The nature of leadership dilemmas in technical vocational education and training in Papua New Guinea

Abstract

Effective leadership is essential in securing the highest possible quality for Technical Vocational Education and Training in Papua New Guinea (TVETPNG).

In this education sector, senior managers and officers are challenged with finding solutions to educational problems that stand in the way of high student achievement and find this expectation very challenging. The body of knowledge related to problem-solving that was reviewed for this research confirms a view that the effectiveness of leaders is contingent upon their capability to resolve complex problems, and specifically those problems that have the characteristics of a leadership dilemma. These dilemmas reflect a tension between the needs of the organisation and the needs of the individual and create the most challenging problems for leaders. This study further investigated the nature of these dilemmas and challenges for senior managers and officers in resolving them in the context of TVET-PNG.

An interpretive approach was adopted for this qualitative study involving the indepth investigation of the experiences and practices of senior managers and senior officers of TVET education in PNG. The study involved the use of two research methods. Firstly, semi-structured interviews were used to explore perceptions from the senior managers’ perspective. Secondly, questionnaires were used to obtain the perspectives of the senior officers.

The data was analysed thematically and findings revealed that leadership dilemmas were seen as problems that had not been effectively addressed in the past and hence persisted. These were indeed challenging problems because the senior leaders were not clear about the nature of the problem themselves. Thus, these problems were either avoided, referred or deferred.The study further suggests the need for senior managers and senior officers of TVET education in PNG to engage in management development in order to identify the existence of leadership dilemmas in the workplace and come up with possible context relevant solutions to address them in a more appropriate way.