Factors impeding organisational change in education :a case study of Tatweer

Abstract

This study investigates the factors impeding organisational change in the public educational sector of Saudi Arabia. It does so to avoid the waste of financial resources by proposing solutions for better management of change in the public education sector. It also identifies the sources of resistance to change, approaches used to control them, and explores the role of internal and external communication in stakeholders’ engagement and in the management of change initiatives. A case study approach was adopted, focusing on the King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Public Education Development Project (Tatweer), the most comprehensive reform initiative introduced in the Saudi educational system to date. Data collection occurred via semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and reviewing documentary evidence. The research used snowball and maximum variation sampling to interview key informants from officials from the Ministry of Education, as well as teachers and head teachers at Tatweer pilot schools and private schools, to provide in-depth insights into the context of change and to explore the factors limiting implementation. The software package Nvivo10 was utilised to aid analysis. This commenced by coding to explore and compare perspectives. Matrices were developed for comparative pattern analysis at the Ministry of Education and school levels. Private schools do not perceive public schools as competitors and competition is not visible between public schools. The analysis of the management of the project revealed several problems surrounding the project’s implementation, particularly insufficient communication, lack of incentives, limited training, and improper resource allocation. Resistance to change emerged due to insufficient communication and incentives. The culture and social norms of Saudi society interfere with effective organisational management. Internal and external communication plays a crucial role in change initiatives and minimising resistance to change. However, in the Saudi public educational system, external communication is limited and tends to be viewed as superfluous, competition between schools does not exist, and external stakeholder participation is minimal. The findings revealed that parents’ minimal involvement impeded the implementation of change initiatives. Schools seldom engage in strategies to enhance student recruitment and without providing incentives, schools are less interested in enrolling additional students, which reduces competition, and consequently external communication remains of marginal importance in Saudi Arabia.