DOCUMENT RESUME
ED 213 136
EA 014 439
AUTHOR
TITLE
INSTITUTION
PUB DATE
NOTE
AVAILABLE FROM
JOURNAL CIT
EDRS PRICE
DESCRIPTORS
IDENTIFIERS
Sergiovanni, Thomas J.
Planning and Time Management: Keys to Effective
Educational Leadership.
Deakin Univ., Victoria, (Australia). School of
Education.
Oct 80
6p.; Funded by Deakin University Foundation.
Editor, The Australian Administrator, School o£
Education, Deakin University, Victoria 3217,
AUSTRALIA ($.85) .
The Australian Administrator; vl n5 Oct 19S0
MFOl Plus Postage. PC Not Available from EDRS.
Administrator Role; *Administrators ; Elen^ntary
Secondary Education; Leadership; Needs Assessment;
♦Objectives; *Planning
Activity Record; Administrator Effectiveness; *Txme
Management
ABSTRACT
Educational administrators* concern with planning and
time management results from the fragmentation of their daily
activities, which research has documented, and their consequent
search for order and control. Time is important because its scarcity
affects productivity and its use has social-psychological effects on
staffs' perceptions of administrators' priorities. Time management
can increase administrative effectiveness through increased control
of time and through the wiser use of time that is achieved by setting
priorities. Administrators should begin managing their time by
keeping a log of their daily act." ties and then analyzing what
priorities can be inferred from tne log, how results relate to time
spent on activities, what activities were delegated, and to what
extent others were involved in particular activities. The log wil
reveal administrators as doers of tasks rather than managers or
leaders. Administrators need to become leaders, which may involve
doing less. To do this they should determine priorities, on which in
turn th^y should base written plans that include objectives,
strate«]ies, and time guideliner In se. ing priorities,
administrators should distinguish between the few vital activities
and the many trivial ones. (Author/RW)
***********************************************************************
* Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made *
* from the original document. *
***********************************************************************
ERIC
THE
AUSTRALIAN
ADMINISTRATOR
A Professiona! Publication for Educational Adtiinistrators
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION. DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Pubflshed bi-monthly, February to December
EDITOR: Dr. W. J. Smyth
fVl
U S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION
EDUCATtONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION
CENTER (ERIC)
\^ Th(5 document has been reproduced as
received from the person or organization
originating it
Minor changes hove been r^ade to improve
reproduc;ion quality
• Points of view of opinions stated in this clocu
ment do not necessarily represent otf^'ta! N E
position Or policv
"PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS
MATERIAL IN MICROnCHE ONLY
HAS BEEN GRANTED BY
ny, U- .T. Smyth
TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) "
CO
H
O
<
ERIC
2
tSSN 0168-7447
THE
AUSTRALIAN
ADMINISTRATOR
A Professional Publication for Educational Administrators
SCHOOL OF EDUCATION, DEAKIN UNIVERSITY
Published bi-monthly, February to December
EDITOR Dr. J. Smyth
Vol. 1, Nt. 5.
OCTOBER 1980
The author has taker) up the topic of leadership
raised Jn earlier Issues of The Austraiiar) Admm-
istrator. He advarices some sugge$tlor)s on how
hassled administrators may obtain a better per-
spective on the way they utilize their own time, and
thus facilitate the provision of educational leader
ship In schools, (Ed.)
PLANNING AND TIME MANAGEMENT: KEYS
TO EFFECTIVE EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP
Thomas J. Sergiovonni
INTRODUCTION
In a recent study of U.S. educational administrators
of new educational programs. Sprout (1976) found
that such words as 'Mocar*, •'verbar*. •'choppy**,
and "varied'* were use<^ most often to describe a
typical administrative work day, Choppiness, for
example, was evidenced by the presence of many
activities of brief duration. The composite admin-
istrator In SprouTs study engaged daily in fifty-six
activities, each averaging about nine minutes in
duration, and sixty-five events, each averaging six
minutes, ^vents were described as periods of time
one minute or longer during which administrators
used one medium such as a phone, meeting, indivi-
dual conversation, memo, or letter to work on one
purpose. Activities were collections of events
devoted to one purpose. This distinction, according
to Sproul, was forced by numerous interruptions that
characterized the administrator's work day. Con-
ceivably, without Interruption, each activity could
by completed by one event, Choppiness, then. Is
reflected In the vast array of events and activities of
short duration wtilch characterize the work day.
