Service Paradigm in Educational Quality Management at Theological Colleges

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5 (1) (2022) 41-47

Journal of Curriculum Indonesia

http://hipkinjateng.org/jurnal/index.php/jci

Service Paradigm in Educational Quality Management at Theological Colleges

Riyani Putriardi, Masduki Ahmad Universitas Negeri Jakarta, Indonesia

Info Articles

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Keywords:

Service Paradigm, Theologi- cal College, Quality Man- agement

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Abstract

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This article covers the religious services paradigm at the Theological College concerning educational quality management. The paradigm used by the theological school has a significant impact on the institution's quality. Paradigms consistent with the quality of higher education will undoubtedly affect the theological colleges' achievements, management, and output. This research is qualitative and employs a descriptive analysis method. It is studied descriptively before being presented comprehensively. The analysis reveals that the religious service paradigm drives practically all human resources in the charismatic pentecostal theology school environment. This paradigm becomes both an opportunity and a threat that must be appropriately managed. If this paradigm is appropriately managed, it has the potential to result in significant development. On the other hand, if it is not managed properly, it will constitute a threat, as it is fundamentally opposed to the regulatory administrative paradigm established by the government. In the theological high school environment, effective integration requires the development of a flexible integrative attitude competent in aligning the religious service paradigm with the regulatory administrative paradigm. This mindset, therefore, serves as a bridge for the development of a high-quality culture capable of producing high-quality institutions and graduates.

e-ISSN 2549-0338

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Journal of Curriculum Indonesia 5 (1) (2022) INTRODUCTION

To begin, the Theological College faces demands regarding its legality in the eyes of the state, particularly concerning accreditation and equipment. According to the author, not all theological colleges are run optimally. There are still theological colleges that are just moderately organized. For example, those who depend on shop-house rents have minimal access to classrooms or other equipment and institutions that lack an effective information system. Admittedly, campuses frequently provide facilities because the student has served for years so that they only require assistance to graduate. When the teaching and learning process becomes inadequate, the standards and related institutions grant degrees to those not eligible for a diploma. Furthermore, there are additional considerations in the management of theological colleges, particularly striking a balance between government rules and stakeholder expectations.

Theological College is dedicated to delivering graduates who are not just intellectually bright but also talented and character-driven. Graduates must adhere to national requirements for higher education. The standard reference is stated in the accreditation form established by the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education to ensure that the Theological College is managed in compliance with the quality education culture. On the other hand, Theological Colleges are expected to create graduates who possess the abilities, characteristics, and skills that stakeholders desire. Those stakeholders include the Foundation or church synod as organizers, churches or Christian institutions as consumers of graduates, and church congregations or the community evaluators of graduate quality.

Suppose the accreditation score serves as a benchmark for comparing the implementation of a quality culture at universities. In that case, the majority of Theological College's accreditation rating is below a satisfactory level. Naturally, this creates an imbalance between government programs and public needs in this disruptive revolution age. If higher education is excellent, but of poor quality, it might be assumed that it is on the verge of dying or going extinct. In an era of disruption, many colleges that do not comply with high excellence standards will collapse (G. et al., 2019). When disruption becomes a source of concern and a chance for the Theological College's quality growth, it is necessary to enhance or modify its quality standards.

The fulfillment of quality-based service standards may be assured by an organization or institution developing and living a quality culture. The living culture of quality is the product of the Institute's daily construction of perspectives and habits. Quality standards at higher education institutions are regulated by relevant legislation via national higher education standards. The management of higher education's quality must be based on national higher education standards (Handoko, 2020). To carry out and ensure the right implementation of quality management, leadership is required, as is efficient and effective resource management. Effective leadership in managing resources, including relationships, infrastructure, human resources, and output, is critical for educational institutions to achieve quality standards (Fadila et al., 2020).

