Managerial Performance of Middle-Level Managers in Agricultural Schools in Northwestern Mindanao Philippines

This study examines the managerial performance of middle-level managers in Region IX and X covering state colleges and universities that offers agricultural courses. In analyzing the gathered data, percentage, weighted mean, t-test, and chi-square test were utilized. Findings of this research revealed middle-level managers were found very good in their leadership performance, in helping people to function as human beings, providing opportunities for each faculty/staff to grow, seeking to increase college effectiveness, and providing exciting and challenging work. Not enough evidence was established in the relationship between the organizational development values of middle-level managers in terms of helping people to function as human beings and providing opportunities for the faculty and staff to grow and the instructors’ teaching performance.


INTRODUCTION
Proper management is a crucial factor in the success of any educational endeavor. To be successful, middle-level managers in any agricultural school need to spend more time making management decisions and developing management skills. This is because production in agriculture is changing along with the following lines: more mechanization, increasing farm size, continued adoption of new marketing alternatives, and increased business risk, among others.
Success in the management of an agricultural school depends much on the competence and characteristics of the educational leader. The implementation of any school program calls for educational leaders who can deliver quality and effective management. Improve instruction is necessary to jump from the classroom level to the organizational level and make some reforms in the management styles observed by college deans and heads.
Everyone should understand that leaders aren't born. They are shaped through exposure to external surroundings and circumstances. The path to leadership is quite a difficult one and can be associated with an uphill and a colossal duty.
Anyone can be a leader. However, not everyone can be a leader (Swaroop & Prasad, 2013).
There are many ways to see leadership and many meanings of leadership. Leadership is a simple word, which encourages everyone to participate in the act, or push people to do what they want, or take decision making as part of the responsibility. Leadership is often part of the functioning of personality or interpreted as one's actions or the function of a leader is to achieve expected outputs through the support of its members (Joharis, 2016).
In performing their task, they inspire, encourage, and impel people under their administrative charge to perform to the best of their abilities. They encourage subordinates to perform by fulfilling or appealing to their needs. In like manner, school heads are placed in their position not to abuse their authority but to lead people by example. Motivation is one of the essential aspects that push every human being to achieve his or her goal. Indeed, it is the motivation that empowers individuals to remain focused on the way of progress despite the difficulties that they might experience. Some researchers in the field believed that if this driving force is missing, individuals lived in the trench of dullness, and no incredible findings or interventions would have transpired. Motivation is the agent that ignites workers' enthusiasm to perform without pressure. To motivate is to give workers the drive to perform the work assigned. It is to push one to do either decidedly or contrarily (Debasish & Sahoo, 2015).
Once there is a rise in the motivational factors like appreciation, incentives, and compensation, the employees' productivity also improved. It is a must for an organization to consider the requests and feelings of their staff since "a contented employee is a productive employee" (Sandhya & Kumar, 2011) As indicated by an inquiry of Bennet et al. (2015), motivated workers result in proper execution and profitability of work outputs. He likewise indicated that motivation pushes workers to increasingly endeavor towards working independently and are progressively self-propelled rather than less inspired agents. Further, inspired employees are exceptionally connected with and engaged with their work and the more eager to take duties in work (Kuvaas & Dysvik, 2009).
The standard influential is a personal variable related to both job satisfaction and motivation among women employees in the sense of selfefficacy. Furthermore, they recommend that employers/HR Managers can improve self-efficacy through performance counseling & training that which leads to sustaining and promoting job motivation among women employees (Muralidharan & Jayasri, 2014). The type of leadership applied by school heads is believed to shape, to a high degree, the performance of their schools. The foundation for leadership success rests with the skill to make things possible in ways that serve the aims of the team or organization. Extraordinary leaders make great things happen in organizations by encouraging and motivating others toward hitting the same goal. In other words, they utilize their influence remarkably well. And most often, effective leadership is related to a vision -a future that one expects to have or to reach to motivate the present situation. However, it is not adequate to just only have the vision of a beautiful future (Schemerhorn & Bachrach, 2016). Indeed, great leaders are good at having their visions into accomplishments.
