Context: Case Description and Background Information
Improving quality in the system of education is a tricky task that requires addressing a range of complex dilemmas.
Despite the fact that the process of enhancing quality standards in the system of the Saudi Arabian education is clearly a positive change to witness (Aldaweesh, Al-Karaghouli & Gallear, 2012), the process may easily become convoluted due to the large amount of factors that need to be embraced prior to the provision of the required alterations.
Moreover, the usefulness of the project in question has been basically proven by a range of outcomes of its implication, my experience being one of them. Unless the TQM model had been introduced into the framework of the Saudi Arabian education, students would have been deprived of an opportunity to improve the quality of their performance, as well as boost their motivation rates and acknowledge the significance of learning.
Retrospectively, the process of planting the idea of TQM into the Saudi Arabian educational setting in general and the school that I worked in particular may have inspired students to adopt the principle of lifelong learning. Therefore, teachers and learners are the key stakeholders in the specified case.
Main principles of change management and Strategies Implemented
The integration of the TQM model into the Saudi Arabian education setting can be viewed as a major breakthrough on the state’s way to improving the quality of education and broadening educational perspectives for students within the state.
Over the course of my work as an assistant of a teacher in a Saudi Arabian college, I have noticed that some of the quality assurance principles have been altered significantly over the past few years after the integration of the so-called TQM model; allowing for a more efficient time management, creating a set of rather rigid standards, and improving the overall performance of the students.
More importantly, the TQM model promotes a rapid and significant increase in the overall competency of the teaching staff; therefore, promoting better quality standards for teaching (Alruwaili, 2013). As a result, the Saudi students are enabled to acquire deeper knowledge and train their skills in a more efficient manner, therefore, contributing to the development of diligence I learners, making them more studious.
Indeed, an overview of the existing researches on the effects of the TQM initiative promoted in the Saudi Arabian educational setting will show that the process of decision making in the Saudi Arabian education setting is improved with the help of the above-mentioned tool:
“The economy and the dynamics of technology and globalization were the key motivators for introducing TQM as a Ministry policy and in its procedures, management and leadership” (Alruwaili, 2013, p. 257). Therefore, the introduction of the specified model into the framework of the Saudi Arabian education will allow for a reciprocal improvement of the quality standards for teachers’ and students’ performance.
Challenges, Key Concerns and Perspectives
The implementation of the change in the specified background, in fact, received rater mixed responses from both teachers and students. While some of them considered the transfer to the QM model a major improvement, others perceived the change as a huge impediment to the teaching and studying process.
Among the key arguments of the proponents of the system in question, Fullan (Selwood, Fung, & O’Mahoney, 2012) deserves to be mentioned fist. Those, who were against the provision of the aforementioned change in the Saudi Arabian setting, stressed the negative effects, which the alterations required for establishing the TQM system, will trigger inevitably.
Particularly, the fact that the introduction of the new system would require a complete rearrangement of the college policies and, therefore, will entail a number of issues concerning the college schedule, should be mentioned.
Indeed, the alterations in the existing guidelines for quality management, as well as the standards of quality in general, will slacken the process of teaching inevitably, thus, possibly causing a backlash among teachers.
The above-mentioned suppositions concerning the issues, which the TQM system was bound to cause in the Saudi Arabian school setting, in fact, proved right; in fact, the positive outcome of the framework implementation aligned with the suppositions voiced by a range of theorists (Aldaweesh, Al-Karaghouli & Gallear, 2013).
However, apart from the people, who were against the change, there were just as many of those, who supported it and saw it as a solution to the problems that the college was facing at the time, including the issues related to students losing motivation for excelling in their studies.
As the case described above shows, change is an essential part of success. As long as educators are willing to promote efficient knowledge acquisition among students, they must be able to accept innovative approaches towards teaching and informing students about the latest studying strategies. More importantly, the standards for evaluating students’ performance must be updated regularly.
