Can leadership enhance school effectiveness? Leaders interact with culture at the organizational level both in terms of efforts to include the multiple cultures which may be present and also to sustain, adapt or change the dominant culture. At the operational scale, the leader may focus on the culture within the institution in order to facilitate the achievement of institutional improvement, with culture conceptualized as an agent of change. International Journal for Leadership in Education, 4(4), 401414. International Journal of Leadership In Education, 4(4),297307. Cultures Consequences, Comparing Values, Behaviors, Institutions, and Organizations Across Nations (2nd ed.). Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Cardno, C. Where preparation and development engage at all with culture, the current prevalence of content-competencies (Stier, 2003, p. 84) does not begin to equip leaders with the skills needed to relate to exogenous and endogenous cultures. R. T. Consequently, a tendency to stereotype or discount alternative cultures must be halted by conscious, persistent effort (Lumby with Coleman, 2007). House, R. J. Corporate rituals: The rites and fituals of corporate life. See all results for "" Log In La Habra High School . (2007). Changing Our Schools: Linking School Effectiveness and School Improvement. Skip to page content. It may be limiting, ineffective and ethically dubious, particularly in those countries with a history of previous colonization and suppression of indigenous cultures. Systems theory enables us to conceptualize every school and educational organization as being characterized 1) by a range of inputs, 2) by the processes in operation within the school, and 3) by a set of outputs and in each of these three elements of the system we can identify culture as a key component. Bush, T. Bolam (2006). (1996). Cultures and Organisations: Software of the Mind. In Fullan, M. Effective. The capacity of any individual or group to engineer culture is questionable (Adler, 1997; Morgan, 1986). Towards a framework of investigating leadership praxis in intercultural. In the opening chapter to this section of the Handbook, Fink and Stoll review the contemporary field of educational change and ask why educational change is so difficult to understand and achieve in present times. (2003). & Tin, L. However, a model which merely identifies cultural elements doesnt take account of the dynamic nature of culture and it is useful therefore to consider culture in the context of a systems perspective on organizations. Bjerke, B. We have looked at three theoretical aspects of culture here. & Morgan, G. Challenging the boundaries of sameness: leadership through valuing difference. Stier, J. Creating this culture of change by constantly challenging the status quo is a contact sport involving hard, labor-intensive work and a lot of time. One dimension of fit may relate to ease with receiving positive and negative feedback and from whom. As Foskett and Lumby (2003, p. 8) indicate: & What we mean by the term culture is both argued to be generally understood (Lumby, Walker, Bryant, Bush & Bjork, forthcoming) and suggested not to be understood, misunderstood or so variously understood as to be verging on meaningless. In previous papers we have described the evolution of this project in detail (Stoll and Fink, 1988, 1989a, 1989b, Fink and Stoll, 1992). The very public travails of The Ridings School have further heightened the national preoccupation with ineffective schools. Professing educational leadership: conceptions of power. Cultural processes, the second element of a systems perspective, will be reflected in almost every dimension of the operation of the school. The radical modernization of school and education system leadership in the United Arab Emirates: towards indigenized and educative leadership. & Sapre, P. Bryant, M. International Studies in Educational Administration. (2003). Unproductive, toxic schools have fragmented staffs, eroding goals, and negative, hopeless atmospheres. At the exogenous level, there appears to be widespread cultural homogeneity implicit in leadership development; that is, whether explicitly acknowledged or not, development is underpinned by some degree of belief in leadership as an invariable activity (Walker & Walker, 1998; Bhindi & Duignan, 1997): this despite recognition that even the word leader has very different connotations in different cultures (House, 2004). (2001). Such a perspective suggests that the dominant culture, were it to be discerned with any certainty, would be embedded, unexamined and therefore unchallenged, in preparation and development programs. Hargreaves (1995) developed a different typological model in which he distinguishes formal, welfarist, hothouse, and survivalist school cultures based on the educational priorities of the school in the context of external market environments. Wisdom gained, wisdom given: instituting PBL in a Chinese culture. Collard, J. Hallinger, P. (1995). The challenge for educational leaders is to recognize and conceptualize each of these cultural realms and understand