Similarly, Mintzborg (1973), In his study of five
Canadian executives Including a school superln-
^ THE 'iUTHCR
Professor SergiovannI Is chairperson of the Depart-
- t of Administration, Higher and ContinuinQ
ERJCc«t/on, university of iiiinois at Urbana-Cham-
' uflfeto jn, U.$.A. recently visited Austraifa and hae
spoken with princlpata and t eachers.
tendent, found the vifOrk of administrators character-
ized by brevity, variety, and fragmentation. He noted
that the majority of admlnlstrath'e actlv.'y was 'J
brief duration, oft€?n taking only minutes. The variety
was not only great but often without pattern or
connectedness, anj typica^y was Interspersed with
trivia. The administrator, as a result, was required
to shift moods and intellectual frames frequently and
quickly. These characteristics suggested a high
level of superficiality in the work of administration.
Mlntzberg further noted that because of the open
ended nature of his lob, the administrator was com-
pelled to perfonn a great amount of work at an un-
relenting pace - a further contributor to super-
ficiality. Free time was only rarely available and
)0b responsibilities saen^ed Inescapable, A recent
replication of Mintzberg's work by Kurke and Aldrich
(1979) substantiates his conclus.ons,
A study (HemphttI, 1965) of the secondary school
principalship in the Uniteo States revealed that
principals studied spent 50, often 60 hours a week
on job activities, A study (Knezevlch, 1971) of the
superintendency suggests a work week in excess of
60 hours for about one half of the superintendents
studied. Evening and weekend work was common to
the superintendency. And as Lasswell (1971) sug-
gests, "The man who keeps on top of his respon-
sibilities is likely to suffer from chronic fatigue and
exasperation, and unless he has an exceptional
natural constitution, a quick mind, and selective
habits of work, he falls further and further behind"
(p. 34).
Though eoucational administrators are likely lo find
this description of their world of work familiar, this
familiarity does not lessen their anxiety over what
often seems an impossible diienima. Understandably,
attempts are made to bring order to cne*s admini-
strative life of apparent confusion; to seek control
Annual subscription $6.00. tingle copies 85c.
Reol«tared for posting as a publication. CatoOory B.
Editorial and subscription anqulrlas to Editors T ha
Australian Administrator. School of Education
3o«tk)n University, Victoria, 3217,
2
over one's work aciiv'*'^s. Thi<? search for ordfer and
control IS what makes the discussion of planning and
time management theories and models so appealing
to Pducational administrators,
TIME AS A SCARCE RESOURCE
Time IS a scarce resource m the sense that any
future allocation of time is diminished by the amount
allocated to present activities. Further, since the
number o* activities which can be simultaneously
attended to is limited, time spent on one activity
results in the neglect of others (Serglovanni, Bur-
lingame, Coombs; & Thurston, 1980). But time dis-
tribution IS a social-psychological concept as well
as one in economics. Symbolically, how an admini-
strator uses time Is a fomi of administrative attention
which communicates meaning to others in the school.
It IS assumed liiat an administrator g'ves attention
to the events and activities he or she values. Spend-
ing a great deal of time on interpersonal relation-
ships, educational program objectives, building
student identity with the school and its programs, or
m some other area, communicates to teachers ar»d
students that this sort of activity Is of worth to the
administrator and school. As others leam the value
of this activity to the administrator, they are also
likely to give it attention. Administrative attention
then, can be considered a fomi of modeling for
others who work In the school. Through administrative
attention, the principal contributes to setting the
tone or climate of the school and communicates to
others the goaJs and activities which should enjoy
high priority.
