The second is that cultural plurality is the norm in many educational systems and within most individual schools and colleges. Sapre, P. Journal of Educational Administration, 34(5), 7497. (Eds. In terms of cultural outputs school leaders need to understand both what the external societies expect from the school and what they wish to achieve themselves this will require an integration of their personal and professional values, their vision of the purpose of schooling, and the visions and values of the key external stakeholders. Ribbins House Walker, A. Although researchers are just beginning to document the effectiveness of the PLC culture, early indications show that it has a significant positive effect on student learning (Lee & Smith, 1996; Louis & Marks, 1998; Stoll et al., 2006; Wiley, 2001). International Journal of Leadership in Education, 8(3), 207221. (2003). (Eds. , 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. Skip to page content. Culture is shaped by five interwoven elements, each of which principals have the power to influence: Fundamental beliefs and assumptions, or the things that people at your school consider to be true. Qiang, H. & Improving. , (2001). & Corporate rituals: The rites and fituals of corporate life. Sierra Vista Elementary 1800 E. Whittier Boulevard La Habra, CA 90631 Phone: 562-690-2359. Walker, A. There is also a preference to face facts whether positive or negative. Preparation of aspiring principals in Singapore: a partnership model. The culture of a school is one of its critical organizational characteristics. ), The University Council for Educational Administration: Handbook of Research on the Education of School Leaders, Lumby, J. The fourth theme addresses a key concern for both policy and practice which is the connection between culture and leaders preparation and development. Journal of Research in Leader Education, Taras, V. This suggests that they are prepared, appointed and developed to reflect a specific set of values and beliefs and are expected to simply transmit those imposed and inherited values to staff and to pupils within their institution. (2001). Categorization of groups which might be assumed to hold a culture in common is therefore problematic. (1999). Rather, cultural competency, the ability to recognize, analyze and engage purposefully with culture at the macro and micro levels is a foundational skill, which positions educational leadership as critical contributors to shaping society and not just the school. School culture . Cultural inputs have many facets these will include the external cultural context (society, community and economy at local, regional and national scales), and the cultures brought to the school by all those engaging with it (teachers, parents, pupils, for example). Hwang, K. K. Washington, K. A tentative model and case study. Very many illustrations could be offered of the different expectations and practice of leadership throughout the world. Cultural processes, the second element of a systems perspective, will be reflected in almost every dimension of the operation of the school. Bryant, M. 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. Collard, J. Such decisions will be founded on a concept of leadership that embraces far more than a capacity to competently manage the technical aspects of instruction. However, boundaries are permeable. Hallinger, P. & 17). (Eds. A second view, though, is that of leaders as agents of cultural change, as discussed earlier in the chapter. International Studies in Educational Administration. Stoll, L. L. (2000) Leadership and Culture in Chinese Education. P., Glatter (forthcoming) point up the greater sensitivity within some cultures where responsibility for success is group owned and/ or where maintaining face is a high priority. Homogeneity or diversity is the organization more effective when it is characterized by diversity or homogeneity? 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. Schein, E. H. At the interface with exogenous and endogenous cultures, preparation and development reflect choices which are more than technical. 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. Foskett, N. (2002). (1999). 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. Mller Develops two "ideal culture" typologies (traditional and collegial) and discusses each for its heuristic, conceptual, methodological, and explanatory potential in school effectiveness and school . House, R. Preliminary explorations of indigenous perspectives of educational management, Journal of Educational Administration, 34(5), 5073. 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. (1998). eBook ISBN: 9780203872239 Adobe What is the significance of time is the organization most oriented towards the past, the present or the future? Online publication date: May 2009, Print ISBN: 9780415988476 Stream sports and activities from La Habra High School in La Habra, CA, both live and on demand. However, process models may not mesh with some cultures. ISBN: 9781135277017. & As in the acquisition of any language, fluency can only be achieved by practice and not just by theory (Taras & Rowney, 2007). Here we shall consider three of these perspectives which we believe provide diverse insights reflections on the tangible components of culture and a number of models of those components in action; consideration of the organizational scales at which culture is important in educational contexts; and a systems view of culture which enables the areas of potential management influence of culture in schools to be identified. We have looked at three theoretical aspects of culture here. Wang, H. 