As previously stated, theological education is held to a dual quality standard. As a result, quality management at theological schools must be handled effectively and responsibly to generate graduates who satisfy higher education standards and the church's expectations and stakeholders' expectations (Imeldawati, 2019). Significant responsibility for assuring quality in conformity with national education standards and religious and governing body requirements requires careful strategic planning. Strategic planning is conducted with the participation of the entire academic community to contribute to the development of a high-quality culture at the Theological College (Tulung, 2020). Without adequate preparation, nothing worthwhile will be accomplished.

The planning process is inextricably linked to the paradigms and values within a higher

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Journal of Curriculum Indonesia 5 (1) (2022)

of higher education. Nugroho discovered that the religious service paradigm dominates management at the Theological College. The Christian paradigm of prioritizing service work results in a voluntary attitude toward labor at the Theological College (Nugroho et al., 2019). The voluntary attitude prevalent in the setting of the Theological College results in the underdevelopment of Human Resources, Management, Publication, and Infrastructure (Octavianus et al., 2019).

Following the research mentioned before, this paper will discuss how the religious service paradigm might be used for quality management at the Theological College. The quality culture implemented and monitored by the Internal Quality Assurance Institution should be examined further because of the service paradigm that drives the Theological College's implementation. This research demonstrates further that the religious service paradigm may contribute to or obstruct quality management at the Theological College.

METHODS

This research uses a qualitative approach combined with a descriptive-analytic method (Sugiyono, 2009). This method enables researchers to undertake an in-depth analysis of the underlying cause of the research problem to formulate recommendations for enhancing quality management at the Theological College (Moleong, 2004). To support the findings, semi-structured interviews with Theological College managers were conducted. The data were evaluated using descriptive analysis (Creswell, 2013).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Theological Colleges are generally established by Christian institutions or foundations, while the Directorate General of Christian Guidance handles few state-funded theological education programs. A Christian Institute or Foundation's Theological College cannot be separated from its founder's paradigm, mission, and goals, both the leader's and the founding institution's. This paradigm is ultimately what gives meaning to the school's overall process and outcome.

The paradigm that a theological school follows significantly impacts the institution's quality.

Paradigms that are compatible with the quality of higher education will undoubtedly affect the school's accomplishment, management, and production. Theological institutions that embrace an open regulatory paradigm and adapt to change will benefit from their accreditation rankings.

According to the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education's website, just 30% of Theological Colleges received a rating above B. One explanation for this lack of ranking is the religious worldview upon which the Theological College is formed.

Currently, the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education's assessment determines the quality of higher education. Compliance with a government-mandated quality standard administered by the National Accreditation Board for Higher Education is a requirement for high schools of theology serving as higher education providers. In light of this, the quality paradigm that has to be developed in the domain of the Theological College is Total Quality Management (TQM), which focuses on enhancing an organization's or institution's quality culture.

The use of TQM offers the way to success by supporting the development of a quality culture, keeping in mind the purpose of accreditation, which is to assure the quality of higher education and to make continuous improvements. Unfortunately, TQM has not been applied optimally in higher education (Syahid, 2012). This fact demonstrates the need for a complete and consistent implementation strategy to ensure that it is implemented temporally and contributes to the development of a quality culture.

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Further examination reveals that the national higher education standards embedded into government rules governing educational quality align with the Total Quality Management paradigm (Handoko, 2020). TQM can aid leaders in higher education, notably Theological College, in efficiently establishing and growing a quality culture. To successfully apply TQM, it is required to build it on Quality Planning, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, and Quality Improvement (Lumintang, 2019).

Quality management is not an easy task at Theological College. The government's quality standards frequently contradict the quality standards established by school founders and administrators. Regulations that regulate in line with current laws are required by a government that holds higher education graduate standards to the same level as other institutions. Higher education institutions will be prohibited from granting degrees if these norms and conditions are not achieved.

Therefore, this legislation reignites the Theological College, which has been graduating students according to the criteria of its institution.

The National Accreditation Board for Higher Education's quality standards is the guiding principles of higher education management. This principle ran contrary to the one upheld by the Theological College, namely the principle of religious service. Management ideas derived from religious services can conflict with broader principles of higher education management. These two concepts must be resolved for a culture to achieve quality and institutions to become more qualified.

