Wang, H. As Foskett and Lumby (2003, p. 8) indicate: It is characterized by very limited research at the within school subunit scale, and by the adoption of generalized models of culture from business and management disciplines at whole-school or national/international scales of analysis. Walker, A. (2006). While awareness of and reflection on hegemonic theory may be of use, its global dominance in preparation and development seems inappropriate on a number of grounds. McCauley ABSTRACT The relevance of the concept of culture to school effectiveness and school improvement is explored. School culture . In For most leaders this provides perhaps the most challenging dimension of leadership, for it is necessary to understand what those cultures are, why they exist and what aspects of them can or cannot, or should and should not, be subject to change to achieve the schools goals. 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. . Mabey Introduction. 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. Asia Pacific Journal of Education, Cardno, C. Leithwood There are no essential, innate and immutable characteristics of race, age, gender, disability or other demographic categories. , Notwithstanding these different positions, knowledge of how leadership is conceptualized and enacted locally is a sine qua non of successful design. & 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. The chapter considers five main themes. (Litvin, 1997, pp. 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. Its view of the nature of human activity does it believe that people behave in a dominant/proactive mode or a passive/fatalistic mode? The development of a professional school culture is an important approach for promoting teacher learning (Stoll & Kools, 2017). Commentary. Changing Our Schools: Linking School Effectiveness and School Improvement. (2004). For example, North American and European development assert a cultural commitment to inclusion and equality for all. These can have negative or positive dimensions the media report of the schools excellent examination results will convey a different message about the schools culture than a local reputation for rowdy behavior by the schools pupils during lunchtime breaks. Dorfman, P. W. We present here a small number of examples in order to illustrate a range of typologies. Kaur Hayers, P. (2004). International Studies in Educational Administration, 29(2) 3037. Stoll & 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 . While the former classroom and lecture based model is widespread, they suggest that the process model of problem solving, mentoring and internship holds more hope of reflecting indigenous cultures. I am a member of the publication's editorial board and strongly support the publication, Authored by: Towards a framework of investigating leadership praxis in intercultural. School culture refers to a total of shared values expressed through norms, rituals, expectations, behaviour and everyday practices. The attempt to mould culture in any direction involves alignment with some and challenge to others. (Eds. (1991). (1986). & & Washington Middle School 716 E. La Habra Boulevard La Habra, CA 90631 Phone: 562-690-2374. Preparation of aspiring principals in Singapore: a partnership model. 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. L. Stoll, D. Fink. & Walker, A. Hiltrop, J. Cultural complexity offers only multiple complications in assessing fit, not safe generalized conclusions. & There have been strong responses to the lack of critical awareness of these processes. Educators would be extremely concerned to consider fully the implications of assessing school students against standards imported from another nation. 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. (2003). , (1991). Handy, C. , 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. Sapre, P. Bottery, M. No one theory of leadership is implied. Homogeneity or diversity is the organization more effective when it is characterized by diversity or homogeneity? Stoll, L. While there may be commonalities within a whole school, in practice each of these levels will differ in the detail of its culture. Hallinger, P. In part this reflects a revolt against the perceived global homogenization of leadership. The Culture of the School and the Problem of Change. Chan, B. 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. Culture also impacts on delivery. As in the acquisition of any language, fluency can only be achieved by practice and not just by theory (Taras & Rowney, 2007). ), Strategic Human Resource Management (pp. 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. (1999). A second view, though, is that of leaders as agents of cultural change, as discussed earlier in the chapter. Lakomski, G. (Eds. , The purpose of this book is to re-orient the current agenda in education towards learning. Bush, T. & Bush M. London: Penguin. , & According to Mortimore (1991), a lot of improvement efforts have failed because research results were not translated adequately into guidelines for educational practice. The model identifies seven dimensions of organizational context that shape resultant culture, based on a series of key questions: These questions provide a helpful analytical framework, which can be applied in most educational contexts, and which seeks to identify the underlying values and beliefs within a school. One consequence is that there is currently no precise means of assessing dimensions variously labeled as cultural distance or degree of diversity (Iles & Kaur Hayers, 1997, p. 107) or diversity amount and diversity degree (Thomas, 1999; Taras & Rowney, 2007); that is the differences between the culture of one location of leader development and another, or the extent of cultural differences within a leader development group. (1996). 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. Watch online from home or on the go. Very many illustrations could be offered of the different expectations and practice of leadership throughout the world. Education. Al-Meer, A. (2004). 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. Multiple perspectives on values and ethical leadership. Hoppe, M. H. Litvin (1997) attacks such essentialism, ascribing the taxonomy of groups to a Western Platonic purportedly scientific paradigm. P. W. Lumby, J. 206207). The political perspective would see educational leaders as seeking to generate in their pupils and staff a critical view of society, to challenge existing orthodoxies and to become citizens able to participate in social and cultural change. V. P. J. Managing diversity in transnational project teams. A similar situation is the case in Norway and in Japan (Moller, 2000). Moral leadership in education: an Indian perspective. In recognizing that culture has dimensions at a wide range of scales of analysis, we explicitly acknowledge that it raises challenges for school leaders in relation to each of these scales. Skip to page content. Dorfman Bajunid, I. (2005). 