Assessing and Changing School Culture and Climate :

Chapter 9

Presented by:Siti Khalijah binti Zainol

2013977165

Preview

• School culture and school climate are critical elements in determining the success of a school. 

• School can create cultures that encourage learning and improvement among all participants.

• School climate is relatively enduring quality of the school environment.

The School Workplace

• Organizational culture and organizational climate are the two concepts that captured the researchers’ attention.

• The approaches to examine the collective identity of the workplace come from different intellectual traditions.

Scholars of Organizational Culture

• Use qualitative and ethnographic technique of anthropology and sociology

• Interested in thick, rich descriptions

• Understanding how the elements of culture fit together

• Use quantitative techniques and multivariate analyses.

• Their background and training are more likely to be in multivariate statistics and psychology.

• The researchers are more interested in how climate influences organizational outcomes.

• The goal : to determine effective strategies of change and the impacts to organization.

Scholars of Organizational Climate

What is Organizational Culture?

Organizational culture : the behaviour of humans who are part of an organization.

The groups have certain things that are shared or held in common that make them generally accepted.

The shared element : customs, rituals, traditions of the organizations, values and norms.

Shared orientation that binds the organization together and gives it a distinctive identity. (Hoy & miskel, 2008)

Levels of culture :

Tacit assumptions- Nature of human nature- Nature of interaction- Nature of reality- Nature of knowledge- Relationship to colleagues- Relationship to

environment

Core values- Trust- Authenticity- Commitment- Teamwork- Collaboration

Shared Norms- Never criticize colleagues- Stick together as a group- Handle your own discipline- Help students after school

Artifacts- Stories- Myths and legends- Icons- Rituals

abstract

concrete

Deep

Superficial

Culture as Tacit Assumptions

• The most abstract level.

• Taught to new member when the pattern considered valid

• What to pay attention to, what things mean, how to react, what actions to take in different situation (Schein, 1992)

Considerations of Strong Culture

The school can be considered has a strong culture by these following basic assumptions:

1. Relationships among teachers are primarily group oriented and shared decisions are determined through debate.

2. Teachers are highly motivated and competent.

3. All teacher are evaluated by the same fair standards.

4. Teachers view the school as a big family.

Tacit Assumptions : Problem• Any challenge or questioning may lead to anxiety and

defensiveness. Change is very difficult.

• Scheins (1992, 1999) : the shared basic assumptions making up the culture of a group can be conceived of –at both the individual and group levels-as psychological defense mechanism that protect the individual and group and permit them to function.

• Distortions of information are quite possible because the basic assumptions are always unconscious.

Culture as Core Values• Values – abstract conceptions of the desirable

• Shared values – the basic character and identity of the school

• Values are on higher level than norms

- common expectations of how teachers

should behave

Values NormsDeals with ideals and ends.

Deal with the specific means to achieve those ends.

Define on the ends of human conduct.

Distinguish the legitimate and illegitimate means to accomplish those ends

School culture• Schools develop their own culture

• Develop a core of common value that member embrace and guide their behavior

• In strong culture - core values are held intensely, shared widely and guide organizational behaviour

• must be consistent with authentic principal practices

Culture as Shared Norms• Norms are expectations, not behavior

• Norms – unwritten and informal expectations that people learn as they become socialized.

• Universal and guide group activity.

• Communicated to members by stories and significant events in the school’s history.

• Norms influence the way teachers dress and interact

• In brief – norms are the informal rules that govern behaviour in schools

• Norms are enforced by such informal sanctions as invitations to participate in special events and ostracism

Culture as Artifacts• The most basic and concrete level• Include - physical environment - language - activities - ceremonies- Types of artifacts – stories - myths - legends - icons - rituals- Although artifacts are easy to observe, they are

sometimes difficult to decipher

Functions of Culture1. Creates distinctions among organizations

2. Provides sense of identity

3. Facilitates the development of commitment to the group

4. Enhance stability in the social system

5. Social glue that binds the organization together

6. Guide and shape the attitudes and behavior of organizational members

Common Elements of Culture

1. Innovation : be creative and take risk

2. Stability : focus on the status quo rather than change

3. Attention to detail : concern for precision and detail

4. Outcome orientation : emphasizes result

5. People orientation : sensitive to individuals

6. Team orientation : collaboration and teamwork

7. Aggressiveness : competitive rather than easygoing

The Heart of Learning Culture Teachers and students are proactive

Knowledge is found in many forms

Teachers have good intentions and flexible to change and improvement

Creative and innovative to student learning

Individualism and teamwork are important aspect

Information and communication are central

Diversity is a resource that has the potential to enhance learning

Productive learning is enhance by challenge and support

A Culture of Academic Optimism

Collective set of beliefs about strengths and school capabilities

3 Aspects of academic optimism:

collective efficacy : the faculty believes in itself

faculty trust in students and parents: teachers, parents and students cooperate to improve learning