Social-psychological effects of administrative
attention tend to occur whether or not they are in-
tended. An elementary school prt^cipal might for
example, espouse an educational platfonr Ahicn
suggests a deep commitment to btOldlng a strong
educational program sensitive to Individual needs
of students, taught by happy and committed teachers,
and supported by his or her community. But th's
platform Is likely to be ignored m favor of the one
which students, teachers, and parents infer on the
basi«» of administrative attention. Protestations to
contrary. If most of his or her time is spent on
busy office work and on administrative maintenance
actlvtles, observers will leam that "mnning a
smo'jth ship*' is the goal of real value to the prin-
cipal and school, and will likely behave accoidlngly.
In sum, administrative attention not only has obvious
management effects when considered in an economic
sense as a scarce resource, but has social-psycho-
logical effects as well. The potency of administrative
attention Is the reason why discussion of planning
and time management are important.
TIME MANAGEMENT
Finding sufficient time to plan and to articulate
one's plans is a task of no small consequence. Most
administrators are already worHIng ^o^Q.^^^/s and
are spending maximum effort at work. To S' nge .
rk- one find additional time or new sourc^ )
^ -gy to meet present and new job demands is
onftble. But working hard or working long hour^
ERIC
and working effectively are not the same. An admini-
stratoi might be at the length of his or her invest-
ment in energy and time, yet still increase effective-
ness by managing time more efficiently. Time mana-
gement experts, for example, nften speak of "working
smarter not harder**.
Time management can help increase effectiveness,
but the gams are likely to be modest. Even th« most
effective administrators are in control of only a
small part of their time. One is in control when he or
Ghe decides how tir.e will be used, has discretion
over this time, and uses it in accord with his or her
own judgment. One is not -n control when one is
reacting to situations and conditions detennined by
others, or when one is engaged in routine organiza-
tional iasks and demands programed by the larger
bureaucratic and poetical environment within A/hict
he or she works. An ideal split of discretionary and
nondi screiionary time is one-third— two thirds. But
most educational administrators control less than
one third and probably 10 to 15 percent might be a
more accurate estimate (Wolcott, 1973).
Let's assume that an administrator is likely to
increase his or her time control from 10 to 15 per-
cent. How much more effect've 'S that person likely
to be? A 5 percent increase In time control will
probably result in a 10 percent increase in effective-
ness. Shooting for 30 percent increase m lime con-
trot ought to be one's goal. This goal is attainable
and realistic and upon being reached should result
in a noticeable difference in one's effectiveness.
Obtaining more discretionary time is only one stage
in increasing effectiveness. Using time v^isely is the
second stage. In Peter Drucker's (1967) words:
Effective executives concentrate on the few
mafor areas where superior performance wili
produce outstanding results. They force them-
selves to set priorities and stay with their priority
decisions. They know that they have no choice
but to do first things first - and second things
not at ail. The alternative is to get nothing done
rp' 111}'
Setting prionties requires that one have a clear
understanding of the major components of his^ or her
|0b and some sense of how "itiey relate to expecta-
tions from the school. In attempting to identify
these components and how they relate to school
purposes, one needs to spend less time examining
stated objectives anr^ public lists of critical job
components and more time in Inferring the real com-
ponents and objectives from careful study of what an
administrator does and how he or she allocates time
to tasks and activities. A iirst step, therefore, in ,
beginning a time-management program iS to keep a
detailed log of one's activities over a period of
several weeks. The inconvenience of recording what
It Is that one :s doing, with whom, for how long and ^
why, every 15 minutes is well worth the aftort, In -
analyzing a time log one might ask such questions as:
1. What actual objectives a^d priorities can be
Inferred and how do they compare witii my ^zi
seated objectives and priorities?
3
2. Do results obtained from different classes of
activities justify the amount of time spent
3. What tasks and activities should be delegated
without loss of effectiveness, and what tasks
and activities should be retained*^
4. When others are involved in one's work, what fS
the purpose of the invo'vemenf? Is involvement
necessary'? Are you using the time of others
effectively
In reviewtiig a time log, one should be conscious of
omissions as well. What tasks and activities are not
appearing as frequently as they should'^ Since total
hours are likely to be fixed, any addition of time
given to certain taslcs and activities requires that
others receive less. The goal of time management is,
therefore, one of redistribution.
