CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Educational goals achievement (EGA), at any level, depends on a number of factors. If the broad aims and objectives of secondary education, as contained in the National Policy on Education (1981), sections 17 and 18), must be achieved, these factors must be given adequate attention. One of such factors is the decision-making styles of the educational administrators or school principals.
One of the several activities that differentiate administrators from other employees in an organization is decision-making. It involves an individual’s thought, perception, attitude and focuses on the ability of the administrator to make the right choice among alternatives.
Fremont (1967) believes that decision making in broad sense involves much more than the final choice among possible courses action. Hanson (1979) asserts that since the concept of decision is defined as all judgments that affect a course of action, the concept of decision-making process is therefore construed to mean not only the decision but also the acts necessary to put the decision into operation and so actually affects the course of actions of an enterprise.
Again, the choice to be made should offer the highest possible solution to the problem in question. It has been observed that the question of choosing among alternatives is a difficult task. For instance, Mark (1978) writing on decision making, stated that in this process, thousands of phenomena are intricately balanced. Also Clough (1963) asserts that the decision making process involves not only the processes to be solved but also a number of conflicting objectives to be reconciled. Due to these difficulties, it is not very easy to assess a manager. However, there are key points in the organizational cycle on which the assessment could be based.
These points include; planning, organizing, direction, motivation, coordination and control stages. The stages from the basis of management and administration and form the components of a manager’s job. According to Allan (1958) each of these stages which he called elements involved in administration is interdependent and in fact a reciprocal of each of the other elements and that is only when a manager is planning, organizing, coordinating, motivating and controlling the work of others that he is said to be managing. The way managers go about their job, according to Allan admonition is interdependent and in fact a reciprocal of each of the other elements and that is only when a manger is planning, organizing, coordinating, motivating and controlling the work of others that he is said to be managing. The way managers go about their job differs from manager to manager. They therefore do not have uniform procedure of arriving at decisions. The model adopted by a manager is determined by his perception, experience, training, and nature of problems and the need of the organization Harrison (1975) agrees that the opinion of a manager regarding his own decision-making abilities are conditioned strongly by his perception of what satisfactory decisions. This brings about the classification of decision-making process.
Perception and experience may not be the only determining factors of an administrator’s choice of a model. Sometimes, he can be influenced by the critical background of his organization. For example, organizations designed according to the classical theory give their managers the prerogative of making organizational decision. In the social system theory, decisions are decentralized and every member of the organization can have a say in the decision-making process.
Relating this discussion to our schools system, we discovered that in the colonial era, most of the organizational plans were highly centralized. Decisions rested mainly at top level with the intermediate administrators and teachers being left with the little autonomy. Their main functions were to enforce rules, follow procedures and sue the established line of communication (Hanitton 1975). Recently, we have seen a swinging away from the highly centralized authority and regulatory function of administration toward decentralization of authority. It is now believed that educators at every level in the school system are necessarily decision makers. Their work calls for the exercise of judgment and use of discretion in every changing circumstance surrounding them. Three levels of decision making in the school system can be identified.
– The highest level: This level is concerned with organizational purposes and overall programme and personnel policies.