Use of Collaborative Management Strategy and Effectiveness of Secondary School Principals in Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District

This study examined the extent to which the use of collaborative management strategies predicts the management effectiveness of secondary school principals in Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District, Akwa Ibom State. Three research questions were formulated to guide the study, along with three null hypotheses tested at a 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted an ex post facto research design. The population comprised all 86 principals from public secondary schools in the district, and the entire population was used as a purposive sample. Data were collected using two validated questionnaires: the Use of Collaborative Management Strategy Questionnaire (UCMSQ) and the Management Effectiveness of Principals Questionnaire (MEPQ), with reliability coefficients of 0.83 and 0.79, respectively. Data analysis was conducted using simple linear regression. The findings revealed that the use of collaborative management strategies significantly predicts the management effectiveness of secondary school principals in the study area. Based on these findings, it is recommended that principals adopt collaborative management strategies such as digital collaboration, open communication, and cross-team collaboration to enhance management effectiveness. Additionally, principals should foster a conducive environment where staff members feel a sense of belonging and provide clear direction for all stakeholders, including students, teachers, parents, and the broader community, to support a collaborative management approach and achieve administrative effectiveness.