It is the aim of the study to determine the degree of the relationship existing between the middle-level managers' managerial performance. Somehow, the findings of this study would be a big help to the Commission on Higher Education in their quest for improved school performance.

MATERIALS AND METHODS
This study utilized a descriptive survey method. It was deemed appropriate in looking into the managerial performance of middle-level managers in rural schools of Region IX and Region X. Furthermore, this method is necessary for testing the null hypotheses postulated in this study.
The descriptive type of research answers the question "what is." It describes the prevailing condition of a particular locale or phenomenon. In this study, a researcher-constructed questionnaire was used to elicit essential data from the respondents. Documentary analysis was also employed to determine the instructors' teaching performance. In analyzing the gathered data, it utilized percentage, weighted mean, and chi-square test. It was conducted in Regions IX and X covering agricultural schools.
The researchers utilized total enumeration among 163 Agriculture instructors in the regions. The instructor was requested to rate the managerial performance of the 23 middle-level managers.
In this study, the researcher constructed a questionnaire as the tools in data gathering. The questionnaire has two parts. Part 1 is about the leadership performance of middle-level managers. The second part of the questionnaire is regarding the organizational development values of middlelevel managers. It also employs documentary analysis in determining the teaching performance of Agriculture instructors.
The data were collected and analyzed using frequency, percentage, mean, chi-square, and t-test. The interpretation of the mean scores were based on the scale/range such as: 4.50 -5.00 Always/Very Good/Very Satisfactory; 3.50 -4.49 Often/Good/ Satisfactory; 2.50 -3.49 Sometimes/Fair/ Moderately Satisfactory; 1.50 -2.49 Seldom/ Poor/Less Satisfactory; 1.00 -1.49 Never/Very Poor/Least Satisfactory. Documentary analysis was employed in this study in determining the teaching performance of Agriculture instructors. The interpretation of the mean scores is based on the scale/range, such as 9.50 -10.00 Outstanding; 7.51 -9.49 Very Satisfactory; 4.01 -7.50 Satisfactory; 2.00 -4.00 Unsatisfactory; and below 2.00 Poor. The significant differences among the variables, parameters, and areas of leadership performance of middle-level managers were computed using Chisquare. T-Test identified which significant relationship exists between variables based on the alpha level of 0.05.
To improve the reliability and validity of the questionnaire, it undergoes a thorough validation process. The questionnaire was presented to some professors of the Graduate School of Misamis University, Ozamis City, for appropriateness rating. After the rating, this was revised and pilot-tested at JH Cerilles State College, Dapiwak, Dumingag Zamboanga del Sur. The data gathered during the pilot testing were item-analyzed, and these were the bases of the reconstruction or deletion of items. Before doing the actual data gathering process, permission was sought from the Graduate School, Misamis University, Ozamiz City, that the researcher is allowed to conduct her study. When this permission is granted, the actual administration of questionnaires was made. Retrieval of accomplished questionnaires followed then. Documentary analysis was done by asking for the performance ratings of instructors from the Dean's Office. All other processes of a research investigation like tallying, presentation, analysis, and interpretation of data are followed in their order.

Leadership Performance of Middle-Level Managers
In tables 1 to 5, the leadership performance of middle-level managers is presented. The data found in these tables were based on the perceptions of instructors and those of middle-level managers.
Sympathy, Table 1 shows the leadership performance of middle-level managers in terms of sympathy. The overall weighted means seen at the bottom of the table are 4.70 and 4.96, showing that middle-level managers were excellent insofar or sympathy is concerned. Leadership is not only directing people to work; it is guiding them on how an assigned task is performed. Effective leadership is not particular about the product, but about how satisfied one has been while generating the product. It is then understood that sympathy is a perfect motivation for every worker in an organization, and this is the same thing in school. Instructors, nonteaching staff as well as students are motivated to work if they know that their superiors are sympathetic to their needs. Demanding superiors are frowned upon in any school organization because, more often than not, these people employ force as their tool to make people work, and all like no motive to work. Even those employees who seem different towards work may be motivated to do their job.
