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8126469

Bell , K a th le e n Sa llo t

A STUDY OF MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES AS AN ACCOUNTABILITY
TOOL FOR SUPERINTENDENTS AND DIRECTORS OF ADULT AND
CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN MIDDLE CITY SCHOOL
DISTRICTS W ITHIN THE STATE OF MICHIGAN

Ph.D. 1981

Michigan State University

University
Microfilms
International

300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, M I 48106

A STUDY OF MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES
AS AN ACCOUNTABILITY TOOL FOR SUPERINTENDENTS
AND DIRECTORS OF ADULT AND CONTINUING
EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN MIDDLE CITY
SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITHIN THE
STATE OF MICHIGAN
By
Kathleen Sallot Bell

A DISSERTATION
Submitted to
Michigan State University
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
Department of Administration and Higher Education
1981

ABSTRACT
A STUDY OF MANAGEMENT BY OBJECTIVES
AS AN ACCOUNTABILITY TOOL FOR SUPERINTENDENTS
AND DIRECTORS OF ADULT AND CONTINUING
EDUCATION PROGRAMS IN MIDDLE CITY
SCHOOL DISTRICTS WITHIN THE
STATE OF MICHIGAN
By
Kathleen Sallot Bell
Numerous factors have forced school administrators
to

scrutinize closely the use of personnel and monies that

are spent within school districts.

As a result, administra­

tors have turned toward management systems, more specifically
Management By Objectives.
The purpose of this study was to identify the number
of school districts in a sample of 20 which were using MBO
and the extent to which they were using the system.

The

population was the 20 school districts within the State of
Michigan that comprise the Middle Cities Education Associ­
ation.

The sample consisted of the 20 superintendents

(or designees) and the 20 Directors of Adult Education
Programs within MCEA.
A questionnaire was developed and used as a stand­
ard format to interview these superintendents and directors.
The results were stated in descriptive statistical terms.
There was 100 percent response.

Ninety percent of

Kathleen Sallot Bell
the school districts were commited to written goals and
objectives.

It was felt that MBO was a system which would

provide direction for what, why and how.

There were some

problems with MBO in the beginning but necessary steps were
used to remedy these problems.
Management By Objectives was used for planning,
organizing,

supervising,

budgeting and evaluating.

There

had been individual input and a mutual agreement in establish­
ing goals and objectives.

Goals and objectives were not

rank ordered although in some cases were used for salary in­
creases or merit pay.

Both superintendents and directors

reviewed these goals and objectives in a written and/or oral
form bi-annually or annually.
There were numerous motivating factors stated for
achieving goals and objectives.

The superintendents and

directors were pleased with the present system of MBO and
felt it gave the school district a sense of direction and
consistency which forced people to review where they were,
what they had done and where they were going.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
To Dr. Melvin Buschman for his assistance, guidance,
and patience,

not only in the preparation of this disserta­

tion, but throughout the entire graduate program as well.
To Dr. Mildred Erickson for her encouragement and
support throughout this process.
To Dr. Robert Muth for his assistance and associa­
tion with Middle Cities.
To Dr. Robert Blomstrom for his friendship and
dedication to this researcher.
Finally,

to my husband Donald, the first and the

most important Dr. Bell in our family who without his
understanding,

encouragement toward this degree and

above

all, patience for so much, we never would have reached this
goal.

Thank you love.

ii

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page
......................................

ii

LIST OF T A B L E S ........................................

V

INTRODUCTION ..........................................

1

Background
......................................
Purpose ..........................................
Research Questions
.............................
N e e d ..............................................
Methodology ......................................
Limitations of Study.............................

1
2
3
5
5
6

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE

.............................

7

Introduction......................................
7
Data on Administrative Concerns ................
7
Mis-Management Styles vs. Management Systems. . 10
What is M B O ? ...................................... 12
Motivation and the MBO S y s t e m .................... 14
How Does MBO W o r k ? ................................18
Advantages of M B O .............
22
Disadvantages of M B O ............................... 24
Summary.............................................. 26
RESEARCH DESIGN ........................................

31

Definition of T e r m s .............................. 31
The Population and the Sample......................33
Instrumentation..................................... 36
Collection of D a t a .................................37
Analysis of Research Questions/Questionnaire . . 38
Assumptions and Limitations..................... 39
ANALYSIS OF DATA FROM Q U E S T I O N N A I R E ...........

41

Analysis of Research Questions ...............
.66
D i s c u s s i o n ......................................... 69

iii

Page
S U M M A R Y ................................................... 78
C o n c l u s i o n s ........................................ 82
Suggestions for Future Research.................... 83
REFERENCES................................................. 85
APENDICIES................................................. 88
Questionnaire
...................................
88
L e t t e r .............................................. 91

iv

LIST OF TABLES

Table

Page

1

Kindergarten-Twelfth Grade Enrollments .

2

Adult Education Enrollments

3

Age of Respondent

4

Various Titles for Directors of Adult
Education
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

.

.

.

.

42

.

.

.

. 4 3

.

.

.

.44

.

5

Number of

6

Number of Programs Under the Supervision
of the Director of Adult Education . . .

47

7

Length of

48

8

Length of Time Needed for Planning and
Implementing
.
.
.
.
.
.

.

Time Range for Setting Goals

.

9

Terms in Present Position

.

45

Time MBO Has Been in Use .

.

.

.

.

.

.

46

. 5 5
57

10

Number of Goals and Objectives Set for
a Year
............................. 58

11

Frequency of Reviewing Goals and Objectives

12

Method Used for Evaluating the Achievement
of Goals and O b j e c t i v e s .................... 60

13

Timetable for Setting New Goals and
Objectives .

v

59

61

INTRODUCTION
Background
In recent years,

it has become quite evident that

education and educators have come under serious scrutiny.
Accountability,

legislated or self-imposed,

has forced many

educators to evaluate and reexamine their goals of education,
that of educating our youth.

As of June,

1974, thirty states

had enacted legislation that addressed itself toward attaining
accountability.

(Hawthorne,

1974)

another factor affecting education,

Declining enrollment is
thereby causing admin­

istration to look more closely at effective utilization of
staff and buildings.

From 1970 through the 1 9 8 0 's, National

figures indicate as much as an 18 percent decline in elemen­
tary school enrollment and a 25 percent decline in secondary
enrollment.

(Perkins,

1978)

The State of Michigan projects

an enrollment decline of 25 percent for the 1980's.
Ignatovich,

1980)

(Hecker,

Funding is becoming increasingly limited

which is causing administration to be carefully concerned
about the management of human resources.

Throughout the

nation, many schools within school districts are closing and
consolidating,

hence an overload of administrators and staff.

Considering the above problems and others facing
education today,

research and literature point to the
1

2
importance of the use of management systems within educa­
tional structures.

There is an existing need for effective

management to plan, organize, budget,
at the local school district level.

direct and evaluate,
Consequently,

educa­

tional administrators have been exploring management

systems

that have been used for years in business and industry.

As

a result of this search, numerous systems have been adapted
and designed for organizational efficiency in education.
Some of these are as follows:
Budgeting System), MIS

PPBS

(Planning Program

(Management Information Systems),

OD (Organizational Development), MBO

(Management By Objec­

tives) , CBE

(Competency Based Education), MBR

By Results)

and ERMS

(Management

(Educational Resources Management

System).
Purpose
There is much evidence in the literature to support
the use of MBO

(Management By Objectives)

in educational

administration rather than other management systems.
overall purpose of this

The

study was to identify the number of

school districts using MBO and the extent to which it was
being used.

More specifically,

this study attempted to

answer the following 11 research questions.

3

Research Questions
Question Number O n e :
Was there a written or stated commitment by the Board
of Education for using goals and objectives in the school
district?
Question Number T w o :
Was there a formal management system such as MBO
being used within the school district by the superintendent
and the director of Adult Education Programs and if so, why
was it selected and for how long has it been in use?
Question Number T h r e e :
Was there a formal management system such as MBO
being used by the superintendent and director of Adult Ed­
ucation Programs for planning,

organizing,

supervising,

budgeting or evaluating in the school district?
Question Number F o u r :
Were there any problems with the initiation of a
management system such as MBO and if so, how were the
problems solved?
Question Number F i v e :
Were any long, medium or short range goals set by
the superintendent and director of Adult Education Programs
in the school district and if so, how many and for what
length of time were they set?

4
Question Number S i x :
Were objectives set by the superintendent and
director of Adult Education Programs in the school district
and if so, how many?
Question Number Seven:
Were goals and objectives rank ordered by the super­
intendent and director of Adult Education Programs in each
\school district?
Question Number E i ght:
Were goals and objectives used in relationship to
salary increases for the superintendent and director of
Adult Education Programs in the school district?
Question Number N i n e :
Were goals and objectives reviewed by the superin­
tendent and director of Adult Education in the school district
and if so, by what method and how frequently?
Question Number T e n :
What motivated the superintendent and director of
Adult Education Programs to achieve their goals and objec­
tives in the school district?
Question Number Eleven:
Given the opportunity, would the superintendent and
director of Adult Education change the present management
system used in the school district?

5
Need
The need for this study was to find out whether
school districts were being managed by sound management
techniques such as MBO.
education today,

With the current problems facing

it is necessary for educational administra­

tors to use efficient methods of management.

Because of

public awareness of MBO through industry and business,
citizens are putting strong pressures on administrators to
be accountable.
Methodology
The methodology used in gathering the data which
answered the above research questions, was a questionnaire.
The researcher used this questionnaire as a standard format
to interview the superintendent of each school district
(or his designee)

as well as the director of Adult and Con­

tinuing Education Programs within each school district.
pilot study involving two school districts

A

(not Middle Cities

Education Association districts) was conducted prior to this
research project.
asked,

In addition to the 11 research questions

a certain amount of demographic material was gathered.

The collected data was analyzed by using simple-frequency
distributions as well as cumulative-frequency distributions.
This area will be dealt with at greater length under Research
De s i g n .

6
Limitations of This Study
This research project did not intend to deal with
teacher or course evaluations in the Adult Education Programs
nor with evaluation of administrators.

It did not intend

to do research on any other management system other than
MBO nor did it intend to give step-by-step directions for
establishing a MBO program.

REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE
Introduction
Numerous factors have forced school administrators
to scrutinize closely the use of personnel and monies that
are spent within school districts.
are:

administrative accountability,

limited/decreased funding,
and teacher lay offs.

Some of these concerns
declining enrollment,

school closings/consolidations

As a result of these concerns,

edu­

cational administrators have turned toward management systems
for guidance and direction.

Industry has successfully used

MBO for many years and it is this system that is becoming
widely used in educational administration today.
Data on Administrative Concerns
Declining enrollment,

limited/decreased funding,

school closings/consolidations and teacher lay-offs are
relatively new problems facing education today.
has been decreasing steadily since 1970.

Enrollment

From 1970 through

the 1 9 8 0 's, national figures indicate as much as an 18 per­
cent decline in elementary enrollment and a 25 percent de­
cline in secondary enrollment.

(Perkins,

1978)

For the

same period, projections for the State of Michigan indicate
a

K-12 enrollment decline of 25 percent.
7

In the 1971-72

8
school year, K-12 enrollment in Michigan was 2,364,628 and
the most likely projection for 1984-85 is 1,793,759.
Ignatovich,

1980)

(Hecker,

Declining enrollment is a concern both

nationally and state-wide.
As a result of declining enrollment,

school districts

are faced with the need to close and consolidate schools
which then causes an excess of teachers.

The following in­

formation dealing with limited/decreased funding,

school

closings/consolidations and teacher lay-offs deals solely
with data gathered from the sample of this research study.
Data was gathered by asking each superintendent,
designee,

or his

how his school district was being affected by

these problems.

National and state-wide figures were un­

available or insufficient to provide a comprehensive over­
view of these problems.

As a result,

it was felt by this

researcher that including data as it pertained to the sample
was more relevent than using whatever scant national or
state-wide figures that were available.
As far as limited/decreased funding, many of the
20 superintendents responded similarily.

Those districts

that were formula districts knew their funding would de­
crease, but when interviewed,

did not know to what extent.

A formula district is one that receives full state reim­
bursement based on full-time student equivalency as deter­
mined by a count taken on the fourth Friday of the first
semester.

Districts out of formula do not receive state

funding because there are local monies from taxes and millages

9
to support school districts.

Those districts out of for­

mula were unsure of future funding since millage elections
were upcoming.

Those districts that were supported,

in part,

by endowed funds felt relatively secure with their financial
situation.
Within the past ten years,

69 elementary schools

and nine junior high schools have closed.

Over the next

six years, three school districts already know that 18 el­
ementary schools,

two junior high schools and one senior high

school will be closed.

Within the past four years,

845

teacher/employees have been laid off with 12 3 recalled.
one district,

In

those lay offs included all art, music and

physical education teachers.

