Creativity In Management For Effective School (SGDU 5083) 2014

REFLECTION: CONFLICT AND SCHOOL COMMUNITY

Poston, Stones and Muther (1992) state that a school is a reflection of the community

it serves. At the same time, a community is a reflection of its school. It means to say that the

schools and community cannot be separated because they are mutually need each other.

The purpose of this school community is to increase parental involvement, the

community and the private sector in learning, help the school in collaboration with Parents

Teachers Association plan activities or programs of the school which can involve relevant

parties actively and effectively and also help the school become more effective school with

active involvement of related parties. The learning system occurs beyond the school and at

home and also in the community. So, the school must provide an environment that is

conducive to a positive working relationship between religion and school with parents and

community.

Beside, the parents and community should participate in decision making with the

school which is to seek their views and assessment on how to plan student excellence

program and solve the problem of discipline. The opinion of the parent referred to set

performance targets of their children, engaged in setting motivational pupils, engaged in

setting student potential improvement programme, to increase the percentage of attendance of

students, to reduce cases of discipline among pupils, engaged in reviewing the programme of

schools and the school provide the school box for the feedback of the parents and community.

The community are responsible to help schools meet the requirements and needs of

the students’ activities, share their knowledge and experience in order to improve the standard

of education, and school finance. In the face of the 21st century, the challenge of the world of

education is increasingly challenging. Therefore, it shall be the duties and responsibilities of

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parents and community to help the school guide the children complete their homework,

manage time studying at home, provide motivation and support, overcome learning and

participate in extra-curricular activities. In the meantime, the school should always inform

about the progress of school programs and other information to the community.

Parents are encouraged to use the internet in social network like twitter which is to

exchange the ideas and information among the community so that they always follow the

progress of schools together and at the same time they are able to meet the requirements and

needs in the educational system at present.

Next, we go to the discussion which is about conflict. According to Amstrong and

Page (1983), they explained an organization cannot run away from dealing with conflict

because the objectives, values and needs of the group or individual in the organization is not

always the same.

Generally the phenomenon of conflict can be viewed from a wide angle. One of

which is the conflict themselves (intrapersonal), due to psychological problems such as fear,

shame, guilt, personality disorder and anxiety that occurs in an individual and conflict

between individuals (interpersonal), known as the conflict between human beings with

human and its environment with reference to the process of socialization. Beside, it also can

occur in the form of physical or psychological, such as between workers with employees,

employees with employers and trade unions with management.

There is also a conflict of constructive, that is known as positive conflict because

usually the ready cooperation, thus creating a more harmonious atmosphere. This situation

can lead to increase work motivation, improved productivity, working, cheerful, human

relations, because the absence of a harmonious feeling of dissatisfaction, grudges, jealousy

and hostile attitude. However, there is also a destructive conflict or known as negative

conflict. Those who deal with this conflict always unhappy and assume there is something

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unfair in the decision taken to solve things. It is usually portrayed through acts of protest

against directly or indirectly such as neglecting the command and show hostile attitude. The

entire organization will fail to reach its objectives if this type of conflict is not well managed.

The styles used in addressing conflict exists in the situation such as a win-win, win

lose and lose-lose. However, it raises questions whether the conflict resolution that leads to

mutual satisfaction (mutual satisfaction) or both lose based on their respective interests. The

best style was win-win, which is a style not with standing the risks for both the party and lose

or win compromise style.

In school, normally the principal or headmaster always use several approaches such as

shared goals, mutual compromise, increasing the number of sources, to encounter the

problem and identify the difference of staff, and all this approach is to achieve high level of

success. They try to understand the cause and the extent of any conflict among the staffs, thus

looking for strategies to solve the conflicts that arise among the members of their

organization. Nevertheless, they rarely use the approach of bringing in outsiders when

managing conflict, and its success at a satisfactory level only.

By this explanation, it is hope to help the school administration team to use style and

effective approach to address the conflict.