Reviewing Development Needs in Management: case: Savonia Language Team
Itkonen, Elena; Kontinen, Annastiina (2022)
2022
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2022120927581
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-2022120927581
Tiivistelmä
In 2021, Savonia University of Applied Sciences underwent an organisational change. The change resulted in a new team structure, where language teachers were formed into one team and assigned a new manager. The main objective of the thesis was to research what kind of personal expectations the teachers had towards their new manager, if they received enough support from their manager and organisation, how communication between the team differed from communication with their manager as well as in what ways the teachers
would like to receive and give feedback. The goal of the thesis was also to review the current situation of the management and suggest development proposals.
The research is a mixed method research that was executed as a case study. Research data was collected through a confidential employee survey and the target group of the research was the language teachers’ team. The analysis method for the collected data was content analysis. The gathered data was intended to answer the research questions composed from the main objective. In addition to the survey responses, various scientific literature, professional literature, journals, research articles and online articles were gathered for theoretical framework.
The results of the case study indicated that the respondents felt they were familiar with their manager’s job description and their manager acted according to it, even though it could have been communicated better. The respondents showed several personal expectations towards their manager. The respondents felt they received fairly enough support from their manager and organisation. The difference in communication between the team members versus their manager did not differ greatly. The majority of the respondents felt they received enough feedback. The manager was viewed in a positive light and had succeeded in several areas.
Rules of governance that encase the job description of the manager, should be familiarised with the language team. Personal expectations of the teachers highlighted that motivating, encouraging and helping individual development was viewed as most essential, but overall, the responses were divided evenly and suggest a wider scale of individual expectations towards their manager. Motivation and encouragement were favoured as ways to receive support and the rest of the responses stated versatile needs, such as meetings with other team members. Spontaneous daily interaction was viewed as the most natural way to give and receive feedback. As for possible follow-up research, a further study could discuss whether the team members feel like they receive enough motivation, encouragement and help to develop individually and how the teachers perceive communication within the team. The need for developing dialogue and mapping out the communicational roles could be examined. Monitoring whether suggestions made in the thesis have been utilised can be made via for example pulse surveys and additional performance appraisals.
would like to receive and give feedback. The goal of the thesis was also to review the current situation of the management and suggest development proposals.
The research is a mixed method research that was executed as a case study. Research data was collected through a confidential employee survey and the target group of the research was the language teachers’ team. The analysis method for the collected data was content analysis. The gathered data was intended to answer the research questions composed from the main objective. In addition to the survey responses, various scientific literature, professional literature, journals, research articles and online articles were gathered for theoretical framework.
The results of the case study indicated that the respondents felt they were familiar with their manager’s job description and their manager acted according to it, even though it could have been communicated better. The respondents showed several personal expectations towards their manager. The respondents felt they received fairly enough support from their manager and organisation. The difference in communication between the team members versus their manager did not differ greatly. The majority of the respondents felt they received enough feedback. The manager was viewed in a positive light and had succeeded in several areas.
Rules of governance that encase the job description of the manager, should be familiarised with the language team. Personal expectations of the teachers highlighted that motivating, encouraging and helping individual development was viewed as most essential, but overall, the responses were divided evenly and suggest a wider scale of individual expectations towards their manager. Motivation and encouragement were favoured as ways to receive support and the rest of the responses stated versatile needs, such as meetings with other team members. Spontaneous daily interaction was viewed as the most natural way to give and receive feedback. As for possible follow-up research, a further study could discuss whether the team members feel like they receive enough motivation, encouragement and help to develop individually and how the teachers perceive communication within the team. The need for developing dialogue and mapping out the communicational roles could be examined. Monitoring whether suggestions made in the thesis have been utilised can be made via for example pulse surveys and additional performance appraisals.