It is worth mentioning that the middle-level managers covered in this research investigation were excellent, meaning they were very sympathetic. Specifically, middle-level managers were excellent in the following aspects, namely: spending time to work with instructors and students; coordinating with the units and different services of the school; setting a friendly tone; seeking staff concerns of searching a solution to school problems, and cooperating with the students as they join cocurricular and extra-curricular activities.
The researcher, a college dean now, was once a full-time instructor in an agricultural school, and she knows how tedious agriculture instruction is. Teaching in an agricultural school is different from an ordinary college teaching. Teaching here goes beyond classroom sessions since there are laboratory classes that should be done in the field or farm. And, it is not easy for a laboratory instructor to hold laboratory classes since most of the time he has to work with the students. In planting, for example, the first one to do the work is the instructor since he is modeling how modern planting is done. The same with harvesting and in performing post-harvest activities, the first one to do the work is the instructor. In a capsule, it is not easy to teach in the College of Agriculture, and this situation suggests that the one handling them should be kind and sympathetic. The person holding the supervisory and deanship position should be concerned with the people who work with him, and he should not show any action which may discourage his instructors from working. Instructors who are seemingly tired of their work may dislike exerting extra effort if a demanding and authoritarian head leads them. Hence, they should be led by a competent and sympathetic leader.  Table 2 is the leadership performance of middle-level managers in terms of the delegation of authority. It is clear that middle-level managers were excellent as far as a delegation of authority is concerned, and this finding is attested by the overall weighted means of 4.66 and 4.83. Delegation of authority is a by-word of a growing and progressive organization. The manager does not monopolize the work. Instead, he delegates this to subordinates for work effectiveness and maximum production. It is said that a good manager can keep interpersonal relationships pleasant, provide encouragement and support, stimulate self-direction, and delegate authority to sub-ordinates to enable them to achieve their objectives with optimum performance in the job. He trusts the abilities of his subordinates. Thus he likes to delegate authority. Delegating is entrusting responsibility and authority to others and creating accountability from results.
The table presents two weighted means that received a descriptive rating of "Good." The weighted mean of 4.43, which is rated "Good" in the continuum, is "developing an attribute of tapping manpower resources," and the instructors gave this rating. The other weighted mean of 4.43, bearing the activity "instructing instructors to discharge their duties and responsibilities properly' was given by the middle-level managers. Although middle-level managers were already good, there is a need to explain why they were only good and not very good. In the College of Agriculture, may it be in the private school or a state College/University, the work is regular, prescribed, and routinary.
There are classroom activities, hands-on work on the farm, and farm visits, among others, and these activities have to be attended to religiously by the faculty assigned. Not being able to observe the regimen or schedule of activities may mean a lot. It might be a failure on crop or animal production. Teaching preparation in a semester may not be followed objectively because of the non-observance prescribed schedule. That is why the study yielded a finding that middle-level managers were only sound in the activity mentioned above. It is believed that seldom do they tell their instructors and staff personnel to discharge their duties and functions. They believe that people who work with them are doing the job in the class and on the farm. As mentioned above, many activities in agricultural schools were not applied in a non-agricultural learning institution. Based on observation, there are flexibilities in a non-agricultural school, but these are minimal in agricultural schools because production in agronomy and animal raising s adversely affected if flexibilities are considered.  Table 3 is the leadership performance of middle-level managers in terms of knowledge/talent. Based on the overall weighted means of 4.63 and 4.65, middle-level managers were found very good as far as knowledge/talent is concerned. It is not good news to hear if running a school or college does not possess intelligence. At least, he has the intelligence required in the job and is expected of him being a leader. It is said that a leader is the strongest and the brightest in the group. He has charisma, a talent, or something, which he can give to his subordinates. Moreover, a good leader can set alternative solutions and select the best among them. He has a vision and courage to use the imagination in solving problems, and the ability to see future responsibilities.