how it impacts on and provides implications for their own school. The purpose of this book is to re-orient the current agenda in education towards learning. An example of the cultural challenges that emerge from this has been described by Hallinger and Kantamara (2001) in the context of Thailand. Kennedy, A. Young Journal of Managerial Psychology, 1(2), 95117. Educational leadership in East Asia: implications of education in global society. Nor is it amoral. P. J. M. (1997).Organizational behaviour (3rd ed.). Hoppe, M. H. And, of course, the selection of principals by governors, education boards or regional/national education authorities is a key mechanism through which the cultural inputs to a school will be strongly controlled. It will therefore involve engagement with the moral choices which lie at the heart of leadership. Its view of the nature of human activity does it believe that people behave in a dominant/proactive mode or a passive/fatalistic mode? It would appear that teachers have one view, government another, and various segments of the community still another. (See, for example, Buruma and Margal-its book, Occidentalism: The west in the eyes of its enemies.) C. Understanding Schools as Organisations M. 8-9; Stoll and Fink 1995). Two other approaches might be more desirable ethically and politically. (Eds. Ranade, M. J. For example, the balance of time given to study of the legislation relevant to schooling or to the implications of a particular faith, whether Islam, Christianity, or any other, will embed values within the curriculum through the choice of priority reflected in the time allocated. (Hoppe, 2004, p. 333), a set of shared values and preferred actions among members of a society that largely determines among other things, the boundaries within which leader development is possible. & However, his analysis of national culture has been abused to support stereotypical views and crude dichotomies, such as between Western cultures and those of Asia. Ribbins, P. Every school, for example, has a specific geographical and social location which will strongly shape its cultural context the inner city school serving a diverse multi-ethnic community will inherit a diversity of cultures that may be quite different to those of the suburban middle class school. Hargreaves, D. H. Leithwood, K. London: Sage. School principals in transition. Consequently, although there is relatively little empirical data on which to draw, the issue of fit between culture and the conception, development and enactment of leadership has become a key concern. There is also a preference to face facts whether positive or negative. A more flexible and subtle shaping will be needed. Imperial Middle School 1450 S. Schoolwood Dr. La Habra, CA 90631 Phone: 562-690-2344. Tuition is $13,400 for the highest grade offered. (2007). Bush (1991). Leadership and culture: Conceptual and methodological issues in comparing models across cultural settings. London: Sage. Cultural globalization is the international transfer of values and beliefs, and while strictly it is multi-directional it is typically perceived as dominated by the spread of western, particularly American, values and symbols across the globe. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 8(3), 207221. Cultural diversity and group work effectiveness. A similar situation is the case in Norway and in Japan (Moller, 2000). This is but one element of the interplay of competing values, priorities and hierarchies of power which influence culture. Revisiting the Culture of the School and the Problem of Change. From showcase to shadow: understanding dilemmas of managing workplace diversity. Leithwood The study identifies how cultural literacy amongst the principals of the schools is a key element of the positive achievements they report. The recent emphasis has been on achieving standards through managing schools, teachers and the teaching process. Washington, K. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. School culture . Lumby et al. Analysis of the content of programs might suggest that such commitment is largely camouflage for neglect of such values (Lopez, 2003; Rusch, 2004). (1996). Leadership learning the praxis of dilemma management. Educational Management and Administration. A welfarist culture, alternatively, emphasizes the individual needs of pupils. House, R. J. As a second exemplar, in China the millennia long influence of Confucianism has led to a compliance culture, the impact of this cultural norm being a tendency to see change as an event rather than a process (Hallinger, 2001, p. 67). London: Paul Chapman. Coleman, C. (2007). By continuing to use the site N. , Thirdly, it offers an international perspective by looking at the micro relationship of culture to the multiple identities and cultures of individuals and organizations. Dorfman, P. W. 330). (Eds. Preparing head teachers to respond to these challenges will be a significant challenge, therefore, and this is a focus later in the chapter. Conflicting expectations, demands and desires. Hodgkinson (2001) argues that culture is always