School Cultural Theory: Collaborative vs. Individualistic Cultures

Introduction to School Cultural Theory

Wherever human beings reside, there is an existing culture. The total time that community members, teachers, and students spend in school environments develops cultural elements that have a direct influence on how they act and function in their respective positions. Developing a system of cultural awareness in schools is critical in motivating teachers and school stakeholders to engage in growth-promoting activities. Teachers in school settings make up the main components of a school's organizational network, and it is important to recognize that schools are forms of organizations that uphold a shared culture.

Organizational Culture and School Identity

Milner and Browitt (2013), in their study of organizational cultures, argue that any organization strives to find meaningful purpose together as a group with a shared goal. They further discuss how organizational systems develop individual structures and behavioral patterns as actual means of accomplishing their processes. Organizations create the necessary tools for achieving objectives, agree on relationships, and model behaviors that suit their missions. Systems that self-organize are cohesive, collective cultural units that support one another in creating environments that promote personal discovery and stability.

While studying cultural components of schools — their missions and self-awareness levels — opportunities emerge for innovative changes that start from the grassroots. Seeking a meaningful understanding of cultural perspectives in schools requires studying culture from a wide range of fields: sociology, corporate culture, anthropology, education, and organizational development. Studying culture in schools is best achieved through examining how culture may have different effects on an organization.

Schools have their own unique cultures, each empirically different — no two schools have ever shared identical cultures. A school's cultural composition includes a combination of characteristics from staff members, student organization, and the leadership style of the principal. Experts from sociology, anthropology, and education have for years studied culture, formulating different theories and perspectives that share common values, rituals, and beliefs. Of these disciplines, anthropology is most closely associated with cultural studies.

School Culture and Reform

Recent research on school culture has focused on the relationship between school culture and change, particularly on their interdependence. With many school reform programs underway, scholars and researchers now understand that a school reform's success or failure is tied to the school's social norms. Engaging in meaningful school reforms without considering school culture is an exercise in futility. Agger (2014) asserts that education stakeholders must be directly involved in bringing change to their schools at levels that match their individual strengths. Where a strong culture already exists, schools are better positioned to withstand and overcome the hurdles and struggles that result from implementing new policies.

Studies reveal that schools that are completely stagnant — those with impoverished learning environments — consistently resist change and reforms that could improve results and achievements. These schools often operate in complete isolation and uncertainty. Moving schools forward requires teachers to work together as a unit, since teachers continuously learn from one another (Hudson et al., 2013). School cultures that are more robust incorporate open support systems and meaningful communication strategies, resulting in a more confident and stable environment that produces greater student achievement.

Collaborative vs. Individualistic School Cultures

There are two distinct types of cultures in schools: collaborative and individualistic. Both have different effects on school improvement and change. Collaborative cultures treat teaching as a primary component that is inherently challenging. Professional teachers never stop learning innovative methods of teaching (Agger, 2014). An environment in which a teacher openly gives and receives help is positive in improving both learning and teaching standards. In collaborative cultures, change is critical to enhancing professional, career-long learning. A school that offers perpetual growth and support within its culture realizes meaningful and lasting change.

In contrast, an individualistic culture arises from many years of isolated teaching. Such an environment harbors professionally estranged teachers who are completely isolated from one another. Over time, this culture produces conservative behaviors that prevent innovative change. The distinction between these two cultural types is fundamental to understanding why some schools thrive under reform while others resist it entirely.

Conclusion: Characteristics of Successful School Cultures

It is conclusive that successful school cultures share a set of defining characteristics: vibrant and candid communication styles, lateral and meaningful working relationships, openness, care, and the ability to face challenges and uncertainty as a group. A school culture has a direct influence on the formation of the school's emotional climate and the leadership style of its administrators. Culture also plays a critical role in how students perform and how other stakeholders relate to the institution. This is the central premise of school cultural theory.

References

Agger, B. (2014). Cultural Studies as Critical Theory. Routledge.

Hudson, K., Ben-Ary, G., Lawson, M., & Hodgetts, S. (2013). The dynamics of collaborative resistance: Negotiating the methodological incongruities of art, cultural theory, science and design. Proceedings of the 19th International Symposium on Electronic Art, ISEA2013, Sydney.

Milner, A., & Browitt, J. (2013). Contemporary Cultural Theory: An Introduction. Routledge.