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. Similarly, Bajunid (1996, p. 56) argues that the richness of Islamic teaching is absent from concepts of leadership. Lumby et al. Cultural fluency will be predicated on more than cognitive effort (Lakomski, 2001). Two typologies are developed. Despite the difficulties of establishing the meaning of the concept of culture, it is used ubiquitously as a key variable, Janus-like, suggested both to influence and be influenced by a range of factors which impact on education. , C (1986). House we elaborated a typology of school improvement trajectories: we identi ed 4 di erent trajectories of school improvement. 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. The Leadership Quarterly, 7(2), 163187. Bjork, L. Stoll and Fink (1996) created a typology of five types of school culture: moving (dynamic and successful determination to keep developing), cruising (rather complacent, often with privileged learners who achieve despite little school dynamism), strolling (neither particularly effective or ineffective, but long term not keeping pace with change), struggling (ineffective but trying to address issues), and finally sinking (ineffective and not improving). Sarason, S. Identity based and reputational leadership: an American Indian approach to leadership. Librarian resources Changing the culture becomes merely a question of technical fit, of shaping leadership development to align it to local culture. Bridges, E. The implications of these strategies for leadership training and development have been analyzed by DiPaola (2003) who outlines a number of key components of principal preparation programs. (1996). London: Paul Chapman. Nick Foskett, Print publication date: July 2008 In this line, a study . London: Sage. of the teachers, students and school community. Fullan (2001) has suggested that recognizing the need for, and understanding the processes involved in, cultural change are essential tools of leadership development, for it is in establishing a culture of change in school that successful school development can occur. Stoll and Fink (1996) developed a model in determining the school culture. , The International Journal of Educational Management, 15(2), 6877. & Lumby et al. Published 1996. In another region of China, Hong Kong, teacher contact hours are considerably higher and leadership is more firmly placed with the principal. , Complex and important concept School culture is one of the most complex and important concepts in education. Wallace, M. International Journal of Leadership In Education, 4(4),297307. (2004). London: Falmer. (1997). Crawford Kennedy, A. How principals manage ethnocultural diversity: Learnings from three countries. Bush, T. Unproductive, toxic schools have fragmented staffs, eroding goals, and negative, hopeless atmospheres. Throughout the world a great deal of effort and money has been expended in the name of educational change. , 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. The project established 21 common perceived effective leadership attributes and behaviors within the 57 participating nations, providing evidence of widespread assumptions about leadership. Consequently, a tendency to stereotype or discount alternative cultures must be halted by conscious, persistent effort (Lumby with Coleman, 2007). Organizational change, leadership and learning: culture as cognitive process. Processual competencies, comprising intrapersonal competencies and cognitive competencies (2003, p.84), are also needed. Two typologies are developed. N. Culture can take different forms. & International Journal for Leadership in Education, 4(4), 309319. The New Meaning of Educational Change (3rd ed.). (1996). 330). (forthcoming) provide a strong warning that collective cultures as well as honoring hierarchical superiority may also have an acute need to maintain self-esteem. 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. El Nemr, M. (See, for example, Buruma and Margal-its book, Occidentalism: The west in the eyes of its enemies.) Bajunid (1996, p. 52) argued over a decade ago that in Malaysia there is an urgent need to inspire, motivate and work with relevant and meaningful concepts that the locals are at home and familiar with and to free educational leadership and management from the intellectual domination of Greco-Roman, Christian, Western intellectual traditions (1996, p. 63). Leader development across cultures. A key influence on culture within and beyond schools has been globalization. The first is that leaders are passive ambassadors of culture. But the real purpose of schools was, is, and always will be about learning. Archer (1996, p. 1) contends that the notion of culture remains inordinately vague to the extent that poverty of conceptualization leads to culture being grasped rather than analysed. Consequently mid-forged manacles of Western generated categories hinder the development of leaders in Malaysia where Islam is deeply embedded in culture. 210223). (2004), Understanding valuation processes; exploring the linkage between motivation and action. (2002). , & with & 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. Stier insists that the latter cannot be achieved by content competencies alone. Javidan Stoll and Fink (1996) created a typology of five types of school culture: moving (dynamic and successful determination to keep developing), cruising (rather complacent, often with privileged learners who achieve despite little school dynamism), strolling (neither particularly effective or ineffective, but long term not keeping pace with change), Walker, A. In part this reflects a revolt against the perceived global homogenization of leadership. (2004). He suggests that schools are bastions of conservatism, not centers of social experimentation. Hallinger (2001) notes the changing aims of Asian education and specifically the global standards applied to assessing the quality of education in Hong Kong. Education researchers have also assumed such common attributes, for example, integrity (Begley, 2004; Bhindi & Duignan, 1997). (2005). (1997). Culture is the set of beliefs, values and behaviors, both explicit and implicit, which underpin an organization and provide the basis of action and decision making, and is neatly summarized as the way we do things around here. The processes of globalization have been a significant feature of all dimensions of society and economy over the last three decades. Changing Our Schools: Linking School Effectiveness and School Improvement. (Eds. School culture can have an positive. (1990). 