| Abstract [eng] |
The master’s thesis examines the managerial challenges faced by leaders in implementing the common assessment framework (CAF) in preschool education organizations and provides solutions to address them. The CAF, as one of the tools of total quality management, is designed for self-assessment and improvement of organizational performance. The study highlights the importance of this model, as it not only helps to improve the quality of institutional performance but also ensures effective strategic planning, employee engagement and customer satisfaction. In Lithuania, the CAF has been applied since 2006, but its application in the education sector, particularly in preschool organizations, is still poorly researched. The theoretical part of this thesis analyzes the principles of total quality management and their application in public sector organizations. It also thoroughly examines the concept of the CAF and its application possibilities in educational institutions. The reviewed literature revealed that the implementation of the CAF requires specific managerial competencies and the adaptation of organizational culture. The empirical research was conducted using qualitative methodology. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews involving 17 preschool education organizations leaders form Šiauliai. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis to reveal the experiences and challenges faced by leaders when implementing the CAF. The interviews included questions about organizing self-assessment processes, engaging employees, resource allocation, preparing self–assessment reports, developing improvement plan, etc. The study revealed that the main managerial challenges in implementing the CAF are related to the lack of time and human resources, the complexity of process organization, issues with employee motivation, and communication problems among stakeholders. Leaders also emphasized that implementing the CAF requires continuous managerial leadership and strategic approach to ensure the continuity of performance improvement processes. The key findings of this study indicate that applying the CAF can enhance the quality of preschool organizations’ performance. However, this requires strengthening leaders’ competencies, ensuring employee motivation and involvement, effective time and resource management, enhancing communication, and organizing teamwork. The study offers recommendations for overcoming managerial challenges to ensure the long–term integration of the CAF, aimed at improving the overall performance of the organization. The results of this work are significant both theoretically and practically. They contribute to the development of quality management theory by highlighting the challenges and opportunities of implementing the CAF in the education sector, especially in preschool institutions. On a practical level, the proposed solutions can be directly applied to ensure more effective CAF implementation and the improvement of performance quality. The results can also serve a basis for further research on the application of quality management models in education institutions. In summary, this work not only identifies the main managerial challenges faced by leaders in implementing the CAF in preschool education organizations but also offers practical solutions to overcome these challenges. The study emphasizes that integrating quality management principles into the education sector is essential to ensure long–term improvement in the quality of educational services and meeting the needs of society. |