In two districts,

superinten­

dents stated that even teachers with up to 10 and 11 years
tenure would not be protected from future lay offs.

Another

superintendent reported that although 100 teachers had been
laid off within the K-12 schools, these teachers were hired
by the Adult Education Department to meet the needs of their
increasing enrollment.

This was also the case in another

district where teachers that were laid off in K-12 class­
rooms were hired by Special Education to meet the increasing
enrollment within special education programs.

Although it

was stated that at least 16 administrative positions no longer
existed, attrition was recognized as the main reason for
this rather than lay offs.
not refilled;

rather,

In these cases,

the positions were

the work assignments were re-distrib­

uted among remaining administrative staff.

10
Mis-Management Styles vs. Management Systems
The above problems have forced educational admin­
istrators to move toward the use of MBO.

Unfortunately,

because of time constraints and unclear expectations,

indi­

viduals often find themselves operating in numerous mis­
management styles.

To the individual, however,

to be management systems.

Four of these styles are:

1)

management by deadline,

3)

management by exception,

(Hopkins,

1977, Goddu,

2)

management by crisis,

4)

management by instinct.

1975, Keim,

Department of Education,

these appear

1975, Colorado State

1975)

The first of these mis-management styles, management
by deadline,

finds the administrator putting off accomplish­

ing a task until the deadline.

When the deadline is immin­

ent, he frantically rushes around to complete the task.
Once completed,

he sits back to await the next deadline and,

thus, begin the above process over again.
As a result of management by deadline,
of mis-management,
situation,

another style

management by crisis, emerges.

administrators become fire-fighters.

little time is spent on planning,

In this
Initially,

and therefore there are

more fires to put out which consequently leaves little time
for planning.

This process is self-perpetuating and could

go on indefinitely.
little,

With this day-to-day type of management,

if any long-range planning is accomplished.
The third mis-management style, management by ex­

ception,

is not entirely bad and is frequently used.

With

11
this style, an administrator follows a specific line of
action or performance,

although in most cases, what is ex­

pected of him has not been completely explained.

All is

well as long as he stays in step with what he has been doing.
If he has been doing a good job, his supervisor gives him
a pat on the back and leaves him alone.

In situations

where he is unsure of what he is doing or what is required
of him, he has a tendency to deviate.
this system are:

The drawbacks with

much time is lost while trying to re-route

the employee and if he never should get back on the right
track,

the loss of his job may occur.
A fourth style, management by instinct runs some­

what parallel to management by exception.

Few administra­

tors have a clear vision as to what they expect of their
supervisors.

Consequently,

these individuals do not have a

clear understanding of what to expect from the people they
direct.

Therefore,

organized manner,

rather than operating in any specific

they manage by an instinct for survival,

a basic human need.
All four of these mis-management styles are time
wasters which become educationally self-defeating.

The

successful administrator is one who uses his time effectively
and efficiently.

The addage,

"Time is money",

is as true in

educational administration as it has been in industry.
sequently,

Con­

there needs to be an overall scheme to eliminate

wasted time, to successfully accomplish the day-to-day op­
erations and long range planning required in educational

12
administration.

The following quote aptly sums this up:

"We could say everything is going according
had a plan.".

(Hopkins,

to plan if

we

1977)

What is MBO?
Literature list many definitions of MBO.

Basically,

they all mention various aspects of the definition listed
below.

This definition was selected because it gives a

comprehensive view of the system.

The only condition,

a very importnat one, not mentioned is

and

that setting goals

and objectives needs to be a two-way process between super­
visor and sub-ordinate.

The following is the definition of

MBO as it is used in this research study:
approach to management that determines:
done,

personnel,

4)

equipment, money,

factory performance,

1974)

what must be
2)

how

(the program steps or plan of action),

when it must be done,

and 7)

1)

including the establishment of priorities,

it must be done
3)

"a professional

6)

what resources are needed:
5)

what constitutes satis­

how much progress is achieved,

when and how to take corrective action."

(Finch,

The system of MBO can be used in all phases of ed­

ucational administration:
budgeting or evaluating.
using MBO,

planning,

organizing,

supervising,

In most of the school districts

it is used in all five of these areas,

to varying

degrees.
Peter Drucker,

as early as 1954, has been credited

with originating the MBO concept.

(Finch,

1974)

In the

13
late 1950's MBO started out in the private sector, expanded
to industry in the early 1960's and by the late 1960's and
early 1 9 7 0 's emerged in education.

(Dunn,

1975)

It was at

this time that educational administrators turned toward the
use of MBO.
result,

It was new,

topical and very popular.

As a

administrators gladly accepted MBO as a panacea for

their woes.

The concept is based on goal setting.

This

forces an individual to develop a plan for setting goals and
objectives and establishing a means to achieve them.

When

an individual has a better understanding of what he is trying
to accomplish or what he is being asked to accomplish,

the

chances of accomplishing it are greatly improved.
Motivation,
behavior",

defined as "activation and direction of

(Hopkins, 1977) plays a significant role in MBO.

Drucker claims that any organization could benefit from MBO
because it improves managerial motivation.

(DeFee,

1977)

When organizational needs are converted into personal goals,
both the individual and the organization benefit.

The fol­

lowing section on motivation names or explicates the theories
of Maslow, Knowles,

Herzberg, McGregor and McClleland.

Maslow and Knowles deal with needs and the necessity of
lower level needs being met before an individual can be
motivated to achieve higher level needs.

Herzberg's job

enrichment as a motivating factor and McGregor's Theory Y,
are close parallels to MBO.

McClleland deals with individ­

ual tra.its as they relate to motivation.
produce effective managers,

These traits, which

are found in the MBO system.

14
Motivation and the MBO System
Probably one of the most prominent authorities in
the area of needs is the theorist, Abraham Maslow and his
Heirarchy of Needs.
levels of needs:
2)

(Maslow,

1)

3)

4)

(food, shelter,

rest),

(emotional and job security and

social and love

tification) ,

Maslow presents five

physiological

security and safety

safety),

1954)

esteem

(belonging and group iden­

(stability, high evaluation of self,

self-respect which brings about self-confidence),
actualization or fulfillment

5)

self-

(reaching one's potential by

being creative and becoming everything one is capable of
becoming).

Self-actualization is a healthy man's prime mo­

tivation - what a man can be, he must be.
The lowest of these needs must first be fulfilled
before one ascends the ladder to the next needs level.

If

an individual is dominated by lower needs all others become
non-existent or suppressed.
needs emerge.

Therefore,

When these needs are met, higher

a need that is satisfied is no

longer a need.
Another authority with regard to theories on needs
is Malcolm Knowles
cator.

(Knowles,

1970),

He lists six needs areas:

Maslow's physiological needs),
3)

security

ences

a prominent adult edu­
1)

2)

physical

growth (a need to grow),

(physical and psychological),

(adventure,

excitement and risk),

to like and be liked by others),

(similar to

6)

5)

4)

new experi­

affective

recognition

(need

(needs to

15
feel he is of worth to himself and others).

Knowles

identifies needs as "motivating forces" and states that all
need fulfillment results in an action of some kind.

One

becomes motivated to fulfill a need and once that need is
fulfilled,

it is no longer a motivator.

One of the leaders in the field of motivation theory
and practice is Fredrick Herzberg.
of what he terms KITA,

(A Kick In The Pants, or thereabouts).

"Why is KITA not motivation?
front or the back),

He renounces all forms

If I kick my dog

he will move.

move again, what must I do?

(from the

And when I want him to

I must kick him again.

Similar­

ity, I can charge a man's battery, and then recharge it
again.

But it is only when he has his own generator that

we can talk about motivation.
stimulation.

He then needs no outside

He wants to do it."

(Herzberg,

1971)

He names the following techniques that are often
used for "instilling motivation",
this:

but do not really accomplish

reducing time spent at work,

benefits, human relations training,
communications,

job participation,

spiraling wages,

fringe

sensitivity training,
employee counseling.

While it is true that KITA improves the situation on a short­
term basis,

in the final analysis,

these KITA's reach a

satiation point and become irrelevent to motivation.

His

Motivation-Hygiene Theory on work attitudes is broken down
into two categories:
tivator factors.

1)

hygiene

(KITA) factors,

2)

mo­

Hygiene factors have already been mentioned.

Motivator factors are intrinsic to the job and are related

16
to job satisfaction.

The motivator factors are:

ment, recognition for achievement,

achieve­

the work itself,

sibility and growth or advancement.

respon­

The Motivation-Hygiene

Theory suggests that work be enriched in such a way that
personnel are used effectively - job enrichment.

Job en­

richment means that specific principles leading to growth
are implemented into the system.

Four steps that an organ­

ization needs to follow in the pursuit of job enrichment are:
1.

Job enrichment should bring the job up to the
level of challenge commensurate with the skill
that was hired.

2.

Those who still have more ability will be able
to demonstrate it better thereby gaining a pro­
motion to higher level jobs.

3.

The nature of motivators is that they have a
longer term effect on employee's attitudes.

4.

Not all jobs can be enriched,

nor should they.

Herzberg sums up his theory by stating:
have someone on the job, use him.

"If you

If you c a n ’t use him on

the job, get rid of him, either via automation or by select­
ing someone with lesser ability.

If you can't use him and

you can't get rid of him, you will have a motivational
problem."

(Herzberg, 1971)

Another leader in the field of motivational theory
and need is Douglas McGregor and his Theories X and Y.
(McGregor,

1971)

Theory X subscribes to the philosophy

that management must direct peoples efforts, motivate them,
control their actions and modify their behavior to fit
organizational needs.

Unless management does this, people

17
will become passive and must then be persuaded, rewarded,
punished and controlled.

Theory Y, on the other hand,

states that people are not passive by nature nor resistant
to organizational needs.
development,

Motivation,

the potential for

the capacity for assuming responsibility,

the

readiness to direct behavior toward organizational goals
are,

in fact, all present in people.

It is management's

responsibility to help people recognize these inborn
characteristics and to arrange organizational conditions
and methods of operation so that people can best achieve
their own goals by directing their efforts toward the or­
ganizational objectives.

He reiterates Maslow's theory

by saying that a fulfilled need is no longer a motivator
and that unless "there are opportunities at work to satisfy
these higher needs, people will be deprived;
behavior will reflect this deprivation.".
Therefore,

and their

(McGregor,

1971)

unless management discovers new ways to meet

the motivational demand of employees,

the fixated level

that develops will produce ineffective results within the
work situation.

In conclusion,

he states that Theory Y

shows great potential in terms of being effected through
decentralization, delegation,

job enlargement, participative

and consultive management and performance appraisal.
McClelland discusses needs as they relate to power
(n P O W ) , achievement
(McClelland,

1965,

(n ACH)

1976)

more self-confident,

and affiliation

(n A F F ) .

Persons with a high n ACH are

enjoy taking carefully calculated risks,

18
researches their environment actively and are very inter­
ested in concrete measures of how well they are doing.
Profit is not a motivator, only a means of feedback to
measure their success.

On the other hand, people with a

low n ACH need profit as an incentive.

Individuals with

a high n POW are authoritative and possess a high degree
of self-control.

They are not seeking personal power

(authoritarian) but institutional power

(democratic).

These people have a tendency to help the sub-ordinate feel
strong and responsible,
good job performance.

rewarding them when they exhibit
They make sure that things are well-

organized so that the sub-ordinate knows what he should be
doing and institute a strong sense of team spirit as well
as giving adequate feedback on where the employee stands.
Persons exhibiting a high n AFF over n POW indicate
persons who like people and are positively reinforced by
their "like" for them.

In a managerial position,

however,

they have a tendency to react on their "gut" feelings or
emotions and are unfair to others at varying times.
How Does MBO Work?
The institution of a MBO system is broken down into
three stages:
ing.

1)

planning,

2)

implementing,

3)

review­

The planning stage is considered the most time con­

suming phase, but levels off once the system is operational.
The most significant point to remember at this stage is to
plan for the future.

The past has happened and cannot be

19
changed and there is little input for the present, taut the
future is ahead and can be changed.
One of the first steps in planning is to conduct a
needs assessment for the school district.

A needs assess­

ment is defined as "a process of obtaining and analyzing
information which can be used in decision making."
1975)

(Watt,

The result of this process identifies problem areas,

the first step in problem-solving.

Once problems are iden­

tified, goals and objectives can be set thereby giving the
organization purpose and direction.
An important factor to consider is the need for
communication and input from everyone involved. Each member
of the

organization is a component of the overall organi­

zation and must look at his job responsibility in terms of
relating his goals and objectives to the system-wide effort.
This allows everyone to work toward the same results rather
than moving in opposite directions.

Individual goals be­

come extensions of the organizational goals and both must
be compatible for proper organizational functioning.
Once everyone has had input into the process, goals
are then established.

The broad district goals stated by

the Board of Education or the superintendent become dis­
seminated within the organization.

