Purpose
The purpose of the study is to investigate how steering documents (quality plans, framework plans, strategic plans) are used by kindergarten coordinators and municipalities, and which learning processes should be initiated by kindergarten staff. The research questions are: (1) How is municipal development work initiated in kindergartens? (2) How are quality ideas translated in an interaction between management levels in kindergartens? (3) How is change implemented through the use of management tools and strategies in kindergartens?
Result
In Tromsø municipality, kindergarten coordinators collaborate actively with their own staff to translate steering documents into action. In previous research, the superior manager has often been regarded as the translator, but this study revealed that coordinators collaborate with their own employee group to translate the documents into action. As a result, the translation process becomes a collective collaboration between managers at different levels and with other kindergarten staff. The informants point out that this has resulted in more motivated and focused employees, regardless of academic background.
Design
The study was based on qualitative, unstructured interviews with 17 individual coordinators at three managerial levels (four unit managers, seven academic leaders and six pedagogical leaders) in municipal kindergartens in Tromsø, Norway.
References
Johannessen, I. L. (2020). «Ledelse og kvalitetsutvikling i kommunale barnehager: En kvalitativ studie om lederes igangsetting, oversetting og iverksetting av kvalitetsutvikling i barnehagen». Akademisk avhandling. Universitetet i Tromsø.
Financed by
University of Oslo, Norway