The table is clear that middle-level managers were very good in the following aspects based on the perceptions of instructors and the middle-level managers, to wit: (1) presenting reasonable solutions to college-related problems; (2) using rational, deliberate, discretionary, and purposive decision-making process; and (3) initiating in making decisions that affect the instructor's jobs. However, middle-level managers were only sound in the following activities based on the perceptions of one group of respondents, via: (1) apply the proper techniques of group process; and (2) being capable of clearly articulating their vision to the school community. It is a fact that idle level managers have contacts with the school personnel, technicians from the Department of Agriculture, parents, and government officials from both local and national levels. However, in their meetings with these people, proper techniques of a group process are not technically observed. Middle-level managers imply they talk with the people and perhaps discuss current issues in agriculture and allied fields such as fisheries and forestry. That is why the finding seems discouraging that they were only good in the aspect mentioned above.
It was also described in this research investigation that middle-level managers were only good at articulating their vision to the school community. This is understandable since part of his time is spent in the community, the laboratory area of the students. That is why it is seldom to see a college dean sitting in his office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. If he is not on the campus, he is outside the school talking with the farmers, discussing with the DA technicians, or seeing prospective individuals who can help improve the school or college.  Table 4 presents the leadership performance of middle-level managers in terms of behavior. The overall weighted means of 4.58 and 4.76 manifest that middle-level managers were excellent as far as behavior is concerned. A good school leader serves the common good of all. He interacts with everybody. As a key figure in the school organization, he is touched to initiate, direct, and evaluate programs of action necessary for group development. Besides being healthy and sound in all personal aspects, the educational leader possesses virtues worthy of emulation.
Middle-level managers ought to behave appropriately at all times. The instructors, nonteaching personnel, and students are looking at them with respect and recognition; therefore, the group needs to wear the cloth of goodness and uprightness. Middle-level managers should not allow dishonesty and corruption to taint their integrity as a person and as head. They should set themselves as models to instructors and students as well as to parents and community folks.  Table 5, the leadership performance of middle-level managers in terms of motivation. The overall weighted means of 4.61 and 4.41 are described as "Very Good" and "Good," respectively based on the reference scale having been referred to. However, on average, middle-level managers were still excellent in the aspect mentioned above.
A good manager can motivate the instructors, students, and the school staff to work for excellence. He can show his people the value of work. Motivating people to excel in the job is one crucial function of a school manager. In the table, the middle-level managers gave themselves a lower rating than their teaching equivalents. The former gave themselves a rating of 4.41, while the instructors gave their middle-level managers a rating of 4.61. It is theorized that the middle-level managers were not so good at motivating people. It is a fact that Agriculture instructors, including deans, are accidental in the job since most of them do not earn units in Education. They teach in the College of Agriculture based on this merit-academic excellence of out-standing performance in college. However, the ability to motivate students is not a gate pass to join teaching. That is why several college instructors are good only in the content but not in motivating students to learn. For the researcher, this is the reason why the middle-level managers were only good and not very good at motivating people. The middle-level managers today were once college instructors who happen to experience the same problem in teaching.  Table 6 is the summary of the leadership performance of middle-level managers. The data found in this table were taken from Tables   1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. As seen in the table, the middlelevel managers were excellent in their leadership performance. Tables 7 to 10 present the organizational development values of middle-level managers in the aspects of helping people to function as human beings, providing opportunities for each faculty/ staff to grow, seeking to increase college/school effectiveness, and providing exciting and challenging work. The data found in these tables were based on the perceptions of instructors and those of middle-level managers.