As these goals move down

the organizational chart they become more specific for each
individual as applied to his area of responsibility.
Be definition,

goals are broad, general statements

of intent, usually not quantifiable

(Hopkins,

1977) and

20
occurring beyond two years from the present.

(Baker,

1975)

On the other hand, objectives are short statements of in­
tent, quantifiable and measurable

(Hopkins,

1977)

usually

occurring from a semester up to two years from the present.
(Baker, 1975)
range

Goals fall into three categories:

(up to one year), medium range

long range

(five - ten years).

short

(two - five years),

As a rule of thumb,

an

administrator should not write less than eight nor more
than 15-18 objectives.

These objectives should then be

rank ordered for a more realistic approach to accomplish­
ment.

In some cases,

rank ordering and assigned weights

are used in relationship to salary increases or merit pay.
The literature listed many methods for computing salary
increases within each school district.
Objectives are the short-range methods for achie­
ving goal results.

They are written and need to specifically

state what is to be accomplished and by when.
operational,
quantity,

useful,

They must be

realistic and measurable in terms of

quality and time.

They must be under constant

review, analysis and refinement.

There is nothing wrong

with not meeting an objective as long as the reason is
known and some form of action is taken.
tended, modified or eliminated.

They could be ex­

Consequently,

a great deal

of time needs to be spent between supervisor and sub-ordinate
when writing them to be sure there is combined input and
mutual agreement.

Unless the sub-ordinate sees the need for

achieving these objectives and has input into their

21

development, he will not be motivated to follow through.
The establishment of the evaluation process is very import­
ant and must be decided upon in the beginning.

The indi­

vidual needs to know by what means he will be evaluated,
what times and for what.

at

Evaluation is a threatening process

and only when it is mutually determined prior to implemen­
tation of the system can the threat be alleviated.

The

unknown then becomes a know factor, thereby eliminating
the fear.
Because of the time needed to carefully develop the
above areas, the planning stage is quite lengthy if done
properly.

The literature reports this phase taking any­

where from two to four years to develop.
Once the planning stage has been developed,

the

second phase - the implementation stage is executed.

The

wheels of the planning stage are set into motion with the
most important aspect of this phase being delegation.
Delegation is "the act of allowing one's staff to accomplish
the assigned tasks".

(Hopkins,

1977)

A person can only be

accountable for something if he is given the authority to
carry it out.

If he does not have the authority,

he cannot

be held accountable for successfully implementing the goals
and objectives.
The reviewing stage also begins with the implemen­
tation stage.

The method of reviewing was established in

the planning stage but the process must become operational
immediately.

The success or failure of a MBO system depends

22
solely on this stage.
feedback,

Wtihout this system of review and

MBO will fail,

spent on planning.

regardless of the amount of time

This is when each staff member's per­

formance is evaluated with regard to the accomplishment of
his goals and objectives.

There needs to be a working re­

lationship between supervisor and sub-ordinate so that the
individual is evaluated on the basis of the goals and objec­
tives and not the subjective characteristics of the indi­
vidual.

The frequency for reviewing ranges from monthly

to yearly.

By reviewing monthly or even quarterly,

lines

of communication are left open and if it is necessary to
make any changes in objectives this can be done without
much wasted time.

This gives the individual necessary

feedback on his progress and lets him know whether or not
he is performing as planned.

This review process should

consist of a short written report stating the status on:
1)

what has been done,

2)

3)

plans for next month,

what has not been done,
4)

problems encountered.

supervisor should then respond to this report.
lowing such a process,

The

By fol­

individual and organizational goals

and objectives can be achieved with some degree of con­
sistency and harmony.
Advantages of MBO
Much information was found to support the use of MBO
in educational administration.

The following advantages

that were cited are broken down into two categories:

23
1)

organizational benefits,

2)

individual benefits.

The

first to be discussed is organizational benefits.
Organizational efficiency,

slef-direction and

progress are a few of the main advantages to the organi­
zation.

By setting and working towards written goals and

objectives,

an organization charts the direction in which

they want to go.
writing,

Because these goals and objectives are in

the sub-ordinate has a better understanding of

what the organization expects of him.

The desired results

then bring about change and progress,

and progress can only

be measured in terms of what one is trying to make progress
toward.

One of the most frequently stated advantages of MBO

is that lines of communication are improved which provides
a better atmosphere to discuss plans, progress and perfor­
mance.

This forces organizational planning to be more

precise and stresses time management.

As a result, there

is better delegation of authority and shared responsibility
which improves the overall organizational climate.

In

general, MBO provides a clear roadmap for everyone within
the organization.

It is a proactive system ratner than

reactive which eliminates mis-management styles.
With regard to individual benefits,

Douglas McGregor

feels that the "appraisal-by-results-system" of MBO in­
creases self-satisfaction which gives the individual a
certain amount of direct control over his fate.
1977)

(DeFee,

He is forced to realistically look at his job, what

he is doing, how he is doing it and where he wants to go.

24
The use of written goals and objectives helps him deter­
mine priorities and accept responsibility for his efforts.
This is a fair system since the individual has input into
setting his own level of achievement for these goals and
objectives.

Oftentimes,

he finds alternate ways of accomp­

lishing the job which increases individual creativity and
innovation.

The evaluation process provides him with feed­

back on how well he is or is not doing his job.
cases,

this provides documentation for promotion,

increase,

transfer,

person accountable.

demotion or dismissal.
However,

In some
salary

It makes the

if there is enough commun­

ication between supervisor and sub-ordinate,

problems can

be detected early and corrective actions taken to remedy
the situation.

This helps to minimize management weak­

nesses and build management strengths.

As a result,

teamwork emerges where everyone is working toward a common
goal causing an increase in mutual problem solving.
sequently,

Con­

the individual has a greater personal job com­

mitment as well as being stimulated to a commitment of
the organization's goals and objectives.
Disadvantages of MBO
One of the most frequently mentioned disadvantages
of MBO is time.

The process of planning a MBO system re­

quires a great deal of time.

If careful planning is not

done, a lack of cooperation,

a lack of commitment to the

system and resistence to change occurs.

Individuals

25
resist change because they are comfortable and secure
doing things they know they can do well.

Without a com­

mitment to the system there is failure to integrate organ­
izational and individual goals and objectives.
area frequently metnioned is paperwork.

Another

Initially,

there

is an excessive amount of paperwork associated with MBO.
This becomes burdensome and in some cases causes a quantity
vs. quality situation where the success of MBO is based on
the number of objectives set rather than the quality of the
objectives.

In other words, energy is being spent on the

mechanics rather than the results.

In some cases,

goals

and objectives are sometimes set too low to be challenging
to the individual whereas in other instances,
too high to be attainable.

they are set

There also needs to be a system

of set target dates where goals and objectives are reviewed
and if they are unattainable,
cation needs to be applied.

a back-up system of modifi­
There must be a strong com­

munication system as well as mutual agreement between super­
visor and sub-ordinate or else a supervisor and sub-ordinate
could impose unrealistic goals and objectives.

Without this,

MBO could become a system to get rid of people - the "cops
and robbers technique" where factions choose sides and by
sticking together they can beat the members of the other
team.

(Mullen,

1976)

if careful planning,

All in all, MBO can be successful
constant communication and continuous

monitoring are observed.

Failure to follow-up and

26
periodically evaluate accomplishments of goals and objec­
tives eliminates the accountability aspect of MBO, which
in effect, eliminates MBO.
Summary
The past ten years have had an impact on school
districts,

especially those districts within the State of

Michigan.

Declining student enrollment has been steadily

increasing,

causing numerous schools to close.

closed schools,

Because of

teacher/employee lay offs have occured.

School districts have also had to endure limited/decreased
funding.

All of these reasons have forced school admin­

istrators to turn toward the use of sound management systems
for accountabiliyt and survival.
In turning toward a management system, administra­
tors must be aware that they are looking for a system rather
than a mis-management style.

Management by deadline,

crisis,

exception and instinct are mis-management styles and not
management systems.

These styles are unproductive and

waste a great deal of time.

Wasting time and resources is

not conducive to operating an effective and efficient school
district.
this,

There needs to be an overall scheme to eliminate

a system for long and short range planning.
Management By Objectives is a system that many

school districts have adopted.

It first started out in

industry and slowly emerged into educational administration.
It is a structured system which forces administrators to

27

look at the district in terms of what must be done, how
it must be done, by whom it must be done and how the achieve­
ment of progress is to be measured.

The concept is based on

setting goals and objectives so that everyone within the
district has a better idea of what he needs to accomplish
and what he is being asked to accomplish.

The successful

achievement of goals and objectives is closely associated
with a person's motivation.

If he is motivated, he will

accomplish these and if not, goals and objectives will not
be achieved.
There are many authorities in the field dealing with
theories on needs and motivation.
lected for this study.

Five theorists were se­

Maslow lists five levels of needs

and Knowles lists six needs areas.

They both state that

lower level needs must be met before higher level needs
emerge and that once a need is satisfied,
a need nor a motivator.

it is no longer

The use of written goals and ob­

jectives in a MBO system allows the supervisor and sub­
ordinate to set goals and objectives taking the individual's
needs into account.

An individual cannot be expected to be

at a self-actualization level within the district if he is
concerned about whether or not he will still have his job
the next day.

Communication between supervisors and sub­

ordinates establishes an understanding of personal needs so
that there will not be a discrepancy in expectations.

28
Herzberg believes in job satisfaction and job en­
richment.

A person who is satisfied with his job is moti­

vated by achievement,

recognition for achievement, the work

itself, responsibility and growth.

A MBO system has the

recognition for achievement built into it through the
process of feedback in reviewing goals and objectives.

It

also stresses delegation of authority which allows the
individual to assume responsibility.
McGregor's Theory Y states that individuals are
internally motivated and that organizational conditions and
methods must be arranged so that these individual traits
can emerge.
ization,

This can best be effected through decentral­

delegation,

job enlargement, participation and

consultive management and performance appraisal.

The MBO

concept addresses itself directly to all of these areas.
McClelland deals with needs as they relate to
Power, Achievement and Affiliation.

The person with high

Achievement needs is interested in how well he is doing,
(the feedback process in M B O ) .

Those individuals with high

Power needs make sure things are well-organized so the sub­
ordinate knows what he should be doing,

(the purpose of M B O ) .

Those individual's with higher Affiliation needs over Power
needs wnat to be liked and oftentimes react by instinct,
being unfair to others.

This is a person exhibiting a mis­

management style which could be avoided by using MBO.

If

MBO were used, the built-in system of consistency for eval­
uation would be operational,

negating instinct reactions.

29
Now that MBO has been described along with its
close association to motivation,
works.

let us examine how MBO

The institution of a MBO system is broken down

into three stages:

planning,

implementing and reviewing.

The planning stage is the most time consuming stage and
requires a great deal of commitment.

It is at this phase

where district needs are identified and as a result, goals
and objectives are established.
goals and objectives,

From these broad district

individuals extract specific goals

and objectives related to their department.

It is best to

rank order them so that the more important ones are ac­
complished according to priority.

In some districts the

achievement of goals and objectives is related to salary
increases.

Consequently,

there needs to be a great deal

of communication between supervisor and sub-ordinate when
goals and objectives are set.

Therefore,

the method to

be used for the evaluation process of these goals and ob­
jectives needs to be decided upon in the planning stage.
The second phase is the implementation stage and
stresses the delegation of responsibility and authority so
that an individual is able to accomplish the set tasks.
The reviewing stage also becomes operational at this time.
Unless goals and objectives are evaluated and there is suf­
ficient feedback to the individual, MBO will fail.

The

individual needs to know whether or not he is performing
according to set expectations and if not, what measures
should be taken to be sure he is.

30
Management By Objectives,
has advantages and disadvantages.
are:

increased efficiency,

planning,

teamwork,

organization.
are:

like any other system,
Among the advantages

better communication, precise

a more personal commitment to the

The most frequently mentioned disadvantages

takes too much time, too much paperwork,

goals and objectives are set.

unrealistic

RESEARCH DESIGN
This section of the research study lists the
definition of terms and the research procedures that were
used.

The setting of the study,

the population and sample,

an examination of the questionnaire and research questions,
the instrumentation and the procedures used to analyze the
data are also included.
Definition of Terms
Management By Objectives:

A two-way process between Superior

and sub-ordinate which is "a professional approach
to management that determines:

1)

what must be done,

including establishment of priorities,
must be done
3)

how it

(the program steps or plan of action),

when it must be done,

needed:

2)

4)

what resources are

personnel, equipment, money,

5)

what con­

stitutes satisfactory performance,

6)

progress is being achieved,

when and how to

take corrective action.".
Superintendents:

and 7)
(Finch,

how much

1974)

Those persons responsible for the succes­

sful operation of a school district.
Directors:

Those persons with line responsibility for the

31

32

functioning of an Adult and Continuing Education
Program in the school district.
Middle Cities Education Association School Districts

(MCEA):

This is defined at length in the Population and
Sample section.
Adult and Continuing Education Programs:

Those programs

that deal with increasing an individuals additional
skills,
such as:

use of leisure time or vocational training,
Adult Basic Education Programs

(ABE)

(a

program dealing with all subjects through high school
level), High School Completion,

(a program which aids

students in earning a high school diploma), Adult
Enrichment,

(a proqram offering job skills,

leisure

time activities and home and family interests for
the purpose of providing an opportunity for selfimprovement and enjoyment), Community Education,
(a program to meet community needs through community
resources).
Commitment:

"The state of being bound emotionally or intel­

lectually to some course of action".
Planning:

(Morris, 1969)

"the rational determination of where you are,

where you want to go and how you are going to get
there".
Organizing:

(Hopkins,

1977)

"pulling or putting together into an orderly,

functional structured whole".
Supervising:

(Morris,

1969)

"directing and inspecting the performance of

(workers or work)".