In light of this phenomenon, the researchers conducted observations and interviews with leaders, lecturers, and employees at 8 Theological Colleges in Indonesia with similar characteristics and paradigms for religious services. Observations were conducted with the researcher as the primary instrument to capture all events that occurred at the Theological College, and then the results of interviews were combined and compared. The data was then analyzed to produce a complete final result.

The phenomena shown demonstrate the critical role of human resources in advancing and developing institutions. Lecturers and educational personnel play a critical role in developing quality at higher education. It was discovered that the lecturers hired as teaching personnel at the Theological College were not performing optimally in their Tri Dharma duties. The author conducted observations and interviews at the charismatic pentecostal school of theology, where lecturers served as congregational pastors. The results established conclusively that the lecturer employed at the Theological College did not engage in the Tri Dharma activity, which is the primary responsibility of the lecturer profession. Administratively, it was determined that the lecturer's responsibilities were not also be fulfilled.

The lecturers have failed to do the Tri Dharma duties because they do not realize that the lecturer's role is not limited to teaching. This is because the ordinary lecturer's primary role is as a teacher in their minds and perceptions. This paradigm is overgrowing among Theological College teachers. Besides, the lecturers' responsibilities are compounded by pastoral duties in the religious environment. Due to the branching focus, lecturers are needed to prioritize their works. They are more focused on religious service in connection to this work, empowered with the paradigm of religious service. Moreover, several senior lecturers asserted that teaching at the Theological College is also an act of service. How services are delivered undermines the administrative paradigm underlying the government's quality standards.

Regulatory quality standards are frequently ignored because the output of the Theological College is destined solely for church consumption, negating the necessity for state administrative legality, according to a senior lecturer. The service paradigm, which lecturers own and promote as the spearhead of quality at the Theological College, is a challenge that must be addressed to produce a quality culture that satisfies higher education standards.

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Another issue is related to the Theological College's service model, especially financial management standards. Within the Theological College's management scope, financial management remains concentrated on the Foundation or founder, who is responsible for mainly operational needs. While operational finances have been managed according to the Tri Dharma of higher education, the Theological College's scope is still confined to the requirement for operational funding for education. Financial management that is only focused on educational needs results in a failure to achieve the quality standards of higher education. Lack of research and community service funding discourages lecturers from participating in research and community service.

Financial management standards at the Theological College are inextricably linked to the position of the leader. The statements from several Theological College leaders indicated that they do not budget for research or community service. Several lecturers even made statements supporting funding requests for research and service that the leader promptly rejected. This demonstrates that the commitment to developing a high-quality culture consistent with national education standards has not been adequately received. Leadership commitment is critical in establishing a quality culture in institutions of higher education (Lumintang, 2019).

The management factor of this quality standard is critical in establishing a culture of excellence at the Theological College. Ensuring that an institution's management is sound will produce high output is possible. Effective management will increase the quality of higher education.

Managers' inputs, processes, outputs, and outcomes reveal their managerial strengths and skills.

Professional managerial abilities must be applied to the management of the Theological College in order to ensure the production of quality graduates (Imeldawati, 2019).

In terms of management factors, it is established that certain charismatic pentecostal schools of theology continue to operate within a religious-based management paradigm with "called" and voluntary standards. The use of "called" and voluntary standards in management causes the Theological College to adopt a more radical approach to human resources management. However, on the other hand, professionalism remains below the higher education national standard (Nugroho et al., 2019). The internal quality assurance system has regulated national standards for higher education. A quality assurance system consists of a management process that is planned, documented, implemented, and regularly assessed to achieve long-term quality.

The concept, mechanism, and cycle of internal quality assurance systems are regulated by Law No. 12 of 2012 on higher education. According to this paradigm, a higher education institution is qualified if it can articulate its vision and mission in terms of its uniqueness and characteristics.

Second, colleges can also define their vision and mission through a series of aspects or the use of derived standards. Thirdly, great universities are capable of implementing, regulating, and developing various standards in response to stakeholder needs.

