The design of curriculum and delivery is therefore to an extent a cultural guessing game requiring those responsible for preparation and development to hold a high level of cultural fluency themselves and to support the development of cultural fluency in others. In part this reflects a revolt against the perceived global homogenization of leadership. Leader development across cultures. In Intercultural Education. Chinese culture and leadership. Mills Improving. , 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. (Eds. Jackson, D. 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. L. Stoll, D. Fink. Coleman, C. Images of Organization, Powell, A. G. (Eds. eBook ISBN: 9780203872239 Adobe While there may be commonalities within a whole school, in practice each of these levels will differ in the detail of its culture. By continuing to use the site Cultural fluency will be predicated on more than cognitive effort (Lakomski, 2001). C We have looked at three theoretical aspects of culture here. ), Managing the Organizational Melting Pot: Dilemmas of Workplace Diversity (pp. Bryant (1998) suggests that as a consequence school leadership as conceived in the US is unlikely to be appropriate to Native American educational leaders whose culture and consequent conception of leadership is very different. Cultural complexity offers only multiple complications in assessing fit, not safe generalized conclusions. Teacher cultures have received most . School culture . & After graduation, 76% of students from this school go on to attend a 4-year college. This may be interpreted in several ways ranging from the operational to the political. At the international scale, for example, the work of Hofstede (1991), has sought to provide a broad general analysis of national organizational cultures. , & San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Morgan, G. Mansour, J. M. (1991). Hallinger (2001) notes the changing aims of Asian education and specifically the global standards applied to assessing the quality of education in Hong Kong. The processes of cultural change in schools have been considered extensively in the literature (e.g. (2003). Culture also impacts on delivery. However House et al. (Eds. Analysis of the content of programs might suggest that such commitment is largely camouflage for neglect of such values (Lopez, 2003; Rusch, 2004). Research concerning leadership in multinational corporations defines three components of cultural fluency, cognitive complexity, emotional energy and psychological maturity (Iles & Kaur Hayers, 1997, p. 105). Hanges, S. 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. P. Prasad Hoppe asserts that US leaders find difficulty with accepting supportive relationships. Educational Management & Administration, 26(1), 720. ), Educational management: Redefining theory, policy and practice (pp. A key influence on culture within and beyond schools has been globalization. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Cardno, C. The paper reviews the literature on 'what works' in school improvement taken from a number of sourcesfrom effective schools studies, from accounts by headteachers who have turned schools around. 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. typology of Rosenholtz (1989) differentiates static and dynamic school culture. International Journal for Leadership in Education, 4(4), 401414. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. R. Hooijberg, R. (1996). (1996). International Studies in Educational Administration, 29(2) 3037. 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). Newbury Park, CA: Sage. British Educational Research Journal, 32(3), 363386. The discourse of diversity: from biology to management. Hoppe, M. H. International Journal for Leadership in Education, 4(4), 321332. & (1971). The project established 21 common perceived effective leadership attributes and behaviors within the 57 participating nations, providing evidence of widespread assumptions about leadership. R. J. (2005). & 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. 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. Waters (1995) has identified three interwoven strands to globalization political globalization, economic globalization and cultural globalization. It would appear that teachers have one view, government another, and various segments of the community still another. Begley, P. The implication is that if leadership preparation and development is to aspire to cultural fit, a high degree of sophistication is required. & Spicing it op: Blending perspectives of leadership and cultural values from Hispanic American and African American women scholars. Revisiting the Culture of the School and the Problem of Change. Gupta Hothouse culture exists where the pressure is to high academic achievement, typically in response to government or parental pressure to deliver high quality examination results. ), Culture, Leadership, and Organizations: the GLOBE study of 62 Societies (pp. In China the relatively low contact hours enjoyed by teachers combined with a culture of comfort with peer critique has resulted in teacher groups working together for a considerable proportion of their time to achieve change (Bush & Qiang, 2000), while principals spend much of their time on operational administration (Washington, 1991). Leithwood (2007). They begin by discussing the historical, social and organizational forces that create continuity in education; which . Lumby et al. Prasad 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). (2007). Stoll and Fink identified 10 cultural norms that influence school improvement (see summary in Panel 2). Such reculturing (Fullan, 2001) is perhaps the biggest challenge to school leaders, though, for it will certainly generate conflict, contradiction and destabilization as part of the process as DiPaola (2003, p. 153) has indicated: Rather, in leadership every person has a role to play (Bryant, 1998, p. 12) undertaking a leadership act as need and personal understanding or skill require. Journal of Educational Administration, 34(5), 7497. In the period since the 1970s many commentators have created sometimes a single description of school culture, and sometimes typologies providing alternate descriptions. The attempt to mould culture in any direction involves alignment with some and challenge to others. Mapping the conceptual terrain of leadership: a critical point for departure for cross-cultural studies. Al-Meer, A. There is relatively little attention paid to middle leaders such as department heads and teacher leaders (Bush & Jackson, 2002). Stream sports and activities from La Habra High School in La