(Morris,

1969)

33
Budgeting:

"planning in advance the expenditure of money".

(Morris,
Evaluating:

1969)

A system for judging the accomplishment of an

individual1s performance.
Goal:

"Broad general statement of intent, usually not
quantifiable".

Objective:

(Hopkins,

1977)

"Short statement of intent, quantifiable and

measureable - what is to be accomplished and when".
(Hopkins,
Motivation:

1977)

"activation and direction of behavior".

(Hopkins,

1977)

The Population and Sample
The population of this study was the 20 school
districts within the State of Michigan that comprise the
Middle Cities Education Association
understanding of MCEA,

(MCEA).

For better

a brief history of the organization's

goals and functions will be described as well as the reason
for selecting this population.
Association

(MCEA)

Middle Cities Education

is a non-profit organization formally

established in 1972, by Dr. C, Robert Muth,
Director.

Executive

Informally, MCEA existed as early as 1966, when

several school superintendents in Michigan,

along with Dr.

Muth, united for the purpose of obtaining compensatory edu­
cation money.

It was felt by the individuals involved that

state and federal governments gave little or no consideration
to middle-sized school districts.

Their efforts were

34

successful and as a result, the Middle Cities Act emerged,
a compensatory education program which became Article 3 of
the State Aid Act, Act Number 94, Public Acts of 1979.
As a non-profit organization,

MCEA activities are

funded through annual membership dues based on each district's
student enrollment and through state,
project grants.

federal and foundation

Annual membership dues are a combination of

fixed fees and a per student assessment.
the school population,
Presently,
members of MCEA:
Harbor,

the higher membership dues.

Ann Arbor,

Battle Creek,

Flint, Grand Rapids, Jackson,

Pontiac,

the larger

there are 20 school districts that are

Marquette, Midland,
Niles,

Hence,

Bay City, Benton

Kalamazoo,

Lansing,

Monroe, Muskegon, Muskegon Heights,

Saginaw,

Southfield, Willow Run, Ypsilanti.

Studnet enrollment for the 20 member school districts as of
September 1980 was 256,000.
Members of MCEA represent the core city

districts

within their metropolitan area and as such, exhibit a di­
verse ethnic background.

The total Middle Cities school

enrollment equals that of Detroit, Michigan.
The primary goal of MCEA is to improve educational
services to children.

In so doing, MCEA assumes a dual role

in that the organization presents itself to outside agencies
to create a better understanding and recognition of the
needs and concerns of member central city school districts
while also sharing and developing programs within member­
ship districts.

To accomplish this, MCEA has a research

35
and development program aimed at helping its members
toward finding better ways to meet their needs and solve
problems.

Additionally,

MCEA has continued to be con­

cerned with state and federal legislation affecting the
education of children.

Consequently, MCEA members also

act as representatives at state and federal levels to in­
fluence legislation and policy decisions as it affects
Middle Cities schools and the children who attend these
schools.
All member districts deal with such unique urban
problems and needs as:
lations,

diverse ethnic and racial popu­

a concentration of families at lower socio­

economic levels and a rate of high unemployment,

as well

as the general factors stated in the opening paragraph of
the Introduction.

Although these specific cities deal

with the same problems as much larger urban cities, they
oftentimes do not have the impact that the larger cities
do.

Consequently,

the development of MCEA gives the

member cities more visual exposure and political clout as
a collective organization for the improvement of educational
services to children.
(MCEA)

Middle Cities Education Association

is based at Michigan State University in East Lansing,

Michigan and is the only formal organization of this nature
existing within this country.
MCEA Executive Director,

In addition to serving as

Dr. Muth also serves as Assistant

to the Dean for Special Programs in the College of Education
at Michigan State University.

Because of MCEA's association

36
with the College of Education at Michigan State University,
an ideal situation has been created whereby the University,
through research and training,

is realistically tuned into

urban affairs.
It was therefore felt, by this researcher,
because of the uniqueness of MCEA,

that

its relationship to

Michigan State University and the extent to which MCEA is
abreast of current legislation,
programs,

research and development

that this was a suitable and clearly defined

population to select the sample.
the 20 superintendents

The sample consists of

(or their designees) and the 20

directors of Adult and Continuing Education Programs from
MCEA.
Instrumentation
The instrument developed for this study was a
questionnaire.

(See Appendix A)

The researcher used this

questionnaire as a standard format to interview the super­
intendent of each school district

(or his designee)

as

well as the director of Adult and Continuing Education
Programs in each school district.

Since the concept of

MBO may not have meant the same thing to each individual,
it was felt by this researcher that in order to maintain
consistency and continuity, each question should be asked
by the researcher during an interview so that any miscon­
ceptions could be clarified at that point.

Another reason

that personal interviews were conducted rather than

37
sending out the questionnaire, was to eliminate any re­
sponses the individual might make because of a pre-conceived
notion of MBO.

An example of this is:

way and that is not MBO."

"We do things this

(when in actuality it could b e ) .

Prior to the actual research survey, a pilot study
was conducted to test the questionnaire and the interviewing
process.

Two school districts, not MCEA school districts,

were chosen and in both cases,

interviews were held with

the superintendents and the directors of Adult and Continuing
Education Programs.
12, 1981.

This was conducted the week of February

The results of the pilot study brought about few

changes in the format of the questionnaire and the inter­
viewing process.
Collection of Data
On January 28, 1981, letters were sent to each
superintendent and director of Adult and Continuing Education
Programs in the 20 Middle Cities School Districts.
Appendix B for a sample of the letter sent).
explained the purpose of the study,

(See

The letter

set. appointment times

and dates with each and listed a schedule of school dis­
tricts to be visited on the same day as their appointment.
The following week,

telephone calls were made to confirm

appointment times and dates.

With few changes,

appointment times and dates were agreed upon.
superintendents,

all
Of the 20

seven used the designee option,

another person to speak on his behalf.

selecting

Reasons for doing

38

this were:

1)

one superintendent had only been in that

position for four weeks,

2)

two others felt that their

assistants were more informed on goals and objectives than
they,

3)

two were away,

4)

two gave no reason.

On February 12, 1981, this researcher met with the
MCEA task force of Directors of Adult and Continuing Ed­
ucation Programs that was held in Lansing, Michigan.

Be­

cause of the weather conditions, only eight members were
present.

At that meeting,

this researcher reconfirmed

interview dates and times as well as clarified any questions
that arose.

There were few questions.

Beginning February 19, 1981, and for the next two
weeks,

interviews were conducted with all 40 members of the

Middle Cities School Districts.

The results are discussed

in the Analysis of Data.
Analysis of Research Questions and Questionnaire
The results of this research study are stated in
descriptive statistical terms since most of the data is
classified as nominal and non-quantitative.

For the nominal

data, simple frequency distributions and cumulative fre­
quency distributions are used with the modal category and
percentages for measures of central tendency.

The quanti­

tative data deals with discrete variables and is presented
with the mean as the measure of central tendency.

39
There are 31 questions on the questionnaire.

The

11 research questions that were stated in the Introduction
are included within these 31 questions.

In the following

section, each of the 31 questions are analyzed according
to the above methods.

In the Summary,

these questions

are summarized as they related to the research questions of
this study.
Assumptions and Limitations
Limitations:
1.

This study did not intend to deal with teacher
or course evaluation in the Adult Education
Departments nor with Central Administration.

2.

This study did not intend to do an in-depth
study of any other management system other than
MBO.

3.

This study did not intend to give specific
directions for developing a step-by-step system
of MBO.

A ssumptions;
1.

It is assumed that Boards of Education would
have a written or stated commitment with regard
to using goals and objectives within the district.

2.

It is assumed that superintendents and directors
are using a formal management system such as
MBO.

40
3.

It is assumed that written goals and objectives
were used for planning, organizing,

supervising,

budgeting and evaluating within the school
district.
4.

It is assumed that goals and objectives were
periodically reviewed by superintendents and
directors.

5.

It is assumed that superintendents and directors
were motivated to achieve these goals and
objectives.

ANALYSIS OF DATA FROM QUESTIONNAIRE
Question Number O n e :

Name of School District

Each school district is referred to by an alpha­
betical letter from A to T, which was arbitrarily desig­
nated by this researcher.

This procedure will not be used

consistently with all the data since several school dis­
tricts asked that anonymity be used.
Question Number T w o :

Total Enrollment

Within the 20 Middle Cities School Districts,
kindergarten

thru

twelfth grade enrollments ranged from

3.000 to 35,161 with a mean of 12,824 students.
Table 1)

(See

These enrollment figures were supplied by the

superintendents of each district and were based on the
fourth Friday count taken in October,

1980.

Fifty percent

of the school districts had enrollments of 10,000 or less.
Enrollments for 35 percent of the districts were between
10.000 and 20,000 children.

Ten percent had enrollments

from 20,000 to 30,000 and only 5 percent had an enrollment
over 30,000.
Enrollments for the Adult Education Departments
ranged from 400 to 55,000 with an arithmetic mean of 7,725.
(See Table 2)

These figures were also based on the fourth

41

T a b le 1 .

K in d e r g a r t e n

- tw e lfth

g ra d e e n r o llm e n t s

Numbers
Enrolled

40,000

35161
29200

30,000
27366

20,000
18075

18000

15712
13000

10,000

12288
10063

10002

9300

8200

8600

5150

10000

6700

8000

4858

3800

3000
School
Districts

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

0

P

Q

R

S

T

T a b le 2 .

A d u lt e d u c a tio n e n r o llm e n t s

Numbers
Enrolled

55000

60,000
32144

20,000
18449

11000

10,000
6400

7000

5642
5,000
3904

2500
1843

3000

1328
772
447

820

1

School
Districts
A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

1311

1550

93

L

I

V

I

N

500

400

O

P

Q

R

S

T

44
Friday count taken in October,

1980, and were supplied by

the directors of Adult Education Programs.
school districts,

Of the 20

60 percent had enrollments below 5,000

while 15 percent were between 5,000 to 10,000.

Ten percent

had enrollments between 10,000 to 20,000 with another 10
percent having enrollments over 20,000.
Question Number T h ree:

Sex of Respondent

All the superintendents were male as were 95 percent
of the directors.

There was only one female director.

Question Number F o u r :

Age of Respondent

(See Table 3)

The superintendent's ages ranged from 38 years to
65 years old with a mean age of 49 years.

The ages for the

directors ranged from 2 7 years to 61 years old with a mean
age of 42 years.
Table 3.

Age of respondent

Superintendents
35
41
46
51
56
61

-

40
45
50
55
60
65

Question Number F i v e :

f

Directors

3
3
4
7
2
1

Position/Title

25
31
36
41
46
51
56
61

-

30
35
40
45
50
55
60
65

f
1
3
6
5
3
1
0
1

(See Table 4)

All 20 superintendents were called superintendents.
However,

there was much diversity in titles among the

45

directors.

Of the 16 different titles,

Director of Com­

munity Education was the modal category.
Table 4.

Various titles for directors of adult education

Title

f

Asst. Superintendent for Continuing Education
Administrative Assistant to Superintendent
Assoc. Superintendent of Community Education
Administrator for Adult Continuing Education
Assoc. Director of Adult and Community Education
Dir. of Personnell and Adult and Continuing
Education
Dir. of Community Education
Dir. of Adult and Community Education
Dir. of Community Education and Adult Education
Dir. of Adult and Continuing Education
Co-ordinator of Adult and Continuing Education
Co-ordinator of Community Services
Supervisor for Community Education
Secondary Principal
Elementary Principal - Director of Adult Education
Assistant Principal

1
1
1
1
1
1
4
1
1
1
2
1
1
1
1
1

Question Number S i x : Number of Years in this Position
(See Table 5)
The number of years for superintendents ranged from
2 months to 16 years with an arithmetic mean of 5.4 years.
For the directors,

length of time ranged from 6 months to

13 years with the mean number of years being 6.7.

