1.Define culture and explain how it manifests in an organization.

Culture consists of the beliefs, behaviors, objects, and other characteristics

common to the members of a particular group or society. Culture refers to the
cumulative deposit of knowledge, experience, beliefs, values, attitudes, meanings,
hierarchies, religion, notions of time, roles, spatial relations, concepts of the
universe, and material objects and possessions acquired by a group of people in
the course of generations through individual and group striving.

“The entire accumulation of artificial objects, conditions, tools, techniques, ideas,

symbols and behaviour patterns peculiar to a group of people, possessing a
certain consistency of its own, and capable of transmission from one generation
to another.”

-Cooley, Argell and Car-

According to E.A. Hoebel,

“Culture is the sum total of integrated learned behaviour patterns which are
characteristics of the members of a society and which are therefore not the result
of biological inheritance.”

Employees learn about an organization’s culture through socialization-a process

whereby employees internalize an organization’s values and norms through
immersion in its day-to-day operations. For example twitter’s employees are
always excited about their great company culture from rooftop meetings to yoga
classes to free meals. A company with a positive culture will attract the type of
talent that is willing to make their next workplace a permanent home rather than
just a stepping stone. Employees are much more likely to come together as a
team at companies with a strong culture. A positive culture facilitates social
interaction teamwork and open communication. This type of collaboration can
lead to some amazing results.
2.Explain school culture. What are its elements?

According to Fullan (2007) school culture can be defined as the guiding beliefs
and values evident in the way a school operates.
School culture is the set of norms, values and beliefs, rituals and ceremonies,
symbols and stories that make up the 'persona' of the school," says Dr. Kent D
‘School culture’ can be used to encompass all the attitudes, expected behaviors
and values that impact how the school operates.
School culture is the collective programming of the mind that distinguishes the
members of one school from another. School culture is the set of shared values,
beliefs and norms that influence the way teachers, pupils and headteachers think,
express, feel and behave in and out of school compounds. School culture is
demonstrated through symbols, songs, dressing, school vision, mission, and core
values. It also includes a school’s customs and traditions; historical accounts;
stated and unstated understandings, habits, norms and expectations, common
meanings and shared assumptions.

Elements:

 The informal network (public conversation)

 Priests and priestess
 Story tellers
 Gossips
 Spies, counterspies and moles
 Shared norms and values
 Effective leadership
 Employees
 Rituals of renewal
 Celebratory rituals
 Balance
 Participation
 School culture is not tangible rather it is that which is felt and perceived.
Cultural life in schools is a constructed reality, and school principles can
play a key role in building this reality.

3.Briefly explain the importance of school culture.

Research strongly buttresses the central role of culture to school success. All of
the studies and others point to the multiple ways school culture fosters
improvement, collaborative decision making, professional development and staff
and STUDENT learning. (Deal and Peterson ‘Shaping School Culture’ Jossey-Bass e-
book, Introduction ‘The research base and Impact’ p11.)
School culture greatly affects teachers’: well-being, teacher retention rates
(According to research by Brandman University, 90% of teachers hired each year
are replacing colleagues who left voluntarily), classroom management, morale,
sense of fulfillment, willingness to attend and participate in professional
development, sense of being supported.
While school culture greatly affects teachers, its also affects students. In fact, a
positive school culture can improve students’ ability to learn by creating a positive
environment that builds relationships among students and teachers. In schools
that have a strong culture, teachers are motivated and engaged when working
with students. There is an overall ownership of student success, and teachers and
other staff members take responsibility of student learning. This type of a school
culture impacts students’ :sense of belonging, well-being, level of being
recognized for their efforts, level of encouragement.

4. Explain with examples the three levels of culture according to Edgar Schein.

Artefacts- Behaviour is the external manifestation of internally held values. At the