178190). | Promotions Leadership and culture: Conceptual and methodological issues in comparing models across cultural settings. Cultural complexity offers only multiple complications in assessing fit, not safe generalized conclusions. R. J. Processes and structures designed for a time that has passed are no longer appropriate in a rapidly changing society. 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. Understanding Schools as Organisations 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. (2002). Secondly, investigations of the cultural fit of transmission and process models of learning would support those responsible for design in making more appropriate choices. P. 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. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. Day Organizational development in the Arab world. It has 525 students in grades 9-12 with a student-teacher ratio of 13 to 1. Hodgkinson (2001) argues that culture is always determining, subliminally and subconsciously, our value orientation and judgments. 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. There have been strong responses to the lack of critical awareness of these processes. A new typology of school-level values is reported in three cultural contexts. (1999). Trond | Cookies Downloaded by [Teldan Inc] at 05:45 14 September 2015 . Gupta Spicing it op: Blending perspectives of leadership and cultural values from Hispanic American and African American women scholars. Fullan, M. & Jacky Lumby I refer students to this publication for new research articles or for my work, Acquisition of this publication will benefit department, faculty and student needs, I am a member of the publication's editorial board and strongly support the publication. Mills Professing educational leadership: conceptions of power. Lumby, J. The former has received very little and the latter a good deal more attention (Gronn, 2001; Heck, 1996). ), The Life and Work of Teachers (pp. In many countries the principal may indeed be key. & (2001, October). Conflict and change. 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. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. There is relatively little attention paid to middle leaders such as department heads and teacher leaders (Bush & Jackson, 2002). (2006). The dynamic culture of (2001). In fact, Hofstedes work shows very great variation within regions. , (Eds. Hoppe (2004) suggests that experiential learning proves enjoyable and effective for US leaders while French and German leaders often view this approach as time-wasting childs play (p. 353). & Cincinnati: South Western. Moral leadership in education: an Indian perspective. Research has shown the principal to be a significant factor in school effectiveness (Hallinger & Heck, 1999). 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. (2000). School culture, school effectiveness and school improvement. 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. A more flexible and subtle shaping will be needed. Leading and Managing Education: International Dimensions. The government of Thailand sought to introduce the western concept of school-based management, but found this problematic in the context of an existing societal culture, typical amongst the staff of Thai schools, in which deference to senior management and leadership made the introduction of collaborative and distributed approaches to leadership very difficult. Bjerke and Al-Meer (1993, p. 31) suggest that in the Arab world: (2001). There are no essential, innate and immutable characteristics of race, age, gender, disability or other demographic categories. Conference of the Commonwealth Council for Educational Administration and Management, Collard, J. 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). Litvin (1997) attacks such essentialism, ascribing the taxonomy of groups to a Western Platonic purportedly scientific paradigm. None is universally applicable or comprehensive, but all can serve to support an educational leaders reflection on the culture of a specific school. & Cultural isolation is difficult, even in societies which seek strongly to conserve traditional cultural values within their educational systems. & Choices will continue as culture evolves and the perspectives of all players mutate over time. Its view of the nature of truth and reality how does it define what is true and what is not and how is truth defined in the context of the social or natural world? A second early example from the US of a description of a cultural type was the shopping mall school. We present here a small number of examples in order to illustrate a range of typologies. Schools with strong, positive cultures feature service-oriented staffs, a collegial ambience, celebratory rituals, supportive social networks, and humor. (2001). Leading educational change in East Asian schools. 420421). Dorfman Hoyle, E. & (Hargreaves 1995; Maslowski 2001, pp. School culture, therefore, is most clearly seen in the ways people relate to and work together; the management of the school's structures, systems, and physical environment; and the extent to which there is a learning focus for both pupils and adults, including the nature of that focus (Stoll & Fink, 1998) or simply the distinctive identity of . . Accultured, automatic, emotional responses preclude awareness of internalized culture. 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.