An analysis of institutional management challenges faced by church-run institutions as a result of corporate governance

Abstract

Church run institutions face a host of challenges in their quest to execute their mandate. This study sought to analyze the challenges faced by church run institutions in Zimbabwe. The study investigates some critical challenges faced by church run teachers’ colleges in Zimbabwe. The study employed a manifold case study research design to allow for an in depth study of phenomenon. Three church run teachers’ colleges were studied as they offer rich insights on the study under review. The research study used an interpretivist paradigm which is located in the qualitative approach. The interpretivist paradigm is concerned with understanding the world as it is from experiences of the informants. The paradigm was the most suitable for this study as it allowed for the researcher to use qualitative data collecting techniques such as interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. This study used a purposive sampling technique as it allowed selection of informants with rich experiences of (CRTCs), subsequently, three principals, three student representative councils, three Church Education Secretaries and three human resources (HR) officers were selected to participate in this study. The study showed that the interplay of following bodies namely education Boards, advisory councils, church main councils, the University of Zimbabwe, and the Ministry responsible for tertiary institutions pose a potential challenge as managers of these church run institutions grapple with a seemingly a surmountable task to satisfy the needs and interests of each entity. The results also showed that the existing policies and procedures of both the responsible authority and the ministry pose a challenge as both entities have their own expectations which they would not want compromised. From the findings, there is a worrying factor with regards to recruitment of staff, as the church, whenever there is a vacancy especially for lecturers, they would naturally want to have somebody from within their system. The church would want their members to be given an opportunity above other competitors and that disturbs the way the institution is run because management will want the best qualified person. So, nepotism was identified as a big challenge for the institution that leads to another challenge of labour issues. The study concluded and recommended engagement of all stakeholders including the student body in the management of church-run teachers’ colleges.