Analysis of time logs often reveals administrators as
doers of tasks rather than as managers or super-
visory leaders of people (Sergiovanni, 1977). Too
little distinction is made between doing, and super-
visory leadership. Tasks could be delegated through
another individual. Leadership focuses on helping
others iO develop personally and professionally,
improving their pertomiance, adopting new ways of
working, and solving problems. Leadership has to do
with getting results through people.
Because of the way schools operate, tasks are often
crisis orientated and become top priority by default.
Sometimes tasks are systems-onentated; they take
priority because delays upset the bureaucratic
system. For example, a principal plans to spend
time with a teacher who is experimenting with an
individually-paced chemistry program. But he or she
receives an urgent request to prepare a two-year staff
projection from a superior. Then a parent ca.ls to
request a meeting that afternoon. Apparently, a
teacher detained his youngster for writing obscene
words 'n his notebook cover and the parent feels
this rp^'^sents an mfringement of *ree speech. The
first instance is systems-orientated. Lack of re-
sponse to thrs request upsets someone else's time-
table. The second instance is crisis-crientated.
Many administrators seem programmed to respond
immediately to pressures from the school community.
Consider the following propositions: 1) top priority
needs to go to leadership functions not to doing
tasks; 2) one important way to lead more is by doing
less- and 3) m any administrative role which con-
tains leadership responsibility, increased effective-
ness IS asbs^cated with doing less. U is unrealistic
to assume that the doing side of one's job is going
to disappear, but one will not attend properly to the
leadership side wit.iout establishing priorities linked
to the analysis of a job's major components in key
result areas.
PLANNING AND PRIORITIES
< have suggested that an administrator should try
keeping a log to detennme how time is spent. From
I log one car infer actual job component purposes
"j outa^mes. A next step mignt be to analyze key
lult areas and determine major purposes. Base
ERIC
priorities upon the difference between inferences of
what you are doing and ideals. Priorities should be
few. perhaps no more than three .primary and Six
secondary for the year. Having too many priorities
may be worse than having none. Next, focus on
leadership responsibilities and leave the doing tasks
to the 60 percent of time that cannot be controlled.
Avoid setting uojectives in areas of routine activity.
Administering the teacher evaluation prcgram is a
routine function and does not call for an objective
Helping teachers to set targets for themselves or
teaching them to use self-evaluation methods and
activities, however, are practices which qualify as
leadership objectives.
Rational analysis is important to the development of
priorities, but courage may be even more important
to the process. Indeed, courage m selecting f5rior-
ities IS Ihe ingredient which distinguishes ordinary
leaders froni great leaders. In selecting pnorities
Dmci^er (1967) advises
Pick the future against the past. Focus on oppor-
tunity rather than on problems. Choose your own
direction - rather than climb on the bandwagon,
and atm high, aim for something that will make a
difference, rather than for something that is
"safe" and easy to do (p. 111).
Once priorities are established, set a specific time
for planning. Priorities give us general guidelines -
they Suggest the major avenues to ou. work. Plans
suggest the specifics with which one deals withm a
general time. The success of any plai.ping depend?
upon the establishment of regulfir times fo planning.
A yearly plan ought to be developed with monthly
times set aside for developing an operational plan.
This process needs to be supplemented by a weekly
planning session. Friday is good for weekly planning;
it permits stock-taking for the previous week and a
projection of next week's activities.
From a planning session should come a written
sketch or outline of projected targets and activities.
A wrttten plan is mere binding, less apt to be for-
gotten then mental plans. Further, a written plan en-
ables stock-taking at the end of the planning time-
frame. Plans should be kept simple enough to be
readily understood by most teachers or others with
whom one works. Yearly plans w'll be m ore com-
prehensive than monthly or weekly plans. Weekly
plans should be kept to one page whenever possible.
In summary, the yearly plans speaks to priorities,
broad goals and major anticipated accomplishments.
