Organizational culture of the school

1. B.ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE OF SCHOOLS

2. I.DESCIPTIONS
There are numerous attempts to define what organizational culture is. One
of simplest and probably the most commonly known definition is “the way we
do things around here” (Lundy & Cowling, 1996). The concept of organizational
culture explains that “the way we do things…” comes from specific sets of
values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors that are shared by organizational
members, which gives the organization unique and distinctive character (Brown,
1998).
Organizational culture can be understood as “collective software of minds”
that has developed out of three sources: universal, group or collective and
individual.
The universal source consists of elements that are common for every
culture and organization as they are human constructs and reflect the nature
and specificity of us as human beings.
Henry Mintzberg (1989) refers to culture as organization ideology, or “the
traditions and beliefs of an organization that distinguish it from other
organizations and infuse a certain life into the skeleton of its structure.”
Stephen Robbins (1998) defines organization culture as “a system of
shared meaning held by members that distinguishes the organization from
other organizations.

3. Edgar Schein (1992), however, argues that the culture should be reserved
for a “deeper level of basic assumptions, values, and beliefs” that become
shared and taken for granted as the organization continues to be successful.
Our general definition of organizational culture is a system of shared
orientations that hold the unit together and give it a distinctive identity.
Orientations are values, norms, and tacit assumptions.
Organizational culture manifests itself at different levels or through different
dimensions. Edgar Schein (1992) for example argues that it can be seen as a
phenomenon that expresses itself on three levels:
The level of basic assumptions – deeply rooted in our minds these mental
models give us an explanation about the nature of the world, nature of human
being, etc. These are usually unconscious but strongly influence the reality of
our organizations.
Second is the level of basic values that are important for certain
organizations. It is important that school (organizational) leadership ensures
that they are conscious as they directly influence everyday practice within the
organization. The members of organization have to clarify them and transfer
them into their practice according to their understanding.
The third level, called the level of artefacts, can be seen on the material
level in the ways building, space, material resources and equipment look and
are used. It usually reflects what is important in organizations from the
perspective of levels of basic assumptions and values and it is good if it is
consistent with those levels (Schein, 1992).

4. Organizations and their cultures are different. To describe that difference
and understand some distinctive elements of organizational culture more
precisely some authors have developed typologies of organizational cultures.
There are numerous attempts of typologies but the best known and most
frequently used to describe schools as organizations is Handy’s typology of fourcultures:
power culture (Zeus), role culture (Apollo), task culture (Athena) and
person culture (Dionysus).
The first type, power culture, is strongly influenced by the centrally located,
strong personality of a leader. He/she dominates every single aspect of
organizational culture. It is then built of the potential of one person only. From
the perspective of educational organization it is not a very good culture as it
limits potential of school and educational processes going on within it on
different levels to the potential of person that plays formal role of school head.
Role culture, which is also called bureaucratic culture, is built on laws and
regulations that describe every single aspect of school life leaving no place for
individual decisions. Such culture is very static or mechanistic and does not
allow for flexibility or freedom of action. That is why it is not adequate for the
needs of schools as organizations as they everyday deal with new and unique
problems of developing learners.

5. Task culture is built on the potential of all members of organization seen
from the perspective of specific organizational tasks. It must be argued that it is
the best culture for school as organization. It values individual potential but puts
it into the context of organizational goals. It can create conditions that maximize
the potential of organizations and best support the development and learning of
students.
Person culture (anarchic) which also values individuals neglects organizational
interests and brings the danger of narrowly understood individualistic needs as
central for organization. As learning and development processes have social
nature it does not serve good needs of schools as organizations focused on
learning and development processes (Handy, Aitken, 1986).
Typologies such as Handy’s attempt on one hand give clear picture of some
features of organizational culture, but on the other they lose complexity of it
and simplify the picture of live organization. Schools (any other organizations)
have to be cultures that are able to incorporate different ways of understanding
and action that are typical for different cultures in order to serve different needs
of complex and unpredictable educational processes. Building such school
cultures seems to be central challenge of contemporary educational systems
(Dorczak, 2014).
The organizational culture of schools is often taken for granted, but it is a
subject that needs greater focus and understanding of school-based
professionals. In general, organizational culture “refers to a set of common
values, attitudes, beliefs and norms, some of which are explicit and some of
which are not” (Brown, 2004). In many ways organizational culture is invisible
—although it can be both conscious and unconscious—but at the same time,
it serves as the glue that binds and builds a sense of cohesion within schools.
Organizational culture can be found in shared relationships among colleagues,
norms within the school environment, student, and teacher relations, and
sharing experiences (Haberman, 2013). A school's organizational culture
provides a sense of identity, promotes achievement orientation, helps shape
standards and patterns of behavior, creates distinct ways of doing things, and