academic emphasis : the faculty focuses on student success in academics

Ways to Build Academic Optimism• Improve the component parts

• Create school conditions in which teachers believe in themselves and so are their students

• Celebrate the achievements of students and faculty especially the academic ones

School Climate• refers to teachers’ perceptions of the school’s

work environment.

• Affected by the formal organization, informal organization and politics

• The set of internal characteristics that distinguishes one school from another and influence the behaviour of its members

Organizational Climate : Open to Closed

• The best-known conceptualization and measurement of the organizational climate was developed by Andrew W. Halpin and Don B. Croft (1962)

• An Open School Climate is characterized by teacher relations that are professional, collegial, friendly, and committed to the education of students. The principal is supportive and professional and does not restrict or direct teachers with orders.

• An Open School Climate is characterized by teacher relations that are professional, collegial, friendly, and committed to the education of students. The principal is supportive and professional and does not restrict or direct teachers with orders.

Organizational Climate FrameworksFour School Climate Frameworks:

• The Openness of Interpersonal Relations

measured by the OCDQ – principal behavior

- teachers’ behaviour

• The Health of Interpersonal Relations measured by the OHI

• Openness and Health Synthesis measured by the OCI

• A Climate of Citizenship measured by the OCB

Dimensions of Organizational Climate

Dimensions of the OCDQ for Elementary Schools

Principal’s Behaviour : principal’s style of interacting with teachers

Supportive—reflects a concern for teachers, is open to suggestions, respects teachers’ professional competence. Praise is genuine and frequent and criticism is constructive. The principal uses constructive criticism.The principal listens to and accepts teachers’ suggestions.

Directive—maintains close and constant control over all teacher and school activities.The principal rules with an iron fist.The principal monitors everything teachers do.

Restrictive—Hinders rather than facilitates teacher work; burdens with busywork.•Routine duties interfere with the job of teaching.•Teachers have too many committee requirements

Teachers’ behaviour

• Collegial behaviour : supportive professionalism among teachers. They are pleased with the school and support each other.

• Intimate behaviour : close personal relationship among teachers (inside and outside school)

• Disengaged behaviour : general sense of alienation and separation among teachers in the school. They are not productive in group efforts or team building

Sample Items for Each Dimension of the OCDQ-RE

Principal Behaviour Teacher Behaviour

Supportive Behaviouro The principal uses constructive critismo The principal compliment teacherso The principal listens to and accepts

teachers’ suggestions

Collegial Behaviouro Teachers help and support each othero Teachers respect the professional

competence of their collegueso Teachers accomplish their work with

vim, vigor and pleasure

Directive Behaviouro The principal monitors everything

teachers doo The principal rules with an iron firsto The principal checks lesson plans

Intimate Behaviouro Teachers socialize with each othero Teachers’ closet friends are other

faculty members at this schoolo Teachers have parties for each other

Restrictive Behaviouro Teachers are burdened with busyworko Routine duties interfere with the job of

teachingo Teachers have too many committer

requirements

Disengaged Behaviouro Faculty meetings are uselesso There is a minority group of teachers

who always oppose the majorityo Teachers ramble when they talk at

faculty meetings

Climate Typesopen Engaged Disengaged Closed

- Cooperation and respect between the faculty and principal

- Principals listen and open to teachers’ suggestion

- Principals give freedom to the teachers

- Teachers know each other well and committed to their work

- Ineffective attempts of the principals to control

- The principal is rigid and autocratic

- The principal hinders the teachers with burdensome activities and busywork

- Teachers ignore the principals behavior and conduct themselves as professionals

- The principal behaviour is open, concerned and supportive

- The principal listens and gives faculty freedom to act and relieves most of the burdensome

- The faculty is unwilling to accept the principal

- Teachers do not respects each other and disengaged form task

- Ineffective attempts of the principals to control

- The principal is rigid and autocratic

- The principal hinders the teachers with burdensome activities and busywork

- Teachers ignore the principals behavior and conduct themselves as professionals

Health of Organizational ClimateSchool Climate: Healthy to Unhealthy

• A Healthy School Climate- teachers are protected from disruptive outside forces. - The principal has influence with superiors, gets needed resources, and

has an integrated leadership style that is concerned with both the task at hand and the social well being of teachers.