46
Table 5.

Number of years in present position

Superintendents
0 - 2
2 - 5
5-10
over 10

f

years
years
years
years

Directors
0 - 2
2 - 5
5-10
over 10

3
9
5
3

Question Number S even:
Superintendent

f

years
years
years
years

2
9
3
6

Line Relationship of Director to

Thirty-five percent

(7) of the directors report

directly to the superintendent while 60 percent
twice removed from the superintendent,

(12) are

in that they report

to their superior who then reports directly to the super­
intendent.

In one instance,

the director was 7 times re­

moved from the superintendent.
Question Number E i g h t :

Status on Educational Degrees

Of the 20 superintendents,
Ph.D. degree,

25 percent

50 percent

(5) an Ed.D. degree,

an Education Specialist and 10 percent
Ninety percent

cent

15 percent

(3)

(2) a Masters degree.

(18) are not studying for an additional

degree and 10 percent
the directors,

(10) have a

(2) are working toward a Ph.D.

5 percent

(1) have an Ed.D. degree,

(3) an Education Specialist degree,

Among

15 per­

40 percent

(8) a

Masters plus additional credits and an additional 40 per­
cent

(8) have a Masters degree.

Seventy-five percent

(15)

are not working toward any other degree, while 20 percent
are pursuing a Ph.D. and

5 percent

(4)

(1) a Specialist degree.

47
Question Number N i n e : Number of Programs under the super­
vision of the director of Adult Education
(See
Table 6)
The number of programs ranged from 2 to 18 with a
mean number of programs being 7.
Table 6.

Number of programs under the supervision of the
director of Adult Education

Number of Programs

Number of Districts

2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
18

1
2
3
2
3
2
3
1
2
1

Question Number T e n : Is there a written or stated commit­
ment on behalf of the Board of Education in the
school district for using goals and objectives?
Four Boards of Education,

or 20 percent of the 20

schol districts do not have a formal commitment for using
goals and objectives,

while 80 percent

(16) do have a

formal commitment for using them.
Question Number E l e v e n .Is there a written or stated com­
mitment on behalf of superintendents and directors
of Adult Education Programs for using a system of
Management By Objectives?
Ten percent

(2) of the superintendents indicated

that they were not using any form of MBO in their district,
while 90 percent

(18) indicated that they were.

The

48
directors responded that 15 percent

(3) of them were not

using any form of MBO while 85 percent
Question Number Twelve:
Table 7)

(17) were.

How long has MBO been in use?

(See

The number of years that MBO has been in use ranged
from 2 years to 16 years with a mean of 7.4 years.
Table 7.

Length of time MBO has been in use

Number of Years

Number of School Districts

2
3
4
4.6
6
7
8
9
11
13
*16

1
2
3
1
2
2
2
1
1
3
-

* - This is School District J and is discussed under
Question Number Thirteen

Question Number Thirteen:

Why was MBO selected?

This question was posed during each interview with
the superintendents and directors of the 18 school districts
presently using MBO.

Data is not included for districts B

and C since both superintendents were not in their present
position when the system was initiated.
the reasons for the selection of MBO.

The following are

49
The Board of Education in district N hired their
present superintendent based on the fact that he had suc­
cessfully used a MBO system in his former school district.
Somewhat similar to this are school districts F and T
where the superintendents brought MBO with them, although
they had not been hired on this premise.
they had used in the past,

It was a system

realized success with it and

felt comfortable with its adoption in their new districts.
In school district L, the Board of Education decided that
the district should use MBO and made its implementation a
Board priority.
Several school districts are situated in cities
that are influenced quite heavily by large industry.

In

at least two school districts this local industry played
an important role in the selection of MBO.

Because many

of the Board members in school district J were strongly
associated with MBO through their jobs in industry,

they

wanted the school district to adopt the same method to
answer the issue of administrative accountability.

In the

case of school districts R and H, the superintendents and
their administrative staffs felt that there were strong
influences coming from local industries to document and
annotate the use of their time and district money.

Hence,

MBO was put into practice.
Two other districts, G and M, two of the three that
have been using MBO for 13 years,

initially started out

wanting to implement a team management concept which was

50
the MBO of that day.

As time passed,

these two school

districts made changes and modifications within their
system and surfaced with a very strong MBO program.
In school district J, MBO had been in use for
16 years by the director of Adult Education and did not
come into existence with the superintendent and the school
district until 8 years later.

The reason for MBO being

used for a longer period of time in the Adult Education
Department was that this area was endowed and supported
by a local financier who wanted a system of accountability
of the money used and for what programs.
A statement made by Dr. James Hawkins,
tendent of the Benton Harbor area schools,

Superin­

summarizes

many of the remaining reasons why school districts selected
MBO:

"If you don't know where you are going, any road

will d o .".
In district A, MBO was felt to be a good evalua­
tive tool,

a unique concept with good strategies which

reduced oral orders and provided direction for the what,
why and how.

The superintendent of school district I felt

that the district needed an objective process to provide
for individual and district-wide direction,

since everyone

was going in different directions causing much duplicity.
District E felt that MBO established clear-cut categories
of management and that people need to be able to fit into
these categories.

With MBO, people think more thoroughly

and analytically and lines of communication are opened,

51

thereby keeping everyone informed.

In district K, the

superintendent felt that MBO could satisfy the need for
administrative evaluations which tied into the renewal
of their two year contracts.

The superintendent in school

district P felt that MBO would give people an opportunity
to do what they wanted to do and fit it into the district
goal plans.

Planning and having people report on their

programs was the reason that district S chose MBO.

It

was felt by the superintendent in school district Q that
the use of MBO was one way the Board of Education could
see evidence of change within the district.
School districts D and 0 are the two that do not
use MBO.

However,

3 years ago district D did use MBO.

They discontinued it after one year because they did not
feel that it was a practical system.

The superintendent

and administrative staff thought they had "a feel for the
community and could thus offer what they thought the com­
munity wanted rather than using any formal system".
District O does use a form of administrative evaluation,
which was initiated by their Board of Education.

They have

no desire to get involved with any form of a management
system.
Question Number Fourteen:
beginning?

Were there any problems in the

Seven school districts reported that there were no
problems at all when the MBO system was implemented.

There

was no friction among staff and the administrators were

52
happy to know what was expected of them.

However,

were some problems in the remaining 11 districts.

there
The fol­

lowing information will not be presented with accompanying
coded school districts because of the nature of some com­
ments .
The main concern,
same:

voiced by 5 districts, was the

the evaluation process threatened people and they

felt they would have to become too accountable.

Consequently,

it took time for them to develop trust and put aside their
suspicions.

Two districts felt there was far too much

paperwork involved with the system.

Three other districts

did not think that there had been enough communication
between the Board of Education,
administrative staff,
rective.

the superintendent and the

since it was implemented as a di­

This caused the administrators to be uncomfort­

able with MBO, question its need and in general,
sentment.

caused re­

One respondent felt that the initiation of MBO

came as an edict and was not used uniformally throughout
the district.

He felt it kept salaries down and that job

performance was placed on a personality basis with super­
visors .
Time was another factor that was mentioned by at
least three school districts.

They commented on the amount

of time needed for the planning as well as the time in­
volved in staff in-service for the implementation stage.
Some administrators had trouble getting started with the
program whereas others had difficulty in writing objectives,

53
they

were too wordy.

Another comment was mentioned in

two instances where it was felt that there was inconsis­
tencies among the evaluators.
setting since,

This was particularly up­

in both cases,

salary was related to the

evaluation.
Finally, one district felt frustrated with the
fact that financially they were hindered since they wanted
to do more,

as established by their goals and objectives,

than their budget would allow.
Question Number Fifteen:
the problems?

Was there an attempt to work out

All but one of the school districts followed up
with some form of remediation to the problems.
district that did nothing,

In the

the superintendent reported that,

as time went on, the problems seemed to solve themselves
and at present their MBO system was functioning quite well.
On the other hand, most of the superintendents realized
that in order for MBO to succeed,
to take place.

As a result,

some intervention needed

there were three primary means

of problem solving used by the other districts:
sentative teams,

2)

work-shops,

3)

1)

repre­

outside management

consultant firms.
The most popular of these three was representative
teams.

Meetings were scheduled that included representatives

from the Board of Education, administrators,
superintendent.

staff and the

These representatives met anywhere from

once or twice a week to once a month over a period ranging

54
from one month to one year.

The representatives then re­

turned to their respective groups and disseminated the in­
formation that was discussed and in turn,
meetings with concerns from their groups.

returned to future
Over time,

lines

of communication were eventually opened, trust was establish­
ed and suspicions began to ebb.
The second most popular method employed was work­
shops.
cern:

These workshops dealt with various areas of con­
communication,

input, writing goals and objectives,

the evaluation process,
work sessions,

etc..

By using speakers and having

this method also alleviated the problems.

Outside management consultant firms were also
brought in for problem solving.

This seemed a more pal­

atable method for some districts since they would not have
to deal personally with employees.

These firms accomplished

the same results as the previous two methods,
they were outside sources,

but since

achieving the same end results

was much easier for all involved.
Two school districts did not fare as well as the
above mentioned districts.

Not based solely on MBO, but

with MBO playing a major role,

one district followed a

grievance procedure and went into arbitration.

There were

some deep and very negative concerns which were highly re­
lated to the use of MBO.

In the case of the second school

district, enough concern had been raised over MBO to raise
the question as to its continued use in the form it was
being implemented.

Rather than compromise his beliefs,

55
the superintendent left the school district. A system of MBO
continued after his departure, but in a more modified form.
Question Number Sixteen:

Who initiated the use of MBO?

Within the 18 school districts using MBO,
cent

56 per­

(10) of the present superintendents initiated the use

of MBO and 44 percent

(8) of the former superintendents

were credited with its origin.
Question Number Seventeen: How long did it take for the
planning and implementing stages?
(See Table 8)
The data indicated a wide range in time spent on
the planning stage,

from two days to four years with a

modal category being one year.

One school district is

still at the planning stage and intends to implement the
MBO system toward the end of the 1980-81 school year.
the remaining 15 districts,

Of

the implementation stage ranged

from immediately after the planning stage to one year.

The

modal category is the same as the planning stage, one year.
Table 8.

Length of time needed for planning and implementing

Planning
Length of Time
2
3
6
1
1.5
2
3
4

days
days
months
year
years
years
years
years

Districts
2
2
1
5
1
1
2
2

Implementing
Length of Time
Districts
Still
After
3
6
1

planning
planning
days
months
year

1
2
1
1
11

56
Question Number Eighteen:

In which areas is MBO being used?

The superintendents responded that 83 percent
use MBO in all areas:
budgeting, evaluating.

planning, organizing,
Six percent

supervising,

(1) use it in all the

above areas, excluding budgeting and 11 percent
in all areas except evaluating.

(15)

(2^ use it

Seventy-eight percent

(14)

of the directors use it in ell five areas, with 11 percent
(2)

using it in all areas but budgeting and 6 percent

using it in all areas except evaluating.
not use it in any

(1)

One director does

areas, although it is used in all five

areas within that school district.
Question Number Nineteen: Do you have input into developing
goals and objectives?
Question Number Twenty:
p arts:

Is there a mutual agreement on both

These two questions were combined since the responses
to both questions were the same.

The answers from the super­

intendents were the same, a 100 percent yes response.
the directors,
cent

only 89 percent

Of

(16) answered yes and 11 per­

(2) responded no, they did not feel they had any input

or that there was a mutual agreement on both parts.
Question Number Twentv-One: For what time range are goals
set?
(Long Range (5 - 10 years), Medium Range
( 2 - 5 years), Short Range (up to 1 year)
(See
Table 9)
The responses from the superintendents indicated
that the mode was for all three areas:
long range.

short, medium and

Four of these eight superintendents stated that

some goals start out to be short range but, over time,

are

57
extended,

thereby becoming long range goals.

The other

four superintendents responded that they specifically set
goals in all three categories.
from the directors,
Table 9.

The mode,

for the responses

was in rhe short range category.

Time range for setting goals

Superintendents

f

Short only
Short and Medium
All three

5
5
8

Question Number Twenty-Two:
are set for a year?

f

Directors
Short only
Short and Medium
All three
Not using MBO

13
2
2
1

How many goals and objectives
(See Table 10)

The data collected from the superintendents responses
cannot be as clearly labled into goal or objective cate­
gories as can that for the directors.

Because of that,

frequencies will be stated rather than percentages.

Six

superintendents gave no information regarding the use of
objectives, whereas five other superintendents combined
*goals and objectives into the same category.

Consequently,

a range of one to over 500 can mean the number of goals, the
number of objectives or both.

School District I is still

at the planning stage, therefore neither the superintendent
nor the director could respond to this question.

In another

district, the superintendent and director use only goals, no
objectives.

58
For the directors,

the number of goals ranged from

zero to 35 with a mean of 8.7.

Objectives ranged from zero

to 105 with an arithmetic mean of 22.8.
Table 10.

