Organizational Culture, Climate and Change

1. Organizational Culture, Climate and Change Dr. Len Elovitz Chapter 6 in Owens and Valesky

2. Human Resources Development • One can act through two theoretical approaches: • Classical Organizational or Traditional Bureaucratic • Helps organize and manage the organization, but will not help motivate staff. • Human Resources Development • Taps the higher order motivational needs of the people in the organization.

3. Human Resources Development • HRD is concerned with how leaders structure the work environment to socialize individuals to the organization. This affects how individuals develop perceptions, values, and beliefs concerning the organization and what influence these inner states have on behavior. • This is the realm of organizational climate and organizational culture.

4. Theory Z : William Ouchi - 1981 • Ouchi compared Japanese and U.S. management practices. • He applied Japanese practices in the U.S. and, using McGregor’s concept of Theory X and Y, called it Theory Z. • Theory Z accepts the concepts of human resources development. • Assumes workers life is a whole • “Humanized working conditions not only increases productivity and profits to the company but also the self-esteem of employees…”

5. In Search of Excellence byPeters & Waterman • Research showed that successful organizations, including schools, had a consistent theme: “the power of values and culture in these corporations rather than procedures and control systems, provides the glue that holds them together, stimulates commitment to a common mission, and galvanizes the creativity and energy of their participants.”

6. Study of 62 successful US companies had the following in common: 1.A bias for action, active decision making - 'getting on with it.’ 2.Close to the customer - learning from the people served by the business. 3.Autonomy and entrepreneurship - fostering innovation and nurturing 'champions.’ 4.Productivity through people- treating rank and file employees as a source of quality. 5.Hands-on, value-driven - management philosophy that guides everyday practice - management showing its commitment. 6.Stick to the knitting - stay with the business that you know. 7.Simple form, lean staff - some of the best companies have minimal HQ staff. 8.Simultaneous loose-tight properties - autonomy in shop-floor activities plus centralized values.

7. Organizational Culture • A system of sharedvalues and beliefs that interact with an organization’s people, organizational structures, and control systems to produce behavioral norms.

8. Organizational Culture • Shared Values - what is important • Beliefs - What we think is true • Behavioral Norms - How we do things around here

9. Culture v. Climate • Culture refers to the behavioral norms, assumptions and beliefs of an organization • Climate refers to perceptions of persons in the organization that reflect those norms, assumptions and beliefs.

10. Toxic Culture • Terrence Deal and Kent Peterson • Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership • Jefferson High School

11. Characteristics of Toxic Culture • Focus on Negative Values • Fragmentation • Destructive • Spiritually fractured

12. Characteristics of Toxic Culture • Focus on Negative Values • Adults are more important than kids • Routine Boring Classes • May Focus on Elite Learners (The Shopping Mall High School) • Focus on unimportant outcomes (Football)

13. Characteristics of Toxic Culture • Fragmentation • Meaning is derived from • sub-culture membership - Department, Age, Race, etc. • Anti-student Sentiments • Life Outside of School • No shared Mission • Little Cooperation

14. Characteristics of Toxic Culture • Destructive • Staff members snipe at each other • Negaholics Harass anyone Trying to Improve the situation • Staff members More Interested in Protecting Themselves

15. Characteristics of Toxic Culture • Spiritually fractured • Lack of positive Values • Lack of Integrity • Sense of Alienation

16. Roles in Toxic Culture • Saboteurs • Pessimistic Storytellers • Keepers of the Nightmare • Negaholics • Prima Donnas • Space Cadets • Martyrs • Deadwood, Driftwood and Ballast

17. Transforming the Toxic Culture • Atomic Bomb? • Neutron Bomb? • Antidotes for Negativism?

18. Antidotes for Negativism • Confront it Head on - Catharsis • Shield and Support Positive Cultural Elements • Recruit Positive Staff Replacements • Celebrate the Positive • Consciously Focus on Eradicating the Negative • Develop New Stories of Success, Renewal & Accomplishment • Help Chronic Negaholics Find Happiness Elsewhere

19. The Roxbury Story

20. How Organizational Culture is Created? • Culture is developed over time from : • An organization’s history, composed of traditions and rituals that are passed to succeeding generations. • Stories of heroes and heroines are important. • Values and beliefs that are embodied in the traditions and rituals. • Behavioral norms that result (e.g., bell schedules, 7-period day).

21. How Organizational Culture is Created (continued) • Subunits within an organization may have cultures of their own resulting in multiple cultures. (loose coupling) • Theory X • administrators believe this conflicts with their authority. • Theory Y • administrators accept them as natural.

22. How is Culture Assessed? • Difficult to quantify • Qualitative measures are generally used for research • Patterson, Purkey & Parker tried by developing the School Culture Inventory (SCI) • Probably best if used to key discussion of faculty

23. Relationship Between Organizational Culture and Organizational Effectiveness • Dependant variables • Pupil Behavior • Pupil attendance • Achievement • Independent Variables (subsets of culture) • Behavior of Teachers • Emphasis on Academic Performance • Student rewards • Organizational culture is a critical factor in student behavior and achievement

24. Relationship Between Organizational Culture and Organizational Effectiveness(continued) • A study of 12 inner-city London schools found that changes in dependent variables of behavior, attendance, and achievement were due to: • the behavior of teachers at work, • the emphasis placed on academic performance, • the provision for students to be rewarded for succeeding, and • the extent to which students were able to take responsibility. • In other words, differences were due to organizational culture.