They are helping People to Function as Human Beings. Shown in Table 7 are the organizational development values of middle-level managers in terms of helping people to function as human beings. Seen at the bottom of the table are overall weighted means of 4.45 and 4.81, and these numbers attest that the middle-level managers were very satisfactory in the aspect mentioned above. Among others, middle-level managers were found very satisfactory in providing help and guidance to students to meet their day-to-day problems, developing a healthy working relationship by which instructors feel secure and confident, and stimulating instructors to grow personally and professionally. It is hoped that this level of values is maintained. Middle-level managers should always count their subordinates as partners in attaining college/school goals. The latter should be respected if they propose plans and projects for the college or school, and they should be given recognition if they accomplish something worthwhile. The point of the researcher here is that subordinates, particularly the teaching group have to be acknowledged for their accomplishment. It is a common phenomenon for subordinates to be indifferent towards work and to those who man them if their accomplishments are not valued and recognized by the superiors.  Table 8, the organizational development values of middle-level managers in terms of providing opportunities for each faculty/staff to grow are presented. Generally, middle-level managers were very satisfactory in the aspect mentioned above as attested by the overall weighted means of 4.54 and 4.70. It is a known fact that the obsolescence of knowledge is the number one enemy of education. That is why teachers are encouraged to grow not only professionally but also personally. The non-teaching personnel, especially those from the academic support offices are also encouraged to enhance their work by adhering to work practices deemed acceptable and technologically sound. However, these practices could not be obtained by mere observation in the office; these work practices have to be earned through graduate studies, attendance to inhousetraining, subscription to helpful, professional magazines, and attendance to for a and colloquia, among others. It is also encouraging to note that the middle-level managers covered in this study were able to provide opportunities for their subordinates to improve and grow. They did not mind if their instructors would become more qualified and competent than them in the future. What is important is that they can help their teaching personnel. Seeking to Increase College/School Effectiveness. In Table 9, the organizational development values of middle-level managers in terms of seeking to increase college/school effectiveness are shown. At the bottom of the table are overall weighted means of 4.60 and 4.36, which are described as "Very Satis-factory" and "Satisfactory," respectively. On average, the middle-level managers were only satisfactory in the aspect mentioned above. Specifically, they were satisfactory in the following activities, to wit; (1) solicit funds for college/school improvement; (2) involving local government officials and/or parents in planning social activities; (3) encouraging parents to visit the school for consultation concerning their children's academic performance; (4) ensuring the quality of teaching resources; and (5) presenting to a higher authority with utmost clarity reports of accomplishments and college problems, orally or written.
Middle-level managers were already satisfactory in the activities mentioned above, but there is a reason why they were only satisfactory and not very satisfactory. For example, middle-level managers were looking for teaching resources, and yet they found it difficult to find quality resources.
The government is tightening its budget, and one move taken by government agencies is to make use of what is available. Even if the material is no longer quality, as long as it serves its purpose, it has to be used. The same is valid with ensuring quality teaching resources, that even if the resources are no longer quality, these are used in teaching. For instance, a motorized farm tractor that has been used for years could not be impounded and replaced with a new one. As long as this old tractor continues to move in the mud, it has to be used even if its degree of efficiency is already lower.
On the other hand, middle-level managers found it difficult to establish linkage with the parents and local government officials. They might have inhibited to solicit funds from the local government officials knowing that they come from a state college or university. State-funded colleges and universities get a more significant chunk of the national budget, and it is a shame if they resort to the solicitation for programs and projects which are not included in the national appropriation. Middlelevel managers simply keep silent and never solicit money from public officials. If there are donations given, these are accepted with gratitude.  Table 10 are organizational development values of middle-level managers in terms of providing exciting and challenging work. The finding shown in this table is quite similar to that of the above table. On average, middle-level managers were only satisfactory as far as the above aspect is concerned. Even if they are rated "Very Satisfactory" by their instructors, their self-rating of "Satisfactory" has affected their overall performance. Specifically, they emerged satisfactorily in the following activities, via: (1) showing an aggressive and progressive leadership through teaching by precept and leading by example; (2) enabling instructors to think about old ideas in new ways; and (3) spending time talking about the purpose of agricultural research and extension.