determining, subliminally and subconsciously, our value orientation and judgments. For example, the East or the West continue to be used as descriptive terms for cultural groups in the context of considering leadership. Preparing leaders involves considering the nature and impact of culture on the crafting of their development (for example, the curriculum or mode of delivery). School administration in China: a look at the principals role. Culture also impacts on delivery. Sarason, S. (2005). Prasad Bryant, M. The key issue, of course, arising from globalization is that educational leaders will be faced increasingly with challenges to manage cultural change within their institution. & We present here a small number of examples in order to illustrate a range of typologies. Identity based and reputational leadership: an American Indian approach to leadership. . Sarason (1971, 1996), writing of US schools, was one of the earliest to insist that improving schools was primarily a question of changing culture. Where there is any element of selectivity of pupils, whether by ability/prior achievement or by geography or by capacity to pay, then the school will be involved in processes of cultural selection. While the analytical models described are helpful in conceptualizing the nature of culture, there are a number of key issues for leaders to recognize in reflecting on their own organizations. Those attempting to loosen the bonds of dominant cultures implicit in preparation and development programs research and write within the very dominant orientations they are trying to question (Gronn, 2001). If culture embeds, among other things, power relations, then the issue of programs matching or challenging dominant cultures becomes a matter of negotiating competing notions of appropriate power relations, political and social structures. As in the acquisition of any language, fluency can only be achieved by practice and not just by theory (Taras & Rowney, 2007). Develops two "ideal culture" typologies (traditional and collegial) and discusses each for its heuristic, conceptual, methodological, and explanatory potential in school effectiveness and school . Organizational development in the Arab world. , & (Eds. (1996). British Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 363386. Two distinctive views of this connection can be identified (Collard, 2006). Similarly, Bajunid (1996, p. 56) argues that the richness of Islamic teaching is absent from concepts of leadership. E. (Hargreaves 1995; Maslowski 2001, pp. A tentative model and case study. R. J. Newbury Park, CA: Sage. International Journal for Leadership in Education, 4(4), 321332. Preparation and development programs therefore face a twofold challenge: In the next section we shall examine the issues of culture and leadership preparation and development. J. 2 C. BELLEI ET AL. 420421). M. Metaphorically culture is like the air we breathe; all around us, vital, and yet difficult to discern and to change. It takes the view that culture can be unified and that dissent, anomaly, conflicts of interest or ambiguity are viewed. | How to buy . Handy, C. These elements are but the tangible appearance of the underpinning set of values and beliefs, which shape the intended outcomes of the educational enterprise within a school. Kantamara, P. Mabey In this set article, Professor Louise Stoll explores the relationship between school culture and school improvement. Once the inputs are understood and the intended outputs identified, the major challenge for the school leader is then to organize and operationalize the processes within the school to enable pupils to travel from their cultural starting point to the output position the school seeks to achieve. More research of this kind, exploring fit not only to the dominant culture of the nation/region, but also fit to the multiple cultures within the nation or region would provide a potentially powerful antidote to programs which are currently not culturally inclusive. 210223). Inevitably therefore, design of the curriculum and its delivery will involve judgments not only about the relevant local culture and the degree of diversity, but also how far global or international cultural assumptions may be relevant. (forthcoming). Gupta Redefining the field of European human resource management: a battle between national mindsets and forces of business transition? Hallinger (2001, p. 65) suggests that the primary purpose of schooling is the onward transmission of established culture and values between generations. Celebration and humour"we feel good about ourselves" a holistic concept. In the absence of a similarly complex or authoritative study of the cultural factors in educational leadership, the design of much preparation and development seems to adhere to an assumed commonality and to avoid detailed engagement with the culturally contingent (Lumby et al., forthcoming), resulting in an international curriculum for school leadership preparation (Bush & Jackson, 2002, pp. Kachelhoffer, P. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Developing the argument further, Litvins point is that even within an apparently homogeneous group there will be wide variation in culture related to the multiple characteristics, history and context of each individual. (1996). Such simple categorizations provide briefly interesting analytical tools to assist school leaders in gaining an initial understanding of their school culture, but are of limited wider utility. , Watch Events 3 Live Search by typing your school, event, association. Preliminary explorations of indigenous perspectives of educational management, Journal of Educational Administration, 34(5), 5073. A perspective on women principals in Turkey. , Leaders navigate cultural choices which are always constrained. , Deciding which cultural assumptions to attempt to embed in the design and delivery of development, including the degree to which they will replicate or challenge dominant cultures; Deciding how best to equip leaders with intercultural competence, so that they in their turn can decide which cultural assumptions to attempt to embed in their school leadership, including the degree to which they will replicate or challenge dominant cultures. Each of these contexts has a culture that expresses itself conceptually, verbally, behaviorally and visually, and which is a product of the complex interaction of communities, socio-economic contexts and contrasts, ethnic and faith-based values and beliefs, and the history of that community as a whole and of the individuals within it. A. The assumed commonality in attributes and behaviors may also be evident in axiological assumptions. Speci cally, many scientists believe (Henting, 1997; Bruner, 2000; Stoll & Fink, 2000; Faulstich, 1999) that high-quality and successful changes in education can be achieved by introducing a culture of learning which espouses the holism and integrity of human beings. Mentoring is therefore flavored by ease and acceptance of the views of seniors but sensitivity to negative feedback. London: Penguin. (2004). & Bajunid., 2005; Sapre & Ranade, 2001; Walker, 2006; Wong, 2001), and faith (Shah, 2006). Internationally leader preparation and development tends to focus on the principal. Mills (forthcoming) distinguish transmission models, where experts pass on theoretical knowledge (often indiscriminately, as discussed earlier), and process models which use more community based styles of learning. Hanges Lumby, J. Multiple perspectives on values and ethical leadership. This paper's . (Eds. M. The former has received very little and the latter a good deal more attention (Gronn, 2001; Heck, 1996). Dorfman and House (2004) suggest three competing propositions: that cultural congruence in development and leadership is more effective; that cultural difference can be stimulating and bring about positive change; that leadership is universal activity. Hallinger, P. A more extensive discussion of the variation in culture and practice internationally is offered by Foskett & Lumby (2003) and Lumby et al. (Ed.). Education. The processes of cultural change in schools have been considered extensively in the literature (e.g. House, R. Sierra Vista Elementary 1800 E. Whittier Boulevard La Habra, CA 90631 Phone: 562-690-2359. (2004) also found evidence of 35 aspects of leadership which are culturally specific, for example, the degree to which compassion, status-consciousness, autonomy and domination are perceived to contribute to effective leadership is culturally contingent. The first approach led to selection of 25 most frequently found publications on the school as learning organisation and/or learning school. & Choices will continue as culture evolves and the perspectives of all players mutate over time. , If leaders believe that a dominant culture is identifiable or achievable, and that it is a single, stable and unifying phenomenon, then changing it becomes a matter of choice, but relatively straightforward and without any moral ramifications. He suggests that schools are bastions of conservatism, not centers of social experimentation. (1971). . (2001). In crafting school culture, school leaders (principals, teachers, and parents) act as models, potters, poets, actors, and healers. Journal of Educational Administration, 34(5), 7497. Duke, D. L. Leadership for a new century; authenticity, intentionality, spirituality and sensibility. Hwang, K. K. Cultural sensitivity demands consideration of how leadership is dispersed amongst the players within schools and the regional administration in a specific context before designing national and local systems in response. Within this, however, there may exist several cultures: Stoll and Fink (1996)25 pupil culture, teacher cultures, a leadership culture, non-teaching staff culture, and parent culture. Cartwright, M. ), Culture, Leadership, and Organizations: the GLOBE study of 62 Societies (pp. C+. V. , , While there is extensive research on the implications of assessment modes on school learners, including the relationship of assessment to variables such as gender and ethnicity, no similar body of research informs how we understand the assessment of leaders. & M. 206207), There are no essential, innate