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. One dimension of fit may relate to ease with receiving positive and negative feedback and from whom. & (2004). 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. The cacophony of objections highlights the failure of development programs to accommodate the diversity of culture within one geographic area as much as across widely distant locations. 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. 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). (1996). By contrast Singaporean cultures emphasis on collective action and respect for seniority underpins acceptance and effective use of mentoring as an important mode of development, defined as a process whereby an expert or senior person guides a less experienced leader (Tin, 2001). Prosser, 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). , Stier, J. & & The first is that leaders are passive ambassadors of culture. (Throughout, the term development is used to indicate both pre-appointment preparation and the post-appointment on-going development of leaders.) R. J. Paul, J. Hoppe asserts that US leaders find difficulty with accepting supportive relationships. 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. Discourse and Organization. Hanges Ribbins 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). 210223). Hooijberg, R. (2004), Understanding valuation processes; exploring the linkage between motivation and action. Corporate rituals: The rites and fituals of corporate life. Educational leadership in East Asia: implications of education in global society. C. Conflict and change. & Leader and leadership development may therefore be as effectively focused on teacher leaders as on principals in these two countries. A primary aim of the chapter therefore is to explore how we understand culture in its infinitely variable expressions, and how it relates to the design and implementation of leadership preparation and development programs. London: Sage. Javidan The first is that culture is neither unitary nor static (Collard & Wang, 2005), and while change may be evolutionary rather than revolutionary, trends and developments in internal and external influences will move the culture forward. House, R. J. Walker, A. A new typology of school-level values is reported in three cultural contexts. Prasad 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. London: Paul Chapman. In this set article, Professor Louise Stoll explores the relationship between school culture and school improvement. He created a series of descriptors of the culture of schooling with a particular focus on how key cultural characteristics equate to the absence of a productive learning environment. P. Bryant, M. 5167). Those undertaking preparation for development may have differing value priorities which are culturally shaped. Kennedy, A. School values were assessed by aggregating the scores of 862 students, (ages 15-19) in 32 Jewish and Arab Israeli schools (Study 1), and 1,541 students (ages 11-21) from 8 European schools and 163 teachers from 6 of these schools (Study 2), using Schwartz's Portrait Values Questionnaire. Unproductive, toxic schools have fragmented staffs, eroding goals, and negative, hopeless atmospheres. Tippeconic, J. & We consider later in this chapter the implications of this for the professional development of lead-ers within educational institutions. New York: Teachers College Press. Hanges The processes of globalization have been a significant feature of all dimensions of society and economy over the last three decades. Processes and structures designed for a time that has passed are no longer appropriate in a rapidly changing society. Rusch, E. All leadership development has embedded cultural values. Essentially it makes a questionable assumption. 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. 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. We have looked at three theoretical aspects of culture here. Collard, J. 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). (2001). The radical modernization of school and education system leadership in the United Arab Emirates: towards indigenized and educative leadership. In Gronn, P. Wong, K. International Journal for Leadership in Education, 4(4), 401414. (See, for example, Buruma and Margal-its book, Occidentalism: The west in the eyes of its enemies.) Consequently, a tendency to stereotype or discount alternative cultures must be halted by conscious, persistent effort (Lumby with Coleman, 2007). Cultural isolation is difficult, even in societies which seek strongly to conserve traditional cultural values within their educational systems. M. Tomorrow, and tomorrow and tomorrow: a post-postmodern purview. In terms of cultural inputs it is important that leaders within a school have the skills and knowledge to read the cultural landscape of the school, to recognize those aspects of it which can be controlled or manipulated, and decide which should be influenced and in what ways. However, process models may not mesh with some cultures. Collard (2006), for example, contends that much of the global level educational development through programs of agencies such as UNESCO and the World Bank is based on an import model which he portrays as a tidal wave of western values, sweeping away existing cultural environments. Goddard, T. (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. Changing the culture of a school or of a leadership development program is therefore not a finite endeavor. Clearly in these two instances, Western derived theories of autonomy, planning and change management are all thrown into question. Following our examination of globalization and culture in the previous section, we consider here the picture of culture within educational leadership internationally. V. P., Glatter (1995). Instead there are history, context, process, interactivity, power relations and change. Redefining the field of European human resource management: a battle between national mindsets and forces of business transition? 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.