Culture, Power and Structure

Question 1

Bolman and Deal (2008) describe 4 frames with which we view the organisation. They are:

Answer 1

Structural (thinking structurally)- FACTORY, rules and goals
Symbolic (thinking culturally)- THEATRE, meanings, rituals,
Political (thinking politically)- JUNGLE, competition and power struggles
Human Resource (thinking psychologically)- FAMILY, needs and relationships

Question 2

Hanna (1997) describes schools as ‘open organizations’ because of the external influences. She describes such organizations as having…

Answer 2

boundaries, purpose, inputs, transformations (throughputs), outputs, feedback and environment

Question 3

How is power dispersed through an organization? (3 ways) (Bush, 2003)

Answer 3

Collegially
Bureaucratically
Micro-Politically

Question 4

Hoyle (1986) describes the sources of power as:

Answer 4

Structural: position within an organisation
Expertise: specialised knowledge or access to knowledge
Opportunity: control of information or tasks
Personality: charisma or personal qualities

Question 5

Hales (1997) describes types of power:

Answer 5

Physical power resources
Economic power resources
Knowledge power resources (ie: technical)
Normative power resources (ie: personal qualities)

Question 6

Handy and Aitken (1990) describe 4 types of culture:

Answer 6

Club culture: spider’s web, one person in the middle, all around supporting
Task culture: not hierarchical, lots of connections, responding flexibly
Role culture: clear, set roles for people, boxed in
Person culture: a few individuals operate with autonomy (stars)

Question 7

Power is dispersed collegially (Bush, 2003)

Answer 7

shared responsibility, although true collegiality impossible in English schools where
ultimately the buck stops with the Head

Question 8

Power is dispersed bureaucratically (Bush, 2003)

Answer 8

hierarchical, structured, legalistic attitudes, impersonal relations

Question 9

Power is dispersed micro-politically (Bush, 2003)

Answer 9

decisions made through bargaining and power struggles, using interests and leverage, conflict and mistrust can occur (Jungle), sub-groups that cut across departmental lines and create their own sense of power by their common motivation or purpose

Question 10

West (1999) suggests ways to minimize the micro-political struggle

Answer 10

emphasize the collective effort, engineering interactions between groups, decrease competition scenarios, rotate people in groups to decrease a strengthening of one group

Question 11

Close and Raynor’s (2010) article on putting the context back into educational leadership

Answer 11

Add ‘thinking paradoxically’ to Bolman and Deal’s ‘frames’. Organizations as complex systems, social networks, and constructed from complex processes of relating (steering things through nudging people/conversations, designing for creativity). Leadership as recognizing ‘emerging’ trends and having enhanced capacity to perceive and design formal structures.

Question 12

O’Neill (1994) proposes 4 things that contribute to culture

Answer 12

Integration
Symbolism
Purpose
Networks