Understanding long-term thinking as a management strategy to support sustainable quality development: perspectives from education

The study investigates how long-term thinking can be applied as a management strategy for sustainable quality development in the kindergarten sector. The study aims to shed light on the gap between the theory of long-term thinking and its practical use among kindergarten managers. Through an analysis of managers’ perspectives, the study seeks to understand how long-term thinking functions both as a stabilising factor and a management mechanism in their quality work.

The results show that kindergarten managers have a varied understanding of ‘long-term thinking’, resulting in both reactive and proactive approaches to quality development. In the reactive approach, long-term thinking was considered a time-consuming process governed by financial frameworks, while proactive managers emphasised strategic planning and vision-driven development. The study also reveals that the lack of clear systems and structures limits managers’ ability to connect budgets, planning and goals to a sustainable quality culture.

The study uses a qualitative approach to explore the concept of long-term thinking among kindergarten leaders in a Swedish municipality. The data collection includes both written reflections from managers’ portfolios and oral interviews with a total of 21 kindergarten managers, including an assistant manager. The analysis was carried out in several steps with open, axial and selective coding to identify patterns and categories in the data material.

Mårtensson, A., Snyder, K., Ingelsson, P., & Bäckström, I. (2023). Understanding long-term thinking as a management strategy to support sustainable quality development: perspectives from education. The TQM Journal, 35(9), 352–368.