This is one piece of a continuing series of posts on school improvement reflecting my professional experience. I had prepared this manuscript for publication but time eluded me. The blog posts advance in time and concept in book-form beginning with the Blog post on March 21.
A Sense of Security
Subjects in this study were divided into
two groups. Members of each group were led one at a time into a small room
where they were instructed to solve as many puzzles as possible in the required
time. Each person was informed that there would be disconcerting noise, not
music, coming from an overhead speaker. Members of the first group were
apologetically told that there was nothing that could be done about the noise.
Participants in the second group were assured that they could control the noise
with a nearby switch. As expected, the second group (with the switch) solved
many times more puzzles than the other group. The surprise however, was that
nobody used the switch to adjust the noise. Just knowing it was there increased
security and comfort.
People feel comfortable within a culture
when they understand the stated and unstated parameters governing behavior and
expectations. The instrumental components of culture identified by Deal and
Kennedy include the business of the environment, values, heroes, rites and
rituals, and the cultural network. These elements are conveyed in many
different ways. Communication, formal and informal, verbal and non-verbal,
represents a significant determinant in shaping company culture.
Language is central to communication. The
words we choose reflect values within the school culture. There are buzz words,
antiquated words, technical words, esoteric words, words that hold sacred
significance within the school, words that signal red flags, and many others
that reveal something about the person wielding the words.
The frequency of the words and phrases
reflect meaning. Perhaps it’s a word that the superintendent begins to sprinkle
about in conversations with hopes it will later spread to the faculty lounge.
Maybe it’s a word that those in authority appear to avoid using. The choices we
make in expressing ourselves are revealing.
An extension of this can be found in the
tales and legends transmitted by veterans to the less experienced staff
members. The authors of Change and Effectiveness in Schools, contend
that two critical aspects of a school’s culture are related to the distribution
of knowledge and the extent of conformity to them. (Corbett, Firestone, and
Rossman, p. 8) Waterman supports this assertion by stating, “Procedure manuals
might have rules, but stories have morals. The latter tend to influence
thinking and action more than the former.” (Waterman, p. 269)
Through Rain, Snow, Sleet, and Hail
Let’s look at the post office for an
example. Assume that the culture of the postal service revolves around
diligently adhering to the creed of delivering mail, “despite rain, snow,
sleet, or hail,...” Legends emerge from stories repeated over and over about
how Charlie braved ten foot drifts of snow to make sure that the people on his
route received their Christmas gifts properly delivered by the post office. The
scope of these stories often mirrors the values of the dominant group within
the organization and has the potential to shape the development of others.
For instance, if the general attitude
within the school is negative and morale is low, then people may comment about
how “old Fred is so crafty he always beats the system with his sick and
personal days.” Conversely, if the climate is one which is positive and
uplifting, the legend of how “that Mary sure is something, it seems like she
never misses a day!” serves as an example and guide for behavior.
Another manner in which a school
communicates what it believes to be important can be found by examining
available artifacts. Walk through the school where you work as if you’ve never
been there before and note what you see on the bulletin boards and hallway
walls. What is featured in the most prominent locations of the school? What
appears to be absent from possible display? Interpret the meaning of these
symbols as an anthropologist or archeologist would study cultural artifacts for
clues of a society.
On an individual level you can analyze
your appointment calendar as a reflection of how you use your most valuable
commodity, time. The way you spend time emits signals to those in the school
community concerning value and importance. This is one method that followers
use to determine what is regarded as significant and points to another cultural
feature identified by Deal and Kennedy; “what it takes to get ahead around
here.”[i]
As a leader it
behooves you to develop and enhance the values and meaning that support the
direction the organization must take to realize it’s vision. Recognize and
reward desired behaviors among individuals. Acknowledge mentors as heroes.
Breed success. Create and sustain rituals and ceremonies that make the vision
more comprehensible. Orchestrating these social and psychological variables is
an essential responsibility.
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