The monthly - Ian is a time map for carrying out
yearly plans, "ihe weekly plan is an operational plan
from which one works. Written plans should deal
With the "whats", "hows", and "whens". The
••whats" refer to objectives, targets, outcomes, or
goals that one seeks. The "hows" are strategies for
achieving these anticipated outcomes. The "whens"
refer to the development of a schedule or time-
tablefor implementing one's plans.
THE PRINCIPLE ^F VITAL FEW
Educational administrators are likely to overestimate
the number of issues which require special attention.
4
Many management experts, for example, suggest that
only about 25 percent of the issues faced by admini*
strators could be classified as vita! with the re-
maining 75 percent being trivial by comparison
(Juran, 1964), These experts often refer to "Pareto's
Law" as the genesis of the "vital few" and "trivial
many" principle. In 1906, the Italian economist,
Vilfredo Pareto, suggested that economic Inequcility
was due in part to the unequal distribution of human
ability In society, and could be predicted mathe-
matically (Pareto, 1906). Applied to financial and
business situations, "Pareto's Law" suggests, for
example, that approximately 75 percent of the wealth
of the nation is in the hands of 25 percent of the
people. As another example, 25 percent of t^e phys-
ical assets of a fine's account, was 75 percent of
the Urn's value. Though the 25;75 ratio Is only an
approximation, the mam point is that only a vital
few, accounts for most of the value, and the trivia*
many for the remainder. One popular example often
used to illustrate the principle is to asl< one to list
the value of all his or her posesslons. Typically,
a few items account for most of their total wealth.
In applying "Parsto's Law" to the work of admini-
strators. It IS iikely that most of one's effectiveness
results from only a few of the activities in which
one engages. By treating all activities the same,
the vital-few activities are slighted and the trivial-
many get administrative attention beyond their
worth in effectiveness m the school.
REFErttNCES
Onjcker, P., The Effective Executive New York:
Harper and Row, 1967, p. 24.
Hemphill, J., Richards, J., and Peterson, R.,
Report of The Senior High-School Prinapalship
Washington, D.C. : The National Association of
Secondary School Pnncipals, 1965.
Juran. J., Managerial Break Through New Vork;
McGraw-Hill, 1964,
Paroto, v.. Manuals dl economla polltica, con una
intfoduzlone ulla sclenza social Milan: Societa
Editr'ce Liberie, 1906 .
Sergiovanni, T.J., Burlingame, M„ Coombs, P.O., *
and Thurston, P»W., Governance and Admini-
stration In Education, Englewood CHffs, N,J. :
Prentice Hall, 1980, pp. 295-310,
Sergiovanni, T.J., Handbook for Effective Depart-
ment Leadership: Concepts and Practice for
Today's Secondary Schools, Boston: Allyn &
Bacon, 1977, pp. 57-61,
Sproul, L.S„ "ManjgoMal Attention m New Edu-
cational Systems", Paper prepared for seminar
on Organizations Loosely Coupled Systems.
University of Illinois, Urbana, November 13.
1976.
Wcicott, H.J., The Man in the PrlnclpaVs Office
New York: Holt, Rlnehart & Winston, 1973 .
FORTHCOMING ISSUES
A new model for program evaluation: the appre-
ciative onel
Accounting for our schools: problems and
possibilities.
C edibility and per^onnance: school princinals
in times of administraj ve change.
Establishment of this publication
was made possible by funding frorr
Deakin Unlver'ilty Foundation,
Knezevich, " (ed.) The American School Super-
intendent: An AASA Research Study Washington.
D.C. : AASE Commission on the Preparation of
Professional School Administrators, AASA,
1971 .
Kurte, L,B„ and Aldrich, H.E., "Mintzberg was
right'; a duplication and extension of the nature
of managerial work'\ Paper presented at the
39th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Manage-
menU Atlanta. Georgia, 10 August, 1979,
Lassell. H.D., A Pre-View of Policy Sciences
New York: Elsevier North-Holland, 1^71
ER^Cberg, H,. The Nature of Managerial Work New
™">™/ork: Harper and Row, 1973 , pp. 29-53.
6
Printed at D«akin University printvry.