upper level we have artifacts and behaviours. Artifacts are the first thing you see
when you visit a school for the first time. Both from the outside and when you
enter the school, the school’s buildings and facade ,the logo,the way teacher’s
and student’s dress, the interior design such as furniture selections and decor, the
art on the walls, reception desk and the way the receptionist receive you; this
physical evidence is an essential part of the artifacts but also the way the
employees talk to each other as well as how they speak to you in person and on
the phone are part of the artifacts. The artifacts provide an insight into how the
organization wants to appear on first sight and how it appears to you. Artifacts
offer visible organizational structures and processes that are easy to observe but
difficult to interpret. The interpretation of artefacts is subjective and we look at
them from our point of view. We relate them to our world of life and associated
values.
Values- Values are understood to be reasons for doing or not doing something;
with a further nuance of making a person, event or thing have meaning or worth.
At the next level we have espoused values. They are the organization’s stated
values and norms and present the former rules under which the organization
works. The management of the school determines the values and form of the
framework for the work. These values include for instance the school’s website,
the organizational structure, annual reports, brochures and other written
materials. The espoused values are thus the expressed publicly announced
principles and values that the members of the organization claim to live by.
Sometimes the public to the school will wonder about meeting different value
sets on the first two levels, for instance if the school website expresses an
exclusive style and format but the general public is met by mess and disorder
when visiting the school.
Unspoken rules- When behaviours are constant or sustained they manifest
attitudes and beliefs. At the bottom level we have the basic assumptions of the
school. This level represents the core of the school. If a basic assumption is firmly
rooted in a group, members will perceive any behaviour based on any other bases
as incomprehensible. Basic assumptions are routines and norms in everyday life,
that we neither challenge nor debate and therefore extremely difficult to change.
This is where culture has real power.
5. Differentiate between positive and negative school culture. Explain how would you
transform a negative culture in your school into a positive one.

Schools that promote high academic standards, leadership, and cooperation

provide a climate conducive to student achievement and success. In a positive
school culture, a caring atmosphere exists, and teachers have a sense of
responsibility for student learning. Administrators and staff believe in their ability
to achieve their goals.
On the other hand, unhealthy schools have teachers who are unhappy with their
jobs. Both teachers and students are not academically motivated, causing poor
academic achievement. Schools with a toxic culture don’t have a clear sense of
purpose, blame students for poor achievement, and have norms that reinforce
inaction. In addition, it discourages collaboration and often has hostile relations
among staff.
Schools with a healthy culture have a good sense of community. Meanwhile, in a
toxic school environment, a negative attitude prevails, teacher relationships are
conflictual, and the staff doubts the ability of students to succeed.
At a glance,

POSITIVE CULTURE NEGATIVE CULTURE

Individual accomplishments of teachers Ineffective leadership.
and students are acknowledged and
appreciated.
Transparency, honesty, respect, and Unpredictability and ambiguity in
gratitude define interrelationships. communication
Faculty connections are convivial, Inappropriate behaviour and inequality
cooperative, and creative, and all
personnel is expected to high-quality
standards
Students and staff members believe The principal is unappreciative of his
mentally and psychologically protected, employees.
and the school's rules and resources
encourage student safety.
Constructive, healthy practices are Hostile relations among faculty and
exhibited for students by school permitting educators to be abused.
administrators, instructors, and members
of staff.
Errors are not perceived as failures, Intimidating analyses
but rather as opportunities to learn and
improve for both students and faculty.
Students are consistently driven to Feeling obligated to contribute
academic excellence, and the vast additional time and resources.
majority of them achieve or surpass those
standards.
Essential leadership issues are The Teachers do not have the
addressed collectively, with involvement administration’s support
 from faculty, students, and parents.
All students, including minorities and Relocating instructors without their
those with impairments, receive consent
equitable access to educational
facilities and learning opportunities.
All students have access to assistance There is no recognition for students’ as
and facilities that they may desire to well as teachers’ achievements.
achieve.

Transforming a negative culture in the school into a positive one:

In order to overcome toxic culture in school I would implement several strategies. They are as
follows; cultivate solid relationships, teach positive life skills, inspire students by serving as role
models, promote problem-solving skills for all students, acknowledge students for making wise
decisions, lay down criticism and hostility, face-to-face and strive to deflect negativity,
safeguard novel sources of positive concentration and effort, deliberately seek out more
creative and innovative personnel, embrace the excellent and improving aspects of the school
with zeal, invest time, energy, and resources in the effectiveness of enhancement practices
and initiatives, reconnect teachers towards the goal to encourage all children in learning and
flourishing, facilitate positive parental participation as a priority, honour personal
accomplishments and ethical behaviour, adopt values-based school norms, follow a systematic
measure of discipline, exhibit the behaviours I want to see in the institution, engaging learners
in activities that will benefit them, cultivate engaging customs and beliefs for students and
faculty, foster students’ creativity in the classroom, professional development for faculty, keep
the school's physical surroundings in good condition, and keep a keen eye on the school's
culture and adjust accordingly. I would succeed in transforming the negative culture to a
positive one in the school, if I follow above mentioned strategies.