and immutable characteristics of race, age, gender, disability or other demographic categories. We would also suggest that pupils, although seldom asked, would hold . This may be due in part to the fact that understanding culture and its connection to leadership in education is a poorly researched field. From the approach adopted for teaching and learning, to the cultural values espoused in the pastoral and ethical functions of the school, to the relative value ascribed to possible destinations for pupils beyond school, the fabric of school life will be imbued by these cultural processes. Zhang, J. H. . Journal of Educational Administration, 36(1), 828. A. Fink, D. Hallinger Any research which attempts to map such differences in concept and practice will face severe methodological challenges. In others, variation is considerable and the primary drive to develop teaching and learning, attainment and achievement may be located elsewhere. K. It is also a response to the greater sensitivity brought about by the increasing diversity within many societies and the insistence that a perspective based on a single dominant culture risks sustaining a hegemonic, ineffective and excluding approach. Exploring the cultural context of school improvement in Thailand. International Journal of Educational Management, 5(3), 45. Bajunid, I. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 14(1), 3035. Organisational Culture and Leadership. Hiltrop, J. typology of Rosenholtz (1989) differentiates static and dynamic school culture. Javidan School Effectiveness and School Improvement. Prosser, J. Ruiz-Quintanilla, A. London: Sage. (1990). Walker, A. ), Managing the Organizational Melting Pot: Dilemmas of Workplace Diversity (pp. In relation to leader preparation and development culture has been framed largely as an issue of diffusion, particularly of Western values and practice applied to the development of leaders in all parts of the globe (Leithwood & Duke, 1998). The focus on culture at the macro or societal level is matched by concern with the micro or organizational level, the school level. Cultural differences can be observed at a range of organizational scales. Buckingham: Open University Press. Secondly, investigations of the cultural fit of transmission and process models of learning would support those responsible for design in making more appropriate choices. It is probably for this reason that . The first is the blending of western (or, more correctly, exogenous) cultural values with existing cultures to generate a new cultural environment, a model sometimes described as the melting pot perspective. (Eds. (1996). Trond ), Strategic Human Resource Management (pp. Whittier Christian High School is a highly rated, private, Christian school located in LA HABRA, CA. Murphy (2005). ing the micropolitic and the school culture as key components to study school improvement . This search included empirical studies and theoretical pieces. Ali, A. International Journal for Leadership in Education, 7(2),127146. Images of Organization, Powell, A. G. The key dimension of cultural scales is that they all exist synchronously, and they all interact upwards and downwards. Jacky Lumby However culture is often defined in broad general terms as, for example, the way we do things around here (Deal & Kennedy, 1982), obscuring complex and contested conceptualizations. | Promotions , & It is "the way we do things around here" and often defined as 'the basic assumptions, norms and values and cultural artifacts of a school that . Walker, A. They begin by discussing the historical, social and organizational forces that create continuity in education; which . (2006). (Eds. The development of a professional school culture is an important approach for promoting teacher learning (Stoll & Kools, 2017). Chinese culture and leadership. Notwithstanding these different positions, knowledge of how leadership is conceptualized and enacted locally is a sine qua non of successful design. Certainly it would be helpful to undertake an educational equivalent of the GLOBE project (House et al., 2004) and to establish the education leadership attributes and behaviors that are held in common across a large number of nations and those elements that are culturally contingent. But what is an ineffective school? Sapre and Ranade (2001, p. 379) deplore the fact that there is very little in modern Indian education that is truly rooted in the culture, tradition and genius of its people. The International Journal of Educational Management, 15(2), 6877. , & Beyond the school, though, lies a range of contextual cultures extending from the community within which the school lies to regional, national and international cultural contexts. A person in charge is not required. International Studies in Educational Administration, 29(2) 3037. (2003). Discernment of the publicly espoused culture, the culture implicit in practice and the desired culture will inevitably comprise a kaleidoscope of differing opinions and wishes reflecting the perspectives of the individuals responsible for the design and delivery of development.