Several deans have not undergone formal training in school leadership. They are simply appointed to assume leadership functions with little know-how in dealing with people. Theoretically, they possess sufficient know-ledge in agriculture, but they have difficulty in leading people. This is practically the scenario. Because a faculty member is a graduate of a masters' degree and a licensed agriculturist, he is qualified to become a dean. As mentioned above, the problem is his management training, and when he assumes deanship, he cannot entirely meet the expectations. It is commonly heard that one's head could not teach by precept and could hardly stir their instructors' imagination to design new ways out of old ideas. In table 11, the summary of the organizational development values of the middle-level managers is shown. Generally, middle-level managers were very satisfactory in the aspect mentioned above, and this finding was based on the perception of instructors and those of middle-level managers. The data found in this table were taken from tables 7 to 10.  Table 12 presents the instructor's teaching performance. Of the 163 instructors, 130 were rated "Very Satisfactory" and 33, "Satisfactory." The finding seen in this table is discouraging as nobody got a rating of "Outstanding." Besides, 20 percent of the faculty received an average of "Satisfactory" when college instructors are supposed to excel in academics, particularly in their field of discipline. Instructors should perform in instruction, research, extension, and production. They have to get more involved in these areas. The computed t value of .80 is smaller than the critical value of 2.306 at the .05level of significance with eight degrees of freedom. The null hypothesis is not rejected. Hence, the was no significant difference between the perceptions and those of middle-level managers on the leadership performance of middle-level managers.

Instructors' Teaching Performance
The two groups of respondents, the instructors, and middle-level managers emerged to have similar views on how the latter performed as school managers. In the table, the two general means of 4.64 and 4.72 yields a difference of .08, and according to the statistical computation, this number is insignificant. It is convincing that the middlelevel managers were indeed excellent in their leadership performance. As shown in the table, the two groups have one common rating of the middlelevel managers' group, and that is, "Very Good." 447. This number is bigger than the computed t value of .80. Therefore, the null hypothesis is not rejected. There were no significant differences between the perceptions of instructors and those of middle-level managers on the organizational development of middle-level managers.
It was pointed out in this investigation that the instructors and middle-level managers held one shared view on the organizational development values of the latter. For the two groups, middlelevel managers were very satisfactory as far as organizational development values are concerned. As seen in the table, the two groups of perceivers give one common rating to the middle-level managers. Rejected Accepted Accepted Accepted Accepted P = .05 df = 1 Table 15 presents the significant relationship between the leadership performance of middle-level managers and the instructors' teaching performance. As seen in the table, only two aspects of leadership had some impact on the instructors' teaching performance. It was only sympathy and delegation of authority that could predict the teaching performance of instructors. The rest, like knowledge, behavior, and motivation, did not show any influence on the instructors' teaching performance. In table 16, the significant relationship between the organizational development values of middle-level managers and the instructors' teaching performance is shown. "Helping people to function as human beings" and "Providing opportunities for each faculty/staff to grow" did pose some influence on the instructors' teaching performance. This means that middle-level managers who are found willing to help their people and make them grow and develop could cause instructors to improve in teaching. However, "Seeking to increase college/school effectiveness" and "Providing exciting and challenging work" did not pose any influence on the instructors' teaching performance.

CONCLUSION
It can be gleaned from the result of this currents study that the Middle-level managers were found very good in their leadership performance, and this finding was right in the areas of sympathy, delegation or authority, knowledge/talent, behavior, and motivation. That middle-level managers were very satisfactory in their organizational development values. This finding was sincere in helping people to function as human beings, providing opportunities for each faculty/staff to grow, seeking to increase college/school effectiveness, and providing exciting and challenging work. The instructors and middle-level managers had one shared view on the organizational development values of the latter, specifically in helping people to functions as human beings, providing an opportunity for each faculty/staff to grow, seeking to increase college/school effectiveness and providing exciting and challenging work. Sympathy and delegation of authority are two leadership aspects that could determine the instructors' teaching performance. Middle-level managers who found willing to help their subordinates grow and develop were found instrumental in improving the instructors' teaching performance. Middle-level managers continue to possess very satisfactory organizational development values. They can attain this by helping their subordinates, allowing them to grow professionally and personally, helping their college/school grow and develop by providing challenging tasks to subordinates.