one or more organizations independently create new structures within a problem solving process. In the stage of objectivation, these practices diffuse based on a consensus of their usability and value. The two mechanisms involved are interorganisational monitoring and theorizing (ibid. p. 182). Full institutionalization implies the stage of sedimentation, in which almost every organization takes on the new practice or structure.
Whereas the assessment center technique can be seen as fully institutionalized in economic contexts (Walgenbach 2006, p. 356), it´s only pre-institutionalized in the field of principal selection.
Even though the EFV-dataset is monitoring a relatively short time interval of four and a half years, the question arises, if the EFV is getting more and more institutionalized in its context. Indicators for the supposed development are a growing acceptance of the practice by the participants and a change in their attitude towards the assessment center. Furthermore, it shall be assessed, if participants adjust their preparation towards the specific situation in assessment centers and refer more positively on coping within the single simulations (e.g. leaderless group discussion, in-basked). This might also be correlated with preparation through specific assessment center trainings. Similar to the economic context, specific assessment center trainings to prepare for the EFV participation are established. Even though research findings do not anticipate that such trainings have a big impact on the success in an assessment center (Amaral 2003, Schuler & Amaral 2007), this shall be examined by multivariate analysis.
Method
Expected Outcomes
References
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