Organizational Culture and Culture

¶ … shapes, sizes, and attitudes. Morgan's (2006) various metaphors provide the opportunity to creatively envision an organization using various points-of-view. A diverse analysis of an educational institution using different lenses prevents the type of narrow-minded thinking that can prevent long-term organizational success. In this class, I have learned how to think differently about public schools from a structural, cultural, social, and political perspective. I have been able to strategize solutions to specific problems. By envisioning my organization in various ways, I have become more capable of creating meaningful change. The insights gleaned in this course also contribute to organizational problem solving and collaboration in mitigating crises like the ones we experience with at risk youth.

Final Reflection

This class has helped administrators to conceptualize their roles and their organizations in constructive ways. The primary text, Morgan's (2006) Images of Organization has been tremendously helpful and will become a mainstay in the way I structure my future organization. Ancillary readings including those related to organizational change have also helped me understand how groups of people can work together to create a workplace environment that promotes organizational goals. The various images of organization Morgan (2006) discusses will remain with me as I embark on future leadership missions. Learning about the mechanistic image of organizations has especially been fruitful in understanding why public schools behave the way they do, why resistance to change is common, and why procedures often seem inefficient. On the contrary, viewing the school as an organism has shown how educators and administrators can become more empowered as we can see ourselves as part of a system. If we can increasingly apply creative and critical thinking, we can better address the needs of all students.

The organizational culture lens has been most instrumental in helping me to understand the strengths and weaknesses in my school and also to see how we might be able to make improvements in the future. Aguirre & Alpern (2014) advise leaders to begin change management with culture, leading with culture because "culture is critical to the success of change management" (p. 1). Improving the organizational culture does not necessitate a radical shift in the structure of the organization, which is unlikely to happen. However, our individual school has the potential to change its culture by treating employees as well as students differently. Empowering educators to reach out to problematic students can help to reduce the sense of powerlessness that comes from an organizational culture that is dysfunctional in nature. I have considered what I can do as an administrator by altering the organizational culture to become more supportive.

One of the strongest points in the class has been the importance of politics in organizations. In public schools, we are constrained by political decisions that are beyond the control even of our own administrators. As such, we understand keenly what Morgan (2006) means when he addresses the conflicts that occur in political organizations. During the time it took to develop a change management strategy for one assignment in the class, I was able to better understand how to navigate the tricky roles of political organizations and learn "multiple project integration" to take "bold actions," as suggested by Ackerman Anderson & Anderson, n.d.). Stressing the goals and mission of the organization can help even the most change-resistant members of the organization to embrace different procedures and policies. As a result of reading the Morgan (2006) book and related readings, I have been able to change my thinking about my role and the potential for change in the future.

The insights I have gained through this class have empowered me and encouraged me to become a future leader. We have also examined organizational culture and change through spiritual lenses, which helps to show how individuals can thrive in a supportive environment. Public schools operate differently than for-profit institutions, which may have more quantitative missions and visions. In education political policies have attempted to bring educational practice more in line with the private sector, at the expense of students' spiritual wellbeing. Similarly, an overemphasis on quantitative goals in schools, such as test scores, detracts from the primary purpose of education. With what I have learned in this class, I feel much more organized in my thinking and therefore more capable of developing solutions to the overwhelming problems in our public schools. I understand that there are mechanistic and structural issues that may be immutable and heavily resistant to change, but that we are capable of creating change from within existing structures. I also know that individual schools can develop organizational cultures that support staff and students.