School

culture

schools

are

purposes.

is

unique

complex,

Scribner

organizations

in

mature

(1999)

experience

an

organizational
organizations

posited

the

that

tension

view

because

with

schools

between

multiple
as

formal

professional

community ethic of caring for students, critical reflection, and

collaboration on the one hand and the bureaucratic necessities
of hierarchy, accountability, rationality, and control on the
other.
Organizations should exist to provide an opportunity for
organizational

members

organizational
organization.

members
This

to

improve

like

teachers

adaptation

of

the

(Senge,
improve
concept

2008).

As

does

the

so
of

double-loop

learning is one process that allows effective schools to remain

effective. Organizations can improve their functional ability by
dispersing some of the decision-making rights of the leaders to
previously unempowered groups (Kanter, 2011).
Along

this

like,

McCombs

(2007)

averred

that

learning

settings that allow for and respect diversity encourage flexible

thinking as well as social competence and moral development. In
such

settings,

teachers

have

an

opportunity

for

perspective

talking and reflective thinking, thereby leading to insights and

breakthroughs to new knowledge.
By

allowing

organizational

members

to

develop

and

grow

professionally, and by creating opportunities for interaction,

interdependence,

collaboration,

and

implementation

of

best

practices, an organization maximizes its assets, which in turn

maximizes organizational outputs.
In the case of a school, the output maximized is quality
instruction. Richardson (2010) stated that school principals are
the primary shapers of school culture because they connect on a
daily

basis

with

other

teachers,

with

students,

and

with

parents.
The diverse perspectives on instructional practices gained
from students and parents provide teachers with rich, ongoing
feedback (Marshall and Hatcher, 2006). No school can improve
unless

it

has

culture

that

supports

improvement,

collaboration, and a shared vision for what it wants to achieve.

An evaluation system that focuses on collaboration among
teachers and principals, reflective practices among teachers,
and

students

schools
successful

learning

culture.

will

According

teaching,

have
to

schools

positive

Novick
culture

effect

(2007),
should

to
be

upon

ensure

one

that

requires and allows time for observation, reading, reflection,

dialogue

with

colleagues,

and

provides

support

for

these

practices at the district, state, and federal levels.

Yukls (2009) strategic contingency theory suggests that
teachers, as sub-units within the school, gain or lose power
depending upon their ability to apply expertise to a unique

situation. Teachers have expertise in instruction; they share

the centrality of the organization with the students, and their
expertise is unique (Woods and Weasmer, 2012). They suggested
that

by

restructuring

the

historically

top-down

hierarchical

evaluation systems to a more web-like evaluation system that

embraces shared expertise and collaboration, teacher expertise
could be used as part of the evaluation process.
While

all

organizations

organizations

learn

organizations,

not

better
just

learn
than

certain

other

educational

things,

some

organizations.

organizations,

All

require

creative thinking from every member, not just from a chosen few.
Current global complexities and the speed in which information
is received suggest that organizations can no longer rely on
individual leaders and lone rangers to solve problems. Rather,
members

within

organizations

must

learn

to

work

together

to

identify their own mission and to form decision-making groups

(Bennis, 2007).