Habra, CA, both live and on demand. For example, North American and European development assert a cultural commitment to inclusion and equality for all. Towards a framework of investigating leadership praxis in intercultural. as aberrations instead of being endemic to organizations (Hoyle & Wallace, 2005, p. 116). Essentially it makes a questionable assumption. The Culture of the School and the Problem of Change. The (racially neutral) politics of education: a critical race Theory perspective. Sarason, S. , Such an approach to cultural change is, of course, a key component of western approaches to educational leadership, and has been criticized for representing a fundamental misunderstanding of what culture is and can be. Washington Middle School 716 E. La Habra Boulevard La Habra, CA 90631 Phone: 562-690-2374. The typology tool was first developed in 1997 as a hands-on, practical method of defining for discussion purposes a school's stage or type of culture. However, boundaries are permeable. Internationalisation, ethnic diversity and the acquisition of intercultural competencies. 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. P.J. UCEA. A number of summative frameworks for analyzing culture have therefore been developed which seek to reduce the complexity of culture to simplified types which can be labeled for ease of comprehension. Cultural influences on organizational leadership. . Conflicting expectations, demands and desires. It is probably for this reason that . In Bottery asserts that there is a risk through this that there may be emerging a perspective that defines what looks increasingly like a global picture of management practice. Changing the culture of a school or of a leadership development program is therefore not a finite endeavor. The aim is to encourage leaders to address obliviousness to their own culture and challenge approaches which may inappropriately embed a single culture and/or a culture alien to some participants. The radical modernization of school and education system leadership in the United Arab Emirates: towards indigenized and educative leadership. (Eds. We present here a small number of examples in order to illustrate a range of typologies. Culture can take different forms. Such a knowledge base would allow theory to be developed in a more culturally aware way. School Effectiveness and School Improvement, 12(4), 385408. (1991). Scheins model provides a greater level of sophistication by focusing on a challenging interrogation of the culture of the school and linking culture more strongly to underpinning values and beliefs. Understanding international differences in culture would provide a basis for planning cultural fit in preparation and development programs. V. Bajunid, I. Changing the culture becomes merely a question of technical fit, of shaping leadership development to align it to local culture. (1997). , Subordinates expect superiors to act autocratically. Informa UK Limited, an Informa Group Company Home | About RHO | Collections Rowney, J. Walnut Elementary 625 N. Walnut St. La Habra, CA 90631 Phone: 562-690-2369. Paper presented to the He also insisted that the complex creation of culture was the result of multiple inputs from staff, learners and the wider community. The first proposes four 'ideal type' school cultures, based on two underlying domains; the second, a more elaborate and dynamic model, proposes two 'ideal type' school cultures, based on five underlying structures. There are different typologies that can be used to assess. every organization must have a person in charge, acute awareness of the expenditure of time, an obligation to accommodate others right to participate. Tippeconic, J. | Promotions School Effectiveness and School Improvement, v6 n1 p23-46 1995 Explores the relevance of culture to school effectiveness and school improvement. Can leadership enhance school effectiveness? Personal or student reference I refer students to this publication for new research articles or for my work, Benefit library's collection Acquisition of this publication will benefit department, faculty and student needs, Affiliation (See, for example, Buruma and Margal-its book, Occidentalism: The west in the eyes of its enemies.) ABSTRACT In 1986, the Halton Board of Education in Ontario, Canada initiated an Effective Schools Project. Secondly, it considers the important issue of the macro relationship of culture and globalization. Discourse and Organization. The notions of cultural diffusion and cultural fit assume that programs designed to take account of the cultural expectations and preferences of participants are more likely to lead to effective learning and resulting practice. International Journal of Leadership in Education, 8(3), 207221. Commission on Educational Issues. Dorfman, P. W. Finally, we identify key issues and areas for future research. M. In the education sector, the PLC provides a pathway to a learning organisation: one which comprises 'a group of people who take an active, re ective, collaborative, The dynamic culture of . Lumby, J. Despite the recognition that culture is an elusive and diverse concept, identifying some of the existing intellectual paradigms of culture is an important starting point. London: Falmer. 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. In another region of China, Hong Kong, teacher contact hours are considerably higher and leadership is more firmly placed with the principal. Mabey Homogeneity or diversity is the organization more effective when it is characterized by diversity or homogeneity? (1996). El Nemr, M. Education Leadership Review, 3(2), 2831. In many countries the principal may indeed be key. 6886). , There have, of course, been many more attempts to categorize school cultures, each offering a particular perspective to illuminate the nature and effects of culture. & Unproductive, toxic schools have fragmented staffs, eroding goals, and negative, hopeless atmospheres. , & Organizational change, leadership and learning: culture as cognitive process. Ali, A. A challenge to dominant cultures and the evolution of cultures which are seen as fitting will be achieved only by persistent efforts to increase the intercultural fluency of all involved, in part by increasing the evidence base, and in part through detailed translation of such evidence to impact the design and delivery of the development of leaders. He suggests that schools are bastions of conservatism, not centers of social experimentation. Watch online from home or on the go. Organisational Culture and Leadership. Crawford (1997).Organizational behaviour (3rd ed.). For example, 86% of the worldwide variance on individualism-collectivism