ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE

Organizational Culture

Organizational Culture

Introduction

Throughout this study of leadership style and learning organizational culture? my overall observation has been that I sort of had similar ideas to what we were reading? but I had no idea why I felt that way and I thought I was alone. I certainly did not know how to articulate my beliefs with any kind of support. Though these five insights that I will reflect upon may not seem earth-shattering or profound? they represent areas that I am glad I now have greater fluency in? and they are areas that I have brought back to my school and said “this is what I was talking about and had no idea why I felt this way! Look at how cool this is!” To me? being able to share is the best part of learning - and now I will share with you what I've taken away from our time together.

When observing my hypothesis I would say realize how people in a school behave to each other - in classrooms? halls? central office and faculty lounge - sets a tone that has profound effects on what students learn. What makes a school a decent place to be? Walk into a school and you can tell almost at once if it is a decent place to be. (Duffy? 2004) The signals are everywhere: in the way teachers and students speak to each other? the way work is carried out at every level? the way rules are made and bent and broken? even the slumps or smiles of the office or custodial staff. What is valued in a school comes across in a hundred subtle ways? rarely articulated. Yet in the end everything by which we conventionally judge schools may depend on it --whether students show up; what they strive for and achieve; how they use their minds to solve the problems that confront them. (Duffy? 2004)

Reflection On Review Of The Literature

One of the major pieces of learning I did in this study of leadership style and learning organizational culture was my work with leadership style? both understanding the different types and evaluating my own. In both Fullan and Kaagan? we read about different styles of leaders and how those styles affected schools and other organizations. I noticed elements from many of styles within my own behaviors? but perhaps the most startling was my identification with the “pacesetter” style? as defined by Goleman in Fullan. When I am learning? one of my ways of motivating the children is to set the best example possible by working very hard? keeping up a fast pace? and asking the kids to stay with me. I use this especially when we're at “crunch time” (Goodlad? 2004) near a performance? or when multiple challenges hit us at one time? such as the past couple of weeks. My wife sometimes says my name should be Glen “Push Harder” Hipple! (Goodlad? 2004) I learned that this can burn out people and cause them to become frustrated ...