25. Relationship Between Organizational Culture and Organizational Effectiveness (continued) • Measuring School Effectiveness • Identifying independent and dependent variables. • Studies by • Joyce Epstein • Rudolf Moos • Findings from these type studies support the notion that many variables that can positively affect such outcomes as achievement and motivation of students are in control of leaders and teachers.

26. Organizational Culture and Climate Compared and Contrasted • Culture “refers to the behavioral norms, assumptions, and beliefs of an organization.” • “the way things are done around here”. • Climate “refers to perceptions of persons in the organization that reflect those norms, assumptions, and beliefs.”

27. Defining and Describing Organizational Climate • Different schools have distinct personalities due to the particular social system of each school. • This social system has a CLIMATE that is defined as the “characteristics of the total environments in a school building.” • Renato Tagiuri’s model identifies four elements that comprise climate.

28. Tagiuiri’s Model of Climate is composed of four dimensions: • Ecology - Physical & Material Factors • Milieu - Human Social System Factors • Social System - Organizational & Administrative Structure Factors • Culture – Values, Belief Systems, Norms & Ways of Thinking

29. How Organizational Climate is Created • Organizational climate is created by the dynamic interaction of: • Ecology • Milieu • Organizational Structure • Culture • With perhaps culture being the most powerful determinant.

30. School Climate • The characteristics of the total environment in a school building

31. OCDQ • The Organizational Climate of Schools - 1962 • Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ) • Halpin & Croft

32. OCDQ – Clusters • Perceptions of teachers as a human group • Perceptions of teachers concerning the principal

33. Perceptions of teachers as a human group • Intimacy - Degree of social cohesiveness • Disengagement – Degree of involvement and commitment to the achievement of school goals • Espirit – Morale of the group • Hindrance – Perception of rules, paperwork and administrivia as impeding work

34. Perceptions of teachers concerning the principal • Thrust – Degree to which principal sets an example of working hard • Consideration – Extent to which teachers are treated with dignity and human concern • Aloofness – Extent to which principal maintains a social distance • Production Emphasis – Extent to which principal directly supervises

35. OCDQ-RM - Wayne Hoy • Supportive principal behavior is directed toward both the social needs and task achievement of faculty. The principal is helpful, genuinely concerned with teachers, and attempts to motivate by using constructive criticism and by setting an example through hard work. • Directive principal behavior is rigid domineering behavior. The principal maintains close and constant monitoring over virtually all aspects of teacher behavior in the school. • Restrictive principal behavior is behavior that hinders rather than facilitates teacher work. The principal burdens teachers with paperwork, committee requirements, and other demands that interfere with their teaching responsibilities.

36. OCDQ-RM - Wayne Hoy • Collegial teacher behavior supports open and professional interactions among teachers. Teachers like, respect, and help one another both professionally and personally. • Committed Teacher behavior behavior is directed toward helping students to develop both socially and intellectually. Teachers work extra hard to insure student success in school. • Disengaged teacher behavior signifies a lack of meaning and focus to professional activities. Teachers simply are putting in their time; in fact, they are critical and unaccepting of their colleagues.

37. Climate Continuum • Open • Supportive of Learning • Closed • Hinders Learning

38. OPEN CLIMATE Highly motivated Gain satisfaction from work Pride in their school Do not feel burdened by busywork Solve their own problems Keep the organization growing CLOSED CLIMATE Not highly engaged Do not work well together Achievement as a group is minimal Little satisfaction from work Morale is low High turnover TEACHER RESPONSE

39. OPEN CLIMATE Works energetically Shows concern even compassion for teachers Is not aloof or distant Removes obstacles for teachers Maintains full control without close monitoring CLOSED CLIMATE Ineffective leader A hindrance to their work Unconcerned about their welfare Aloof & impersonal Emphasizes rules Little personal drive PRINCIPAL AS SEEN BY TEACHERS

40. Four Management Systems • Each of Likert’s four management systems have identifiable organizational climates: • System 1: Exploitive-Authoritarian. • System 2: Benevolent Authoritative. • System 3: Consultative. • System 4: Participative Group. • Good communication requires effective use of the Linking-Pin concept.

41. Relationship Between Organizational Climate and Organizational Effectiveness • Rensis Likert’s analysis led him to conclude that there are causal variables under a leader’s control that affect climate and organization performance : • Organization structure: bureaucratic or flexible. • Leadership style: authoritative or democratic. • Philosophy of operation: consensus decision making or not. • The choices leaders makes are critical to determining the nature of the management system in the organization. That is, Likert’s System 1, 2, 3, or 4.

42. Effective Organizations • Achieve their goal • Maintain themselves internally • Adapt to their environment

43. Organizational Health - Matthew Miles - 1965 1. Goal Focus • Understood & Accepted • Achievable & Appropriate 2. Communication Adequacy • Internal & External • Vertical & Horizontal

44. Organizational Health 3. Optimal Power Equalization • Collaboration v. Coercion • Influence can flow up and down 4, Human Resource Allocation • Effective use of personnel • Promotes self-actualization

45. Organizational Health 5. Cohesiveness • Participants identify with the organization • Stick with it - good or bad 6. Morale • Feelings of well being & satisfaction

46. Organizational Health 7. Innovativeness • Tendency to grow develop & change 8. Autonomy • Organization determines its own behavior in harmony with external demands

47. Organizational Health 9. Adaptation • Ability to change and correct 10. Problem-Solving Adequacy • Ability to sense & perceive problems • Ability to solve problems quickly & with minimal strain