Number of goals and objectives set for a year

Superintendents
Number of Goals
0-10
11 - 20
21 - 30
31 - 40
Not using MBO
Number of Goals
and Obiectives
0-10
21 - 30
over 500
Number of Obiectives
0-10
11 - 20
31 - 40
over 100
not using MBO
does not use

7
3
2
—

-

3
1
1
1
1
3
-

Directors

14
2
—

1
1

—

7
6
2
1
1
1

Question Number Twenty-Three: How often are goals and
objectives reviewed?
(See Table 11)
The superintendents responses ranged from once a
month to once a year.

The once a month response came from

the district still in the planning

stages of MBO.

started, they plan to review goals

and objectives once

month.

Once
a

Two superintendents responded that they only review

goals and objectives when needed.

Of the other categories,

59
the process of reviewing goals and objectives once a year
was the mode.
The responses from the directors ranged from once
a week to once a year.
a problem arises.
Table 11.

One director only reviews them if

The modal category was twice a year.

Frequency of reviewing goals and objectives

Superintendents
Will be once a
month
4 times a year
3 times a year
2 times a year
Once a year
Only when needed

Goals

1
1
1
4
9
2

Obj.

Directors
Once a week
Will be once
a month
4 times a year
3 times a year
2 times a year
Once a year
Only if there
is a problem
No one asks
Not using MBO

1
1
1
5
8
2

Goals

Obj.

1

1

1
2
3
5
3

1
2
3
5
3

1
1
1

1
1
1

Question Number Twenty-Four: To whom do you report re­
garding these goals and objectives?
All the superintendents report directly to the Boards
of Education.

Since six or 33 percent of the directors have

a direct line relationship to the superintendent,
port to him while 56 percent
visors.

they re­

(10) report to their super­

These supervisors then report directly to the super­

intendent.

As mentioned earlier,

one director is not aware

of MBO being used and another director does write goals and
objectives, but no one ever discusses them with him.

60
Question Number Twenty-Five: What method is used in eval­
uating the achievement of these goals and objectives?
(See Table 12)
Thirty-nine percent

(7) of the superintendents and

directors use a written form of evaluation.

The use of a

written form does not mean that they do not informally dis­
cuss goals and objectives at various times throughout the
year.

It means only that this is the predominant,

method of evaluation used.

Two superintendents and directors

use only an oral form of evaluation.
the superintendents

or formal

(8) and 33 percnet

Forty-four percent of
(6) of the directors

use a combination of written and oral methods of evaluation.
The combined written and oral methods were built into the
evaluation process at the beginning rather than the oral
method occurring as happenstance.

The modal category for

superintendent's responses was a combination of both written
and oral.

The modal category for the director's responses

was the written method of evaluation.
Table 12.

Method used for evaluating the achievement
goals and objectives

Directors

Superintendents
Written
Oral
Both
Will use
written

of

7
2

8

Written
Oral
Both
Will use
written
no one
checks
not using
MBO

7
2
6
1
1
1

61
Question Number Twentv-Six; When are new goals and objec­
tives set?
(See Table 13)
Seventy-eight percent
and 65 percent

(14) of the superintendents

(11) of the directors report that new goals

and objectives are set only once a year.
modal category in both c ases.

Once a year is the

Two superintendents and four

directors establish new goals and objectives on an ongoing
basis while another superintendent sets them as the need
arises.

Those responses listed as "not sure" belong to the

school district that is still at the planning stage.
Table 13.

Timetable for setting new goals and objectives

Superintendents
Goals
Once a week
Once a year
Ongoing
Not using MBO
Not sure
Obiectives
Once a week
Once a year
Ongoing
Not using
Not using MBO
Not sure

—

14
2
-

1

—

14
2
1
-

1

Directors

1
11
4
1
1
1
11
4
1
1

Question Number Twenty-Seven: Are goals and objectives
organization directed or personality directed?
Seventy-eight percent
and 76 percent

(14) of the superintendents

(13) of the directors use a combination of

62

organization and personality directed goals and objectives.
Twenty-two percent
(3)

(4) of the superintendents and 18 percent

of the directors use only organizationally directed

goals and objectives.

One director does not use MBO and

another director sets goals and objectives but no one in­
quires about them.

The modal category for responses from

both superintendents and directors was organization and
personality directed goals and objectives.
Question Number Twenty-Eight:
ordered?

Are goals and objectives rank

Of the superintendents and directors,
do not rank order goals and objectives.

56 percent

(10)

Thirty-nine percent

(7) of the superintendents do rank order goals and objectives
as do 33 percent

(6) of the directors.

The responses from

the superintendent and director that are still at the plan­
ning stage were yes.

The mode for both groups was no.

Question Number Twenty-Nine;
salary increases?
Fifty percent
yes and 39 percent

Is MBO used in relation to

(9) of the superintendents reported

(7) no.

Forty-four percent

directors responded no and 33 percent

(6) yes.

(8) of the
The mode

was yes for the superintendent's responses and no for the
director's responses.
Question Number Thi r t y : What is your motivator in achieving
your goals and objectives?
The analysis of this question is divided into two
sections:
responses.

1)

superintendent's responses,

2)

director's

63
The most frequent response from the superintendents
was pride.

They were motivated by personal and professional

pride as well as the personal challenge which is part of a
system and larger than the self.

Ego and the personal sense

of the value of education as well as doing the best job po s ­
sible also fell under the category of pride.

Others were

motivated by making sure the educational system met the
needs of the community and the children.

Two superintendents

were motivated by the challenge to pinpoint important edu­
cational needs considering their limited resources and bud­
get constraints.

One superintendent was motivated because

the Board of Education supported him while another was m o ­
tivated by getting people to contribute to the team effort.
Choosing his own goals motivated one superintendent and pay
was another's motivating force.
Among the directors, meeting the community needs
and doing a better job for the community was the most fre­
quent response as their motivator.

The next most frequently

mentioned area was that of enjoying one's job.

As long as

one had to work, he wanted to do a good job while another
was looking toward a promotion and a third would do his best
because he wanted to keep his job.

One director was moti­

vated because he was evaluated on his goals and objectives.
Power, money, professional pride and ego were the lowest
frequently mentioned motivators.

64
Question Number Thirty-One:
system?

Would you change the present

The data deals solely with those 18 school districts
presently using MBO.

The modal category for both superin­

tendents and directors was no.

Eighty-nine percent

(16) of

the superintendents responded no, one superintendent answered
yes and another could not answer either way since the system
is not fully operational.
yes,

The one respondent who answered

stated that he would like to change from MBO to a

system with newer strategies and models.

Those responding

no made follow-up statements to support their responses.
Management By Objectives was stated to be a must for admin­
istrators.

It forces people to review where they are, what

they have done and where they are going.
to become comfortable with the status quo.

It is too easy
Adjustments with

the MBO system can and have been made on an ongoing basis.
It was felt that MBO was a creative type of organizational
structure rather than reactive.

One respondent stated,

"Without MBO, the district would have died.".
summed up his feelings by stating,

Another

"Something much better

would have to replace i t .".
Of those who responded no, some had concerns with
the present use of MBO.

Although they were pleased with

MBO, they felt that some inconsistencies could occur,
MBO was a paper process and limited their time.

that

Management

By Objectives is a busy system that makes it hard to relate
to people and personalities.

65
Among the director's responses,
answered no, 11 percent

78 percent

(I.'*'

(2) yes, while another did not

respond because of the newness of MBO within the district.
The two who answered yes gave the following reasons for
wanting to do s o .
motion and salary.
down.

Personalities became a factor for pro­
Management By Objectives held salaries

There is a need to establish more of a check system

with administrative evaluations and then tie this into
salary increases so people feel that it was an evaluation
that was beneficial to them.

As one person stated,

"Why

put the time in and then not get the recognition for it?".
Of the 14 directors who responded no, one director
made a qualifying statement.

He would like more time with

the superintendent for him to see the problems and discuss
the needs within the Adult Education Department.

Other

directors gave supportive comments for the present MBO
system.

Management By Objectives was seen as a form of

continuity from the Board of Education down to the teachers,
giving the directors a sense of direction for where every­
one is operating from and where the school district is
headed.

It was felt that MBO has value in giving self-

direction so people can step back and look at the entire
picture,

rather than segmented aspects.

It is direct and

explains what individuals are doing and what needs to be
done within an for the district.

66
Analysis of Research Questions
Research Question Number O n e :

Was there a written or

stated commitment on behalf of the Board of Education
for using goals and objectives in the school district?
Eighty percent of the 20 Boards of Education were
committed to using written goals and objectives in the
school district.
Research Question Number T w o :

Was there a formal manage­

ment system such as MBO being used within the school
district by the superintendents and the directors of
Adult Education Programs and if so, why was it selected
and for how long had it been in use?
Ninety percent of the superintendents and 85 per­
cent of the directors were using MBO.
time it had been in use was 7.4 years.

The mean length of
The reasons for

selecting MBO have been discussed in question number thir­
teen .
Research Question Number T h r e e ;

Was there a formal manage­

ment system such as MBO being used by the superinten­
dents and directors of Adult Education Programs for plan­
ning, organizing,

supervising,

budgeting or evaluating

in the school district?
Eighty-three percent of the superintendents and 78
percent of the directors used MBO in all five of the above
areas.

Six percent of the superintendents and 11 percent of

67
the directors used it in all areas except budgeting and
11 percent of the superintendents and 6 percent of the
directors used it in all areas except evaluating.
Research Question Number Four:

Were there any problems

with the initiation of a management system such as MBO
and if so, how were the problems solved?
Sixty-one percent of the school districts using
MBO did have problems while 39 percent did not.
cases,

In most

attempts were made to remedy these problems.

Questions number fourteen and fifteen deal extensively with
this.
Research Question Number F i v e :

Were any long, medium or

short range goals set by the superintendents and the
directors of Adult Education Programs in the school
district and if so, how many and for what length of
time were they set?
The superintendents and directors in the 18 school
districts using MBO set long, medium or short range goals
or a combination of each.

Responses for the superinten­

dents indicated the mode was a combination while short
range goals was the mode for the directors.

Data on the

number of goals set by the superintendents was urclear
while the mean number of goals for the directors was 8.7.
Research Question Number S i x :

Were objectives set by the

superintendents and the directors of Adult Education
Programs in the school district and if so, how many?
The superintendents and directors of the 18 school

68
districts using MBO did set objectives.

The mean,

for the

directors was 22.8 and the number of objectives that the
superintendents set was unclear.
Research Question Number Seven:

Were goals and objectives

rank ordered by the superintendents and directors of
Adult and Continuing Education Programs in each school
district?
The mode for both groups was no.

Only 39 percent

of the superintendents and 33 percent of the directors
rank ordered goals and objectives.
Research Question Number Eight:

Were goals and objectives

used in relationship to salary increases for superin­
tendents and directors of Adult Education Programs in
the school district?
The mode was yes for the superintendent's responses
and no for the director's responses.
Research Question Number N i n e :

Were goals and objectives

reviewed by the superintendents and directors of Adult
Education in the school district and if so, by what
method and how frequently?
The modal category for the superintendent's respon­
ses was a combination of written and oral evaluations con­
ducted yearly.

The modal category for the director's re­

sponses was a written form of evaluation conducted twice a
year.

69

Research Question Number T e n :

What motivated the superin­

tendents and directors of Adult Education Programs to
achieve their goals and objectives in the school district?
Question number thirty from the questionnaire deals
with this in depth.
Research Question Number Eleven;

Given the opportunity,

would the superintendents and directors of Adult Education
Programs change the present system used in the school
district?
The modal category for both responses was no.

See

question number thirty-one for more detail.
Discussion
As indicated in the literature,
increased in educational administration.

the use of MBO has
It was the only

formal management system reported in this study.

Eighty

percent of the Boards of Education were committed to the
use of written goals and objectives as were 90 percent of
the superintendents and 85 percent of the directors.

It

is interesting to note that although only 80 percent of the
Boards were committed to written goals and objectives,

an

additional 10 percent of the superintendents felt the neces­
sity for them.

Consequently,

they initiated a system of

written goals and objectives without a Board commitment.
The mean number of years that the 18 school districts
had been using MBO was 7.4 years.
the majority of the districts,

This indicates that for

it was begun sometime in

70

1973-74,

close to the time that the literature indicated

its emergence into educational administration.

However,

if

you look at school districts G and M, who have been using
MBO for 13 years, you will see that they initiated it about
1968, which was the exact time that the literature indi­
cated the earliest beginnings of MBO into educational ad­
ministration.

According to the literature,

school district

J could be considered avant garde since they have been
using it for 16 years which means they began sometime in
1965, while MBO was still at the industry level and before
its debut into educational administration.
Eighty-five percent of the directors were using
MBO.

The 5 percent discrepancy between superintendents

and directors constitutes one individual who was not using
MBO, although the remainder of the administrators within
the district were using it.

He had never been approached

by his supervisor and was totally unaware of such a system
existing within the district.

His line relationship to the

superintendent was not direct nor was his program one that
was highly recognized.