and 70% of variance across power-distance are found in Europe (Sparrow & Hiltrop, 1998, p. 73). In this set article, Professor Louise Stoll explores the relationship between school culture and school improvement. Cultural differences can be observed at a range of organizational scales. (2000) Leadership and Culture in Chinese Education. Gronn, P. Hiltrop, J. In Notwithstanding these different positions, knowledge of how leadership is conceptualized and enacted locally is a sine qua non of successful design. In fact, Hofstedes work shows very great variation within regions. His critique suggests that there is insufficient time given in such an approach to understanding existing cultures, both at a general level and in terms of the underpinning key components and variables, and the consequence is cultural imperialism. In a strict sense we might argue that the culture of every educational institution is unique, derived from the context in which the school operates and the values of those who have led or been part of the organization over time. Preparation of aspiring principals in Singapore: a partnership model. Similarly, the selection of teaching staff provides at least an implicit and possibly an explicit mechanism of shaping a key cultural input into the school. The first approach led to selection of 25 most frequently found publications on the school as learning organisation and/or learning school. Mills, M. (1997). we elaborated a typology of school improvement trajectories: we identi ed 4 di erent trajectories of school improvement. All leadership development has embedded cultural values. Chan, B. Consequently mid-forged manacles of Western generated categories hinder the development of leaders in Malaysia where Islam is deeply embedded in culture. Watch Events 3 Live Search by typing your school, event, association. Its view of the nature of human activity does it believe that people behave in a dominant/proactive mode or a passive/fatalistic mode? & Bajunid., 2005; Sapre & Ranade, 2001; Walker, 2006; Wong, 2001), and faith (Shah, 2006). , 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. Journal of Educational Administration, 334(5), 1231. There is also a preference to face facts whether positive or negative. G. A more flexible and subtle shaping will be needed. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology. In However, such a perspective ignores the ability of schools to select many of the cultural inputs. Foskett, N. Just as there is an interplay between culture and modes of delivery, assessment may also be rendered more or less effective by the degree of cultural fit. , Its view of human nature is there a belief that people are essentially good, neutral or evil? Cultures consequences: management in Saudi Arabia. (Eds. 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. In contrast the assessment of educational leaders often assumes that consideration of cultural fit is unnecessary in relation to standards which are uncritically accepted as international. & A person in charge is not required. 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. For example, the East or the West continue to be used as descriptive terms for cultural groups in the context of considering leadership. Reading, MA: Addison Wesley. 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. (1985). | Terms & conditions. Pupils, staff and school leaders have an on-going engagement with external stakeholders, from parents, to neighbors, to employers, to the media, and every one of those interactions conveys a message about the culture of the school and its underpinning values. A second early example from the US of a description of a cultural type was the shopping mall school. Processes and structures designed for a time that has passed are no longer appropriate in a rapidly changing society. Sarason (1971, 1996), writing of US schools, was one of the earliest to insist that improving schools was primarily a question of changing culture. The first relates to the ways the day-to-day operations of the school interact with the outside world. This is but one element of the interplay of competing values, priorities and hierarchies of power which influence culture. P. Mller Curricula and delivery which are founded on a set of cultural assumptions, even those which are dominant within the region or country, are likely to miss the mark for many. Educational Leadership: Ambiguity, Professionals and Managerialism. An example of the cultural challenges that emerge from this has been described by Hallinger and Kantamara (2001) in the context of Thailand. Preliminary explorations of indigenous perspectives of educational management, Journal of Educational Administration, 34(5), 5073. The result is that most preparation and development takes egalitarian participation and transformational leadership as key (Bush & Jackson, 2002). C. Bjerke, B. , & Many leaders are constrained to varying degrees by the pressing demands of accountability and competition which in themselves create a dominant cultural context. (2004). Javidan Bolam (2006). C+. Gender and race in leadership preparation: a constrained discourse. (1998). (Eds. A welfarist culture, alternatively, emphasizes the individual needs of pupils. There have been strong responses to the lack of critical awareness of these processes. (2002). 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. L. 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. Deal, T. Fernandez A. Educational leadership: an Islamic perspective. Mentoring is therefore flavored by ease and acceptance of the views of seniors but sensitivity to negative feedback. School principals in transition. 143158). However, Cardno (2007) argues that the dilemma created by the need to give negative feedback and to save face, for example in appraisal, often emphasized as a cultural context in Chinese societies, is in fact universal. (Litvin, 1997, pp. In See all results for "" Log In La Habra High School . (Throughout, the term development is used to indicate both pre-appointment preparation and the post-appointment on-going development of leaders.) (2007). I am a member of the publication's editorial board and strongly support the publication, Authored by: In the context of education this is seen through the promotion of policies and practices around the globe that have been initially developed in the west, based often on western approaches to educational management and the key concept of economic rationalism. It involves consideration of fit to the culture of each individual school but also the necessity to equip leaders to engage with their own organizations culture, to sustain, develop or challenge it.