Governmentality, education and quality management

Summary We will focus on the recent concern — and even ‘obsession’ — with quality in education from the perspective of changes in how we are governed and governing ourselves. Therefore, we will explore advanced liberalism as a form of ‘governmentality’ and point out that (political) government has to submit itself to a ‘permanent economic tribunal’, i.e. judge everything constantly by the principles of entrepreneurship and competition. Furthermore, not only political government, but foremost self-government should be understood in relation to the tribunal: free people objectify within them skills and competencies, which are valuable in a (market) environment. Moreover we argue that management rationality and technology try to establish a double bond within the organization by regarding the worker as an enterprising self. Having pointed out the relationship between entrepreneurship and (self-)management, it is possible to describe how quality becomes a permanent obsession to those managing their life or an organization as an enterprise. After describing management and quality (and their relation) as a ‘function’ of entrepreneurship it is possible to understand how learning is part of it, and how quality management and schooling become entwined at all levels.

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Zusammenfassung ‚Gouvernementalité’, Bildung und Qualit?tsmanagement — Versuch einer Kritik des Konzepts der st?ndigen Qualit?tskontrolle Im vorliegenden Text wird die neuerliche — fast obsessive — Besch?ftigung mit ‚Qualit?t’ im Bildungssystem in den Blick genommen, und zwar vor dem Hintergrund der sich ver?ndernden Formen, in denen wir bestimmt (regiert) werden und uns selbst bestimmen. Dazu wird der fortgeschrittene Liberalismus als Form von ‚Gouvermentalité’ (Foucault) untersucht und herausgestellt, dass (politische) Kontrolle sich einem „st?ndigen wirtschaftlichen Tribunal“ unterziehen muss, d.h. alles kontinuierlich an Prinzipen von Unternehmertum (Entrepreneurship) und Wettbewerb auszurichten hat. Dieses wirtschaftliche Tribunal wird darüber hinaus nicht nur in Bezug auf das politische Regieren verstanden, sondern vor allem auf die individuelle Selbst-Regierung; denn freie Menschen zeigen in sich selbst Begabungen und Kompetenzen, die in einer marktwirtschaftlichen Umwelt wertvoll sind. Ferner wird argumentiert, dass Managementrationalit?t und-technologie versuchen, eine doppelte Bindung innerhalb der Organisation zu etablieren, indem sie den Arbeiter als ein unternehmerisches Selbst betrachten. Nach einer Darstellung der Beziehung zwischen Unternehmertum und (Selbst-)Management l?sst sich im Weiteren beschreiben, wie Qualit?t zur Obsession für diejenigen wird, die ihr Leben oder eine Organisation als Unternehmen managen. Im Anschluss an die Er?rterung von Management und Qualit?t (und deren Beziehung) als Funktion des Unternehmertums l?sst sich verstehen, welchen Part das Lernen in diesem Zusammenhang spielt und wie Qualit?tsmanagement und Schulwesen auf allen Ebenen miteinander verflochten sind.

     

Light emitting diodes and the lighting revolution: The emergence of a solid-state lighting industry

Emergence of new industries from evolving technologies is critical to the global economy, yet has been relatively understudied due to the paucity of available data. This study draws lessons on industry emergence, by analyzing how a solid-state lighting (SSL) industry grew out of light emitting diode (LED) technologies that evolved for half a century, with participation by tens of thousands of researchers in universities, national laboratories, and firms. Using data on publications, patents, and firms combined with business history we trace the evolution of SSL through a succession of market niches. At times a few researchers with unorthodox research approaches made breakthroughs that greatly advanced particular technology trajectories and pushed LED research in unexpected directions. A succession of LED market niches advanced the technology and provided profits to incentivize continuing research while reducing cost and improving efficacy of LEDs. Innovating firms developed a thicket of patents and captured substantial profit, but were embroiled in extensive litigation that was ultimately resolved through cross-licensing. A major new generation of lighting products is now disrupting the traditional lighting industry. Although the leading incumbent lighting firms all invested early and heavily in SSL, the industry's future leadership is uncertain.     

Genres,rules, and collective rhetorics: Applying the requirements‐problems‐strategies approach

Designed initially as a way of understanding the often anomalous rhetoric of those who lead social movements, Simons' “Requirements‐Problems‐Strategies” approach has been applied in recent years to other collective rhetorics and other leadership roles. Presented here is an extension and elaboration of RPS framework and a review of illustrative scholarship.     

Leveling the playing field in ICT design: Transcending knowledge roles by balancing division and privileging of knowledges

Abstract

This article develops a conceptual model of users’ and designers’ knowledge roles in the information and communication technology design process. The “ideal” center at the intersection of the axes for division of knowledge work and privileging of knowledges represents a balanced distribution of knowledge work between users and designers and an avoidance of privileging either group over the other. The article then applies this model to analyses of the design process for six video games wherein the knowledges of Indigenous peoples in North America were mobilized. It concludes by discussing implications for research and design practice, particularly for broadening the participation and self-articulation of marginalized groups.     

Economic hardship, parenting, and distress in adolescence

The relation between family economic hardship and adolescent distress among secondary school students in a small Midwestern community was investigated. According to prior results, family hardship has both direct and indirect effects on adolescent distress. The indirect effects come about through stress-induced changes in parental nurturance and parental discipline. The findings of this study showed that hardship effects varied according to type of distress. For females as well as males, economic hardship had both direct and indirect effects on a depression-loneliness distress factor. The indirect effects occurred through less parental nurturance and more inconsistent discipline. No direct effect of economic hardship was found for either males or females on a distress factor composed of delinquency and drug use items. For both females and males, however, an indirect effect of family economic hardship on the delinquency-drug use factor was found with inconsistent parental discipline as the mediating variable.     

Support from Spouse as Mediator and Moderator of the Disruptive Influence of Economic Strain on Parenting

A model is presented regarding associations between economic strain, support from spouse, and quality of parenting. The model was tested using a sample of 451 2-parent families, each of which included a seventh grader (age 12-13). Parent and adolescent reports, as well as observational ratings, were used as indicators of constructs. Analysis using structural equation modeling procedures indicated that level of spouse support was positively related to supportive parenting, whereas economic strain operated to undermine parental involvement. As posited, economic strain produced its effect through a direct relation with parenting and indirectly through its association with spouse support. These findings held for mothers and fathers, regardless of the gender of the child. Spouse support moderated the impact of economic strain on supportive parenting for mothers but not fathers. Possible explanations for this gender difference are presented.     

Pick a Number … Any Number?

A recent classroom revelation caused us to reconsider the adequacy of the instructions offered in our textbooks for one of our most elementary quantitative methods. Specifically, we found that many students were mystified concerning how to pick an initial objective function value when plotting an isoprofit line in order to graphically solve a linear programming problem. We observed that this seemingly insignificant issue was causing a surprising amount of wasted time, confusion, and even anxiety. Our experience indicated that students do not necessarily possess any consistent intuition for choosing an appropriate initial value. We confirmed this perception through informal experimentation. We reviewed several textbooks and found that most simply do not bother to address this issue. Therefore, we devised a simple, comprehensible method which we have taught our students to resolve or avoid this problem. Although we quickly found the method to be helpful for many students, we conducted an experiment to formally measure its effect.