Consequently, he was more concerned

with trying to maintain his program and make it more visible.
He seemed somewhat antagonized and because of that was
striving to operate his program in spite of the district.
Another director who wrote goals and objectives,
did so only for his own benefit.
dated them as needed.

He implemented and up­

He was not overly enthused about

them and considered them rather worthless since his

71
supervisor never discussed them with him.

He was never

evaluated on their achievement and received no feedback
from his supervisor with regard to personal progress.
The reasons that were given for selecting MBO were
the same reasons that were cited in the literature:

ad­

ministrative accountability and accountability of time and
money.

It was felt that MBO was s system which would pro­

vide direction for what, why and how, establish communi­
cation and feedback,

increase teamwork,

be a good evalu­

ative tool and show evidence of change within the district,
through proper planning.

Although district D did use MBO

for one year, how much of a commitment did the school
district really have for its success?

One year is a rather

short period of time to expect a successful operational
system.

This was one of the districts where the Board of

Education had no commitment to the use of written or
stated goals and objectives.

Financially,

this district

was predominantly funded through endowments with little if
any contributions from federal or state monies.

Consider­

ing the above as well as their attitude for haveing a "feel
for community needs",

it is questionable whether this

district has realistically had to face the problems which
sister districts are facing.
It was interesting to note the degree to which in­
dustry and individual Boards of Education influenced the
initiation of the MBO system.

As pointed out in the lit­

erature, prior to the advent of MBO in educational

72

administration,

it was strongly supported in industry.

In some cases, Board members were industry personnel,
familiar with MBO and saw the importance of using it in
educational administration.

Anderson's definition closely

links the Board of Education to the use of MBO.

This was

supported in the data by the number of Boards who directly
and indirectly initiated MBO.
Eleven school districts did evidence problems with
MBO in the beginning.

These problems were the same as some

of the disadvantages of MBO that the literature cited:
time, paperwork,
threatened.

lack of communication,

These problems,

a sense of feeling

according to the literature

could have been avoided if sufficient thought and time had
been exercised in the planning stage.

The literature states

that a two to four year planning stage is not at all unusual
and actually quite typical.

The 11 school districts with

problems were the districts which had a planning period
from two days to two years;

of these 11 districts,

districts planned for only two to three days 1

four

This was not

a sufficient period of time to carefully plan a districtwide MBO system as evidenced by the problems that arose.
Necessary steps were taken to remedy these problems.

Per­

haps if more time had been devoted to the planning stage,
certain problems would not L;,ve developed and it would
therefore not have been necessary to establish representa­
tive teams,

set up workshops and employ outside consultant

firms to solve the problems.

73

In most districts, the superintendents and directors
used MBO for planning,
and evaluating.

organizing,

supervising, budgeting

Those districts not using it for budgeting,

operated under a needs/request system of budgeting.

With

the increase in limited/decreased funding in the State of
Michigan,

this would seem to be one of the strongest areas

for using MBO.

In one instance where it was not used in

relationship to evaluating,

the reason was given that eval­

uating was done on an individual basis.

Another reason it

was not used for evaluating was because at one time it had
been and caused such an uproar that the superintendent,
initiated the system,

left the district.

who

The evaluation

process had been far too threatening to those involved.
After his departure,

the evaluating process of the MBO

system was eliminated.

One district that does use MBO for

evaluating is having some problems with it.

It is tied

into salary increases and the individuals involved feel
that there is too much inconsistency and personality pref­
erence among the evaluators.

Because of this, they feel the

system is out to get them and their job.
Mullen,

According to

this appears to be the "cops and robbers" tech­

nique for eliminating staff.

There is obviously no trust

or consistency in this district with regard to the present
evaluating process.
For the most part, the superintendents and directors
felt they did have input into setting goals and objectives
and that there was a mutual agreement on both parts.

While

74
the directors set mostly short range goals,

the superin­

tendents set a combination of short, medium and long range
goals.

This seems to be appropriate,

since the superin­

tendents are responsible for the overall operation of the
school district presently as well as ten years from now.
Unless a superintendent has planned far enough into the
future for the effects of declining enrollment,
decreased funding,

limited/

school closings/consolidations and

teacher/employee lay offs, he/she will not be prepared for
them when they arrive.

From the

in the literature review,

numerical data stated

these changes are already happen­

ing in Michigan and will continue to happen according to
statistical projections.

On the other hand,

the directors

are an integration of the overall district and therefore,
not responsible for the entire operation,

only their seg­

ment as .it applies to the whole picture.

Their goals and

obejctives are established as the district goals and objec­
tives are disseminated downward from the Board of Education
or the superintendent.

This is not to say that they should

not set long and medium range goals and objectives,

only

that short range goals and objectives are more adaptable to
the overall scheme within the district.
In regard to the specific number of goals and objec­
tives that an individual should establish,

the literature

states somewhere between eight and eighteen are achievable
and manageable.

It is questionable how some of the indi­

viduals interviewed could possibly accomplish 21 to over 500

75
goals and objectives.

These persons may either be quite

paper-bound or may not be treating goals and objectives
very seriously.
The mode for rank ordering goals and objectives
was no

for both groups which is surprising since the

literature states that rank ordering creates a more real­
istic approach to the accomplishment of goals and objec­
tives.

Rank ordering and assigned weights are also used

in relationship to salary increases or merit pay.

Thirty-

nine percent of the superintendents do rank order goals
and objectives while 50 percent of the superintendents use
MBO in relationship to salary increases.

The 11 percent

of the superintendents who use MBO in relationship to
salary increases but do not rank order goals and objec­
tives employ informal assessments for salary increases.
Although this system does not presently cause any problems,
there are foreseeable problems in the future.

The entire

concept of MBO is built on the philosophy of an individual
knowing what is expected of him and having a concrete
measure as to how he will be evaluated with regard to
salary increases.
As far as reviewing goals and objectives,

both the

superintendents and directors did follow a reviewing process.
The superintendents used a combination of written and oral
evaluations conducted yearly while the directors used a form
of written evaluation twice a year.

These methods were

somewhat in line with what the literature suggested,

76

monthly to quarterly.

The superintendents reviewed their

goals and objectives with the Board of Education whereas
the directors reviewed their goals and objectivew with
their immediate supervisor.

The mode for setting new

goals and objectives was once a year and it was at that
time that new goals and objectives were set, extended or
eliminated.

The process of setting new goals and objec­

tives, extending or eliminating them was supported by the
literature in that there is no harm in not achieving a
goal or objective as long as the reasons were known.
Superintendents and directors reported that some goals and
objectives became unreasonable as time went on and had to
be eliminated or drastically readjusted.

In some situations,

the goals and objectives needed to be extended.

Once the

individual started working with them they discovered that
the goals and objectives were far more detailed than origin­
ally thought and more time was needed to accomplish them
successfully.
The responses to motivating factors clearly re­
lated to those found in the literature.
the superintendent's responses,

With regard to

their motivator fell into

the upper areas of Maslow's and Knowle's level of needs:
esteem,

self-actualization and recognition.

They were

also the motivator factors that Herzberg mentioned rather
than the hygiene

(KITA) factors.

also found in McGregor's Theory Y:

Their motivators were
assuming responsibility

and directing behavior toward organizational goals.

They

77

did not have to be punished,

rewarded or controlled.

These

individuals also exhibited high achievement and power needs
as stated by McClelland in that they were self-confident,
made sure things were well-organized and gave adequate
feedback to employees.

A high affiliation need could pos­

sibly be attributed in the situation where the superin­
tendents used informal evaluation assessments.

These eval­

uations could be based on emotion rather than concrete facts.
The directors responses differed somewhat in that
their motivators were listed lower on Maslow's and Knowle1s
level of needs:
affective.
recognition.

security and safety,

social and love and

There was some indication toward esteem and
They were also not motivated by hygiene

(KITA)

factor s .
In spite of the numerous problems that they encount­
ered and the time involved,

the superintendents and directors

were quite happy with the present system of MBO.

They felt

that MBO gave the school district a sense of direction and
consistency which forced people to review where they were,
what they have done and where they are going.
pressions of positiveness toward MBO,
MBO as found in the literature.

These ex­

sum up the purpose of

SUMMARY
Numerous factors have forced school administrators
to scrutinize closely the use of personnel and monies that
are spent within school districts.
are administrative accountability,
limited/decreased funding,

Some of these concerns
declining enrollment,

school closings/consolidations

and teacher/employee lay offs.

As a result of these con­

cerns, educational administrators have turned toward man­
agement systems for guidance and direction.

Industry has

successfully used MBO for many years and it is that system
that has become widely used in educational administration
t o day.
Management By Objectives is a professional ap­
proach to management that determines:
done,

personnel,

2)

how

(the program steps or plan of action),

when it must be done,

4)

equipment, money,

factory performance,
and 7)

what must be

including the establishment of priorities.

it must be done
3)

1)

6)

what resources are needed:
5)

what constitutes satis­

how much progress is achieved,

when and how to take corrective action.

This is a

two-way process between supervisor and sub-ordinate.

78

79

The purpose of this study was to identify the
number of school districts in a sample of 20 which were
using MBO and the extent to which they were using the
system.

With the current problems facing education today,

there is a need to find out whether school districts are
being managed by sound management techniques,

such as MBO.

The population of this study was the 20 school
districts within the State of Michigan that comprise the
Middle Cities Education Association

(MCEA), a non-profit

organization formally established in 1972.

These school

districts are middle-sized and deal with the same urban
problems that face much larger cities,

although they often

do not have the input or get the recognition that the
larger cities do.
organization,

Consequently,

MCEA,

as a collective

strives for federal and state recognition

that larqer cities receive.
20 superintendents

The sample consisted of the

(or their designees)

and the 20 directors

of Adult Education Programs within MCEA.
A questionnaire containing 31 questions was de­
veloped and used as a standard format to interview these
superintendents and directors.

The results were stated in

descriptive statistical terms since most of the data was
classified as nominal and non-quantative.

Simple and cum­

ulative frequency distributions were used with the modal
category and percentages for measures of central tendency.
The quantitative data dealt with discrete variables and was
presented with the mean as the measure of central tendency.

80

From 1970 through the 1980's, projections for the
State of Michigan indicated a K-12 enrollment decline of
25 percent.
10 years,

With regard to MCEA schools over the past

69 elementary schools and nine junior high schools

have closed.

Within the past four years,

845 teacher/em­

ployees have been laid off with 123 recalled.
There was 100 percent response from all 40 par­
ticipants.

Ninety percent of the school districts were

commited to written goals and objectives and had been using
MBO for a mean of 7.4 years.

One district began using MBO

as far back as 1965, while two others initiated it in 1968.
The reasons that were given for selecting MBO were
the same reasons cited xn the literature:

administrative

accountability and accountability of time and money.

It

was felt that MBO was a system which would provide direction
for what, why and how, establish communication and feed­
back,

increase teamwork,

be a good evaluative tool and show

evidence of change within the district.

Local industry

and district Boards of Education played a significant role
in the initiation of the MBO system.
There were some problems with MBO in the beginning
that might have been avoided if sufficient time and thought
had been exercised in the planning stage.

Necessary steps

in the form of representative teams, workshops and the use
of outside consultant firms were used to remedy these
p r oblems.

81

In most districts,

the superintendents and directors

used MBO for planning, organizing,
and evaluating.

supervising,

budgeting

They reported that there had been indi­

vidual input and a mutual agreement between them and their
supervisor on establishing goals and objectives.

There

was an unusually high number of goals and objectives set,
and they were not rank ordered although in some cases they
were used for salary increases or merity pay.

Both super­

intendents and directors reviewed these goals and objectives
in a written and/or oral form bi-annually or annually.

The

superintendents reported to the Board of Education and the
directors reported to their immediate supervisor, who in
some cases was the superintendent.
Motivating factors for achieving goals and objec­
tives paralled those stated in the literature:
actualization,

esteem,

recognition, assuming responsibility,

recting behavior toward organizational goals,

self-

di­

self-confidence

and the necessity for a well-organized operation that gave
adequate feedback to employees.
The superintendents and directors were pleased with
the present system of MBO and felt it gave the school dis­
trict a sense of direction and consistency which forced
people to review where they were, what they had done and
where they were going.

These expressions of positiveness

summed up the purpose for using MBO, as it is found in the
literature.

82
Conclusions
It was felt by this researcher that conducting per­
sonal interviews was more advantageous than sending a
questionnaire.

In doing so, the interviewee was informed

of the operational definition of MBO as it was used in this
study.

This clarified any variations of the concept and

meaning of MBO that they might have had prior to the inter­
view.
The personal interviews transmitted warmth,

feelings,

emotions and clarification that would not have been evidenced
by mailing a questionnaire.

Directors exhibited strong en­

thusiasm toward their programs and wanted to discuss them in
depth.

There appeared to be a sense of personal pride in

what they had accomplished within the community and they
wanted to share this.