Internal Quality Assurance System ruled by the government gives direction to universities on effectively managing their institutions in compliance with the norms and regulations established by the government. Within the Theological College, the regulatory administrative paradigm of the government must be implemented and merged with the religious service paradigm. The voluntary paradigm embedded in the lecturers and education personnel of the Theological College must be balanced with government laws. Both paradigms must be linked when Quality Planning, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, and Quality Improvement are implemented.

Based on the research findings, it was determined that the religious service paradigm inspired by all leaders and lecturers at the Theological College with a charismatic pentecostal belief background must be linked with the government's regulatory paradigm. Integration can be accomplished through the use of Total Quality Management.

The initial integration stage determines what they want to accomplish and do. If governance inside the Theological College continues to "flow" after all this time, then a quality strategy is

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required to produce qualified products. Careful planning in compliance with higher education governance norms will increase educational quality. Without sound planning, an agency's culture of excellence will not develop. The voluntary paradigm that exists within the Theological College must be supported by sound planning in order to coordinate existing volunteers effectively. This is referred to as quality planning in the context of quality management.

A well-structured plan must then be adequately implemented. The paradigm of religious service represented by volunteers must be balanced with the division of labor, work goals, and job evaluation. A division of labor based on competence, supported by relevant and quantifiable work objectives, will create a high-quality work environment culture. The existing voluntary paradigm will be enhanced if accompanied by a division of labor and quantifiable work goals, allowing for accurate measurement of achievements. This is referred to as quality control from a quality standpoint.

Measurable job goals will become apparent when a high level of quality assurance exists.

Once the objective has been accomplished, a quality assurance method for the results and work achievements is required. Quality assurance is necessary to ensure that the outcomes and accomplishments are consistent with the original plans. This quality assurance procedure should be repeated regularly to ensure that the planning process is on track with what is being achieved and targeted. It is necessary to verify that the work standards and accomplishments specified during planning are carried out following the specified targets. This level of assurance is achieved if the scheduled activities can be carried out correctly.

The final component of integrating the religious service and regulatory paradigms is quality improvement. The outcomes of the quality assurance evaluation should be analyzed to determine what was not accomplished and what was accomplished. The evaluation's findings can then be utilized to inform quality improvement efforts in various disciplines. The volunteer-driven paradigm of religious service will very certainly support quantifiable and targeted progress. Quality assurance and quality improvement are required to undertake a size and direction review.

The combination of Quality Planning, Quality Control, Quality Assurance, and Quality Improvement is designed to develop a culture of quality and enhance the quality of higher education institutions, particularly those within the scope of the Theological College. To do this, the existing human resources at the Theological College, particularly those with a charismatic pentecostal perspective, must first balance perspective about the concept of higher education. When concepts and perspectives are aligned, integration between the service and regulatory paradigms can succeed.

The Theological College can recruit professionals in their specialties, such as administrative and information technology workers.

On the other side, in a charismatic pentecostal environment, the Theological College needs to increase its adaptability to government rules governing higher education standards, which are likewise evolving as a result of science and technological advances. As a result, an adaptive integrative mindset must be developed inside the Theological College in order for it to create high- quality institutions and graduates. This adaptable integrative approach is beneficial for managers and leaders at the Theological College in addressing the needs of church institutions/stakeholders while also complying with government rules. This integrative adaptive mindset can then be used to enhance the quality of the Theological College environment while also aligning the religious service paradigm with the regulatory administrative paradigm of the government.

CONCLUSION

According to the study's findings, basically all human resources in the charismatic pentecostal

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both an opportunity and a threat that must be managed appropriately. It will be an opportunity to manage this paradigm effectively so that significant gains may be achieved. On the other hand, if it is not managed properly, it will constitute a threat, as it is fundamentally opposed to the regulatory administrative paradigm established by the government. Thus, effective integration requires the development of an adaptable integrative mindset that enables the religious service paradigm to be aligned with the regulatory administrative paradigm. This mindset will serve as a bridge for developing a high-quality culture capable of producing high-quality institutions and graduates.

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