Manipulating school culture for effective leadership

Abstract

School culture is getting much attention now as school leaders realize that effective schools imply worthy cultures. Leadership concepts such as collegiality, collaboration, shared leadership and participatory leadership will all be impotent when school culture is not conducive to teaching and learning. All conscientious school managers will begin by manipulating the school culture when they want to attain success. This qualitative study focused on three schools as it explored how school culture influences success. The results illustrate that the difference between low and high performing schools might not have to do only with the social class of the learners and their families, but more with the school cultures that prevail. There are several factors which exacerbate school culture and these include teacher unionism, teacher commitment and professional maturity. Effective leaders will be able to lead in the fostering of an effective culture despite potential hindrances. Shared vision is among the crucial factors in ensuring the creation and sustenance of an effective school culture.