6. II. LEVELS OF ORGANIZATION CULTURE
1. Tacit Assumptions
Abstract Premises about
1. Nature of human nature
2. Nature of human relationships
3. Nature of truth and reality
4. Relationships with the environment
2. Values--conceptions of the desirable
1. Openness
2. Trust
3. Cooperation
4. Intimacy
5.Teamworkk
3. Norms--
1. Support your colleagues
2. Don’t criticize your superiors
3. Handle your own problems
4. Be supportive of students
5. Be available to get your students extra help

7. III.
FUNCTIONS OF CULTURES
a) Culture as Norms
Examples of Norms
Never criticize colleagues in public
Support your colleagues
Handle your own discipline problems
Be available for your students after school
Support the principal
Get to school early in the morning
Be in the hall by your room as classes change
b) Culture as Shared Values
Examples of Core Values
Commitment to the the school
Commitment to teaching
Cooperation and teamwork
Trust and group loyalty
Egalitarianism
Serve your students
High academic achievement
c) Culture as Tacit Assumptions
Examples of Tacit Assumptions
Truth ultimately comes from teachers themselves.
Teachers are capable of making decisions in the best interests
of students.
Truth is determined through debate, which often produces
conflict and the testing of ideas in an open forum.
Teachers are family; they accept, respect, and take care of

8. Functions of Culture
Creates distinctions among organizations
Provides the organization with a sense of identity
Facilitates development of commitment to the group
Enhances stability in the social system
Social glue that binds the organization together
Provides standards of behavior
CAUTION: Strong cultures can promote or impede

9. Online Sources:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-sociology/
Chapter/schools-asformal-organizations/
https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1125064.pdf
https://mje.mcgill.ca/article/view/9139/7094
https://bizfluent.com/info-8235460-formalization-organizati
onalstructure.html
http://www.vits.org/publikationer/dokument/527.pdf#:~:text=wheh
%20using%20Mintzberg's%20(1983%2C%201998,were%20chosen
%20representing%20core%20processes.
https://www.deped.gov.ph/2015/10/30/do-52-s-2015-neworganizationalstructures-of-the-central-regional-and-schools-division-offices-of-
thedepartment-of-education/
https://www.affordablecebu.com/load/schools_universities/
organizational_str ucture_chart_of_deped/23-1-0-8418
https://academic.oup.com/cs/article-abstract/39/1/3/261645
3
http://evaluationplus.eu/school-organisational-culture
https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=http%3A%2
F
%2Fwaynekhoy.com%2Fppts%2FHM_PP_Slides_Ch5.ppt
https://www.heflo.com/blog/hr/organizational-climatedefinition/#:~:text=The%20organizational%20climate%20is%20a
%20concept%20%E2%80%9Cperceived%E2%80%9D%20by,organizational
%20climate%20affects%20productivity%2C%20motivation%20and
%20employee%20behavior.
https://www.naesp.org/sites/default/files/resources/2/Le
adership_Compass/20
07/LC2007v5n1a4.pdf
Books
The School and the Community, School Culture, and Organizational
Leadership, G. Pawilen, et.al, Rex Bookstore, 2019, Manila, Philippines.
The School and the Community, School Culture, and Organizational
Leadership, N. Prieto, et.al, LORIMAR Publishing, 2019, Quezon City,