The significance of change has been stressed by a range of theorists, however, it was Fullan, who advanced the idea of change in educational setting and took it to an entirely new level (Fullan, 2008). The change described above, in fact, aligns with the key tenets of the theory suggested by the researcher.
Indeed, according to Fullan, the process of change presupposes altering not only materials and objects, but also beliefs and principles that a specific community represents. In other words, Fullan promotes the concept of moral purpose as the basis for carrying out any alterations within a specific community:
“Moral purpose in educational change is about improving society through improving educational systems and thus the learning of all citizens” (Fullan, 2005, p. 54). The specified concept sheds a lot of light on the reaction of the Saudi Arabian students and teachers to the introduction of new principles of teaching and learning to them.
Particularly, the theory that Fullan suggests promotes the creation of a strong foundation for the required alterations to occur; as a result, people will be able to get used to the new methods of teaching, learning and behaving in educational setting. Moreover, by creating his theory, Fullan practically spells out the importance of striving towards a consistent progress:
“The change process is about establishing the condition for continuous improvement in order to persist and overcome inevitable barriers to reform” (Fullan, 2005, p. 55).Moreover, Fullan draws a rather thin yet noticeable line between innovation and innovativeness, thus, stressing the fact that change must be not merely tolerated, but embraced by every single member of the organization (Fullan, 2006).
It is only after the staff members change their minds about the outcomes of the alterations, which they witness, that a major improvement can be expected.
Conclusion: Outcomes, Recommendations and Lessons Learned
The change described above may not seem as significant as other tendencies in the Saudi Arabian education, yet its implications are bound to have a drastic effect on the overall process of students’ education. Its implications being long-term for the most part, the innovation described above can be viewed as a major foot forward in the process of facilitating affordable and multiple education options for Saudi Arabian students.
Although some of the effects, which the specified policy is bound to have on the education of Saudi Arabian students, can be viewed as equivocal, most of the outcomes can be viewed as positive for the overall development of the state education system.
More importantly, the change, which I witnessed in the course of participating in the Saudi Arabian educational program, will affect students in a positive manner, opening new opportunities for students and allowing them to gain an entirely new experience.
In addition, the theoretical frameworks, which I have studied, have been very important in understanding the nature of change and the means of carrying out alterations without disrupting the system that an organization works according to.
The theories learned provide an array of tools and strategies for making changes; however, apart from showing how a change should be done, these theories that have been provided as a prime example of promoting change show how to help people get accustomed to the alterations of the environment that they are used to.
As a result, both students and teachers are capable of using the strategies that will help them deal with the change and learn new skills fast.
Consequently, it is recommendable that the specified change should continue to occur in the Saudi Arabian setting; however, both teachers and students should reconsider their responsibilities as the members of the existing education system and assume academic responsibility towards the goals and standards that they have to meet.
Reference List
Aldaweesh, M., Al-Karaghouli, W. & Gallear, D. (2012). The relationship between total quality management implementation and leadership in the Saudi higher education: A review and conceptual framework. European, Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Conference on Information Systems, 7(8), 461–467.
Aldaweesh, M., Al-Karaghouli, W. & Gallear, D. (2013). The Effective Implementation of Total Quality Management and Leadership in Saudi Universities: A Review and Framework to Enhancing H.E. Strategy. European, Mediterranean & Middle Eastern Conference on Information Systems, 17(1), 1–21.
Alruwaili, J. (2013). Total quality management in education directorates in Saudi Arabia: contrasting provincial case studies. Public Policy and Administration Research, 3(6), 26–34.
Fullan, M. (2005). 8 forces for leaders of change. In M. Fullan, The challenge of change: Start school improvement now! (pp. 54–64). Thousand Oaks, CA Corwin Press.
Fullan, M. (2006). Change theory: A force for school improvement. Web.
Fullan, M. (2008). The six secrets of change. Web.
Selwood, I. D., Fung, A. & O’Mahoney, C. D. (2012). Management of education in the information age: The role of ICT. New York, NY: Springer.