Management and Leadership Chapter 1

1. © Hoy, 2008, © Hoy 2003
Chapter 1Chapter 1
The School As AThe School As A
Social SystemSocial System

2. © Hoy, 2008, © Hoy 2003
WHAT is system?
Managing Systems
System - a set of interrelated and
interdependent parts arranged in a manner
that produces a unified whole
Closed system - a system that is not
influenced by and does not interact with
its environment
Open system - dramatically interact with
their environment

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WHAT is the organization?
Organization
Deliberate arrangement of people to
accomplish some specific purpose
Characteristics of an organization
distinct purpose
deliberate structure
people
Today’s organizations have adopted:
flexible work arrangements
open communications
greater responsiveness to changes

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Key Properties of Open Systems
Inputs --people, materials, and resources from the outside
Transformation -- the process transforming inputs into something of
value by the system.
Outputs --the byproduct of the transformation.
Feedback -- how the system communicates to its parts and the
environment.
Boundaries -- systems are differentiated from their environments.
Environment -- is anything outside the system.

5. © Hoy, 2008, © Hoy 2003
Open System with Feedback Loops
ThroughputThroughput
[Transformation][Transformation]
InputsInputs OutputsOutputs
People
Materials
Finances
Products
Services
Feedback
EnvironmentEnvironment
Performance

6. © Hoy, 2008, © Hoy 2003
Social Systems Model: Key Assumptions
• Social systems are open systems.
• Social systems consists of interdependent parts, which interact
with each other and the environment.
• Social systems are goal oriented.
• Social systems are peopled.
• Social systems have structure.
• Social systems are political.
• Social systems have cultures.
• Social systems have norms.
• Social systems are conceptual and relative.
• All formal organizations are social systems, BUT not all social
systems are organizations.

7. © Hoy, 2008, © Hoy 2003
Key Elements of the School as a Social System
Schools are social systems with the following key parts:
Structure : roles are expectations of positions that are arranged in a hierarchy.
Individual: the individual is a key unit in any social system; regardless of position,
people bring with them individual needs, beliefs, and a cognitive
understandings of the job.
Culture : represents the unwritten feeling part of the organizations:
its shared values
Politics : informal power relations that develop spontaneously.
Core : the teaching-learning process is the technical core of schools.
Environment: everything outside the organization; source of inputs.
Outputs : the products of the organizations, e. g. educated students.
Feedback : communication that monitors behavior.
Effectiveness: the congruence between expected and actual outcomes.

8. © Hoy, 2008, © Hoy 2003
Internal Elements of the System
Transformation ProcessTransformation Process
Structural SystemStructural System
(Bureaucratic Expectations)(Bureaucratic Expectations)
Cultural SystemCultural System
(Shared Orientations)(Shared Orientations)
Political SystemPolitical System
(Power Relations)(Power Relations)
Individual SystemIndividual System
(Cognition and Motivation)(Cognition and Motivation)
Learning
Learning
Teaching
Teaching
OutputsOutputsInputsInputs
EnvironmentEnvironment

9. © Hoy, 2008, © Hoy 2003
Social System Model for Schools
Transformation ProcessTransformation Process
Structural SystemStructural System
(Bureaucratic Expectations)(Bureaucratic Expectations)
CulturalCultural
SystemSystem
(Shared(Shared
Orientations)Orientations)
PoliticalPolitical
SystemSystem
(Power(Power
Relations)Relations)
Individual SystemIndividual System
(Cognition and Motivation)(Cognition and Motivation)
Learning
Learning
Teaching
Teaching
OutputsOutputsInputsInputs
Environmental
constraints
Human and
capital resources
Mission and
board policy
Materials and
methods
Achievement
Job satisfaction
Absenteeism
Dropout rate
Overall quality
Discrepancy between
Actual and Expected
Performance
EnvironmentEnvironment

10. Interview your friend using the social-systems
model described in this chapter. Ask about school-
community relations (environmental opportunities
and constraints) and the perceived effectiveness of
his or her school. Analyze the answer based on the
followings:
•The structure of the school
•The teaching and learning system
•The culture of the school
Tutorial activitiesTutorial activities
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