Because of their pride of accomplish­

ment, there were some feelings of resentment because their
programs were not regarded more highly by regular educational
administration.

With declining K-12 enrollment,

it would

behoove some districts to turn toward Adult Education Pro­
grams as a revenue producing source through increased enrol­
lment.

By means of increasing adult enrollment,

closed

schools and laid off teachers could be incorporated into
Adult Education Programs.
Although the data more than supported the research­
er' s belief that school districts were using MBO,
questions arose.

several

Did those persons interviewed answer

83
affirmatively to the use of MBO because that was the ex­
pected response?

Were they truly using MBO to the extent

stated or did they answer so because they were identified
and their responses were easily traceable?

If there had

been some method of conducting personal interviews and have
the interviewees truly believe their statements would be
totally anonymous,

the data may have been different.

If

this had been possible, would more than one director have
answered,

"Yes, the district is commited to using MBO, but

I am not.".

Were they truly motivated by intrinsic forces

or, feeling a true sense of anonymity would extrinsic
reasons be cited more than they were?
Suggestions for Future Research
1.

Additional research needs to be done with regard to
examining ways that Adult Education Programs can
increase enrollment, thereby increasing fourth
Friday counts which are diminishing because of
K-12 declining enrollment.

Fourth Friday counts

are extremely important to school districts since,
in many cases,

this is the main source of district

revenue.
2.

Following the above suggestion,

research needs to be

conducted to find effective ways to join Adult
Education Programs and Departments with the estab­
lished regular educational programs since many Adult
Education Programs are viewed as step-children.

84
3.

Research needs to be done with regard to finding a
way to judge the effectiveness of existing MBO
systems within school districts.

4.

Further research needs to be done with regard to iden­
tifying the most effective management system for
school districts.

REFERENCES

REFERENCES
A School Improvement - Accountability Process Kit, #4.5.
"Coaching and Appraising Staff Performance",
Colorado State Department of Education, Denver,
District Planning and Accountability Services,
ERIC DR ED 141 923, 1975.
Administrative Management By Objectives, Policy 2100, East
Allen County Schools, New Haven, Indiana, ERIC
DR Ed 097 773, 1974.
Baker, Michael E.
"Management By Objectives for a School
District's Administrative Staff", Carnegie-Mellon
University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Educational
Management Center, ERIC DR ED 111067, May, 1975.
Coleman,

Peter, "Evaluating Performance of School District
Administrators:
Developing a Management By Object­
ives Scheme", paper presented at Canadian Associ­
ation for Studies in Educational Administration
Annual Conference, (Edmonton, Alberta, June 3-6,
1975) ERIC DR ED 105 611.

Criterion Referenced Education Associated To Evaluation
(CREATE), Education Service Center, REgion 14,
Abilene, Texas, ERIC DR ED 144 724, 1975.
DeFee, Dallas T., "Management byObjectives:
When and How
Does It Work?", Personnel Journal, January, 1977.
Design of a Management by Objectives System.
Case Study
Report 1971-74, East Allen Schools, New Haven,
Indiana, ERIC DR ED 112 468, 1975.
Dunn, Pierre, "Management by Objectives"NAESP School
Leadership Digest Second Series, Number 3. ERIC/
CEM Research Analysis Series, #18, National Associ­
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D.C.;
Oregon University, Eugene, ERIC DR ED 114 904,
1975 .
Educational Leadership by Objectives, Highland,
ERIC DR ED 112 475, September, 1972.
85

Indiana,

86

Finch, Arnold, "Management by Objectives in Fresno Unified
School District", Fresno City Unified School Dis­
trict, California, ERIC DR ED 096 767, 1974.
Fritch, J. Paul, "A New Crop in the Field of Educational
Administration", Contemporary Education, Volume 46.
November 4, Summer, 1975.
Gilli, Angelo C., Sr., Sixch Annua] Pennsylvania Conference
on Postsecondary Occupational Education:
Continuing
and Adult Education in Vocational Education, Pen­
nsylvania State University, University Park Center
for the Study of Higher Education, ERIC DR ED 111 965,
June, 1975.
Goddu,

Roland, "Evaluation in Management by Objectives System",
New England Program in Teacher Education, Durhan,
New Hampshire, ERIC DR ED 110 459, April 15, 1975.

Hawthorne, Phyllis, Legislation by the States:
Accountability
and Assessment in Education, Revised Report No. 2,
Bulletin No. 3100, Colorado State Department of
Education, Denver, Cooperative Accountability Project;
Wisconsin State Department of Public Instruction,
Madison Division for Management and Planning Services,
ERIC DR ED 098 681, November, 1974.
Hecker,

Stanley E., Frederick R. Ignatovich, "Michigan
Total, Public and Non-Public Membership Projections
Based on 1971-72 through 1979-80 Membership Data",
Department of Administration and Higher Education,
College of Education, Michigan State University,
July 14, 1980.

Herzberg, Frederic, "One More Time:
How Do You Motivate
Employees?",
Managing People at W o r k , Macmillan
Company, 1971.
Hopkins,

Charles O., "Management By Objectives:
A Tool
for Accountability,"Oklahoma State Department of
Vocational and Technical Education, Stillwater,
ERIC DR ED 143 788, 1977.

Johnson,

Milo P .,"Individualizing Instruction and Manage­
ment by Objectives, New Orleans, Lousiana, ERIC
DR ED 105 161, December 7, 1974.

Keim, William E., Pennridge School District, "How To
Evaluate Administrative Staff:
Recognizing Good
Management", ERIC DR ED 105 649, April, 1975.

87

Knowles, Malcolm S., The Modern Practice of Adult Education,
Association Press, New York, 1970.
Lessinger, Leon M., "Accountability:
Brand L , " Denver,
Colorado, ERIC DR ED 112 469, May, 1975.
Manual for Implementing Standards of Quality and Objectives
for Public Schools in Virginia, 1972-74, Virginia
State Department of Education, Richmond, Virginia,
ERIC DR ED 099 966, September, 1972.
Martin,

Robert A., James C. Quick, "The Effect of Job
Consensus on MBO Goal Attainment", MSU Business
Topics, Graduate School of Business Administration,
Michigan State University, Winter, 1981, Vol. 29.

Maslow, A. H., Motivation and Personality, Harper and
Brothers, New York, 1954. Chapter One.
Matson,

William, "A Goal Based Computerized System for
Evaluating School System Support Services",
ERIC DR ED 105 646, April, 1975.

McClelland, David C., "Achievement Motivation Can Be
Developed", Harvard Business Review, November December, 1965.
McClelland, David C. and Burnham, David H., "Power is the
Great Motivator", Harvard Business Review, MarchApril. 1976.
McGregor, Douglas, "The Human Side of Enterprise", Managing
People at W o r k , Macmillan Company, 1971.
Morrisey, George L., "Making MBO Work - The Missing Link",
Training and Dvelopment Journal, February, 1976.
Mullen,

David J., "Evaluation : A win-Win Way Through MBO",
The Georgia Principal;
Vol. 12, No. 2, ERIC DR ED
120 964, Winter 1976.

Wagner,

Ivan D. "Management Systems in Education", April,
1975, Paper presented at the Annual Convention of the
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Beach, Florida, April 19-22, 1975) ERIC DR ED 105 644.

APPENDICES

88

Appendix A.

Questionnaire

1.

Name of School District:____________________________________

2.

Total Enrollment:

3.

Sex:

6.

Number of years in present position:_______________________

7.

Line relationship of Adult Education Director to

M

F

4.

(K-12 or Adult Education):_____________

Age:_____

5.

Position/Title:_____________

Superintendent:______________________________________________
8.

Degree of Education presently attained:____________________
Working Toward:_____________________

9.

Number of programs under the supervision of the Director
of Adult Education:_________________

10.

Is there a written or stated commitment on behalf of the
Board of Education in the school district for using goals
and objectives?
_______ yes

no

11.

Is there a written or stated commitment on behalf of the
Superintendent and Director of Adult Education Programs
for using a system of MBO?

12.

For how long?

13.

Why was MBO selected?

Presently using________ ____ How long

Why?

Thinking of using

Why?

Using another method

____ When
Which

Using no method
Used MBO but dis­
continued

Why?
Why?

____ How long

Why?

14.

Were there any problems in the beginning?:____ yes____ no
Explain:

15.

Was there an attempt to work out the problems?:___ yes___ no
Explain:

89

16.

Who initiated the use of M BO?:____________________________

17.

How long did it tahe for each stage?:

18.

________

Planning stage

________

Implementing stage

In which areas of your department is MBO being used?:
________
____
_________
________
________
________

19-

Planning
Organizing
Supervising
Budgeting
Evaluating
Other

Do you have input into developing goals and objectives?:
________

yes

no

20.

Is there a mutual agreement on both parts?:___ yes___ no

21.

For what time range are goals set?
________

Long Range

________

Medium Range

_________ Short Range

(5-10 years)
(2-5 years)
(up to 1 year)

2 2 . How many goals and objectives do you usually set for a
year?:
G o a l s ______________ Objectives________
23.

How often are goals and objectives formally reviewed?:
Goals ________

O b j e c t i v e s _________

24.

To whom do you report regarding these goals and object­
ives?:
______________________________________________

25.

What method is used in evaluating the achievement of
these goals and objectives?:______________________________

26.

When are new goals and objectives set?:
Goals __________

Objectives________

90
27.

Are goals and objectives organization directed
___________ yes

no

or personality directed?:
___________ y

e

s

_____________ no

28.

Are goals and objectives rank ordered?:__

29.

Is MBO used in relation to salary increases?:
___________ yes

yes_____ no

no

30.

What is your motivator in achieving your goals and
objectives?

31.

Would you change the present s y s t e m ? : _____ yes_____ no
Explain:

i

91
Appendix B.

Letter

January 28, 1981

Mr. William H. Fairman
Superintendent
Niles Community Schools
720 East Main Street
Niles, Michigan
49120
Dear Mr. Fairman:
My name is Kathy Bell and I am in the process of
writing my dissertation for completion of requirements
toward a Ph.D. at Michigan State University in Adult and
Continuing Education with a cognate in Management, from the
College of Business.
The population that I have chosen
consists of the 20 schools that comprise the Middle Cities
Education Association.
The sample is the 20 superintendents
and Directors of Adult and Continuing Education Programs
within MCEA.
Dr. Robert Muth is a member of my Doctoral
Committee who has encouraged me in this dissertation topic
and the choice of Middle Cities to conduct this research.
It is my plan to interview each Superintendent (or his
designee) as well as each Director of Adult and Continuing
Education Programs.
The topic of this dissertation deals
with identifying the use of Management By Objectives for
planning, supervising, budgeting and evaluating, only at
administrative levels.
This research project does not in­
tend to deal with teacher or course evaluation of Adult
and Continuing Education Programs nor with any personal
evaluation of administration.
A standardized questionnaire
has been developed and the same questionnaire will be used
for both Superintendents and the Directors.
The question­
naire has been designed so that it will take a minimal
amount of time (approximately one-half hour) from your
already hectic schedules.
Because of the limited amount of time I can take away
from my present position, I have tried to schedule as many
neighboring districts on the same day as possible.
I
realize the importance of your time in dealing with your
district responsibilities and am therefore grateful for
your help and co-operation in this research project.
All
results of this research project will be made available to
you upon completion in case they may be of any benefit to
you.
If, in the interviewing process, you feel there may
be some additional information, along the format of the
questionnaire, that would aid you or your district, I will

92
try to add this, thereby helping you as well as conducting
the research project.
Considering the size of the sample, I am extremely
hopeful that there will be complete participation on behalf
of all the Middle Cities School Districts.
To facilitate
in the interviewing process, I have listed several questions
(on a separate sheet of paper) that deal with numerical
counts so that you can acquire these at your convenience
prior to our meeting.
On Thursday, February 12, I will be meeting with the
task force of Directors of Adult and Continuing Education
Programs of MCEA.
It is at this meeting I would like to
present myself, clarify any questions or concerns that may
have arisen and double check on interview dates and times.
Below, I have listed the school districts I hope to
interview on February 23, 1981.
I have scheduled Niles
School District on February 23, and an interview with you
at 8:00 AM and with Mr. Redman at 8:30 AM.
However, I will
call you next week to be sure this is convenient with you
and your schedule.
If you should be in the Lansing area
prior to this date and have an extra half-hour, I would be
most happy to meet you then, thereby negating the above
scheduled date.
In advance, I wish to thank you for your participation
and input into this endeavor of continuing education on my
behalf and am looking forward to meeting you.
8 - 9
Niles
Benton Harbor 10
0-1 1
1 - 2
Kalamazoo
Battle Creek
3 - 4
Sincerely

Kathleen A. Bell, M.A

Enel:

93
1.

Total District or Adult Education Enrollment:___________

2.

Number of Adult Education Programs under your direction
and the total enrollment for each:
Program

Enrollment