- Morale is high and there is a general press for academic achievement by teachers, parents, and students.

• A Unhealthy School Climate - vulnerable to disruptive outside forces. - The principal has little influence with superiors, resources are scarce, and

the principal neither sets direction nor is supports teachers. - Morale is poor and there is limited attention to academic matters

because the teacher have given up.

OHI-DimensionsInstitutional Integrity-describes a school that is not vulnerable to narrow, vested interests from the community. The school is able to cope well with outside destructive forces.

Principal Influence-refers to the principal’s ability to affect the action of superiors. The influential principal works successfully with the superintendent for the benefit of teachers.

Consideration-behaviour by the principal that is friendly, supportive, open, and collegial.

Initiating Structure-behaviour by the principal that is task and achievement oriented. The principal makes his expectations clear and maintains standards of performance.

Resource Support-refers provisions at the school where adequate classroom supplies and instructional materials are available and extra materials are easily obtained.

Morale- a collective sense of friendliness, openness and trust within the faculty. The teachers form an enthusiast unit about teaching

Academic Emphasis- the extent to which the school is driven by a quest for academic excellence. High but attainable standards of academic performances are set

Sample Items for Each Dimension of the OHIInstitutional Level (School)Institutional Integrity Teachers are protected from unreasonable community and parental demands The school is open to the whims of the public

Managerial Level (Administration)Principal Influence The principal is able to influence the actions of his or her superiors The principal is impeded by superiorsConsideration The principal is friendly and approachable The principal is impeded by superiorsInitiating Structure The principal lets faculty members know what is expected of them The principal maintains definite standards of performanceResource Support Teachers receive necessary classroom supplies Supplementary materials are available for classroom use

Technical Level (Teachers)Morale There is a feeling of trust and confidence among the staff Teachers in this school are cool and aloof to each otherAcademic Emphasis The learning environment is orderly and serious This school set high standards for academic performance

Organizational Health Inventory (OHI-S)

- is a descriptive questionnaire

- administered to the professional staff of the school, and teachers are asked to describe the extent to which each item characterizes their school along a four-point scale:

rarely occurs, sometimes occurs, often occurs and very frequently occurs

Healthy School Climate vs Unhealthy School Climate

Changing School ClimateSome assumptions about change in schools (Hoy & Tarter, 1997)

1. Change is a characteristic of all organizations - Change cab be random or a resource for improvement, but it cannot be

eliminated

2. Change has direction- Change can be progressive or regressive or aimless

3. Organizational learning is possible- Schools can develop their own learning processes to solve their problems.

Principals and teachers have the potential to learn how to solve problems together

4. Schools can be learning organizations- Schools can become places where professionals can continually expand their

capacity to create the results that they desire

Strategy to develop healthy and open learning organizations

1. Identify the problem – discrepancies in the climate profiles2. Establish a problem-solving team – to change climate,

teachers must be involved3. The team takes on the problem – teachers examine the

data with the principal and express a willingness to resolve the troubling issues

4. Diagnosis of the problem – the team diagnoses the causes of the problem

5. Develop an action plan – the team develops an action plan by examining alternatives and consequences

6. Implement action plan – put the plan into action7. Evaluate – assess the consequences of the plan by

collecting new data and evaluating discrepancies

Conclusion:1. School’s cultures have 4 levels – artifacts, shared norms, core values

and tacit assumptions.2. Artifacts are more concrete and tacit assumptions are more abstract.3. Academic optimism creates a culture with a collective beliefs and

norms.4. School climate is a relatively enduring quality of the school

environment that is experiences by teachers, influences their behavior and is based on their collective perceptions

5. School climate was conceptualized and measured from two perspectives

- OCDQ : measure the openness of interactions among teachers and administrators - OHI : an inventory to gauge the health of the interactions among teachers, students and administrators6. Organizations are in a constant state of flux7. Schools can develop their own learning procedures to solve their problems