External Environment of Schools

Day 7EAD 800 Summer 2004Valbonne

External Environments

Task Environmentgoal settinggoal achievementEffectivenessSurvival

Assumption: Organizations are productive systems; must exchange with environment for survival

External Environments

Institutional EnvironmentOriented toward legitimacy Institution is an agreed-upon set of rules

that carry meaning and determine action

Assumption: Schools have greater chance of survival when school structures mirror the norms, values, and ideologies institutionalized in society.

External Environments

Task Environment InformationResource-Dependence

External Environments

Information Environment Information from external environment

impacts decision-makingSocial processes create similar perceptions

among groups of actors (hiring administrators with similar backgrounds, imitating programs from other schools, professional norms, governmental regulations, etc.)

Information Environment

Environmental uncertainty Inability to make accurate predictions

Preferred outcomesCourses of ActionStrategiesActual outcomes

Schools adapt by increasing environmental fit – new structures to deal with problem

Information Environment

Environmental uncertaintyDecentralizationFlattened-structureFlexibility in structural arrangements

Environmental Complexity

Information Decision Making

Information Environment

Innovation is positively related to environmental uncertainty

True for schools?

Differences for different types of school administrators?

Resource Environment

FiscalPersonnelInformation and knowledgeProducts and Services

Organizations both compete for and share environmental resources

Resource Environment

Competition – a zero-sum gameDependenceAs local sources of money are limited,

schools develop greater dependence on state monies. As result, state gains greater power over districts – e.g., curriculum standards and testing

Organizations lose autonomy when dependent on environment

Resource Environment

Cooperation In attempt to control resources, and avoid

being dependent, schools adjust (agency) or manage the environment.

Absorb uncertainty through interdependence (total or partial)

Schools form coalitions or use advisory groups

Resource Environment

The higher the interdependence, the less centralized the decision making processes and the more innovative the school

School

Joint Program

Decentralized Decision Making

InnovationComplexity

Information sharing

Resource Environment

Internal Coping StrategiesBufferingPlanning and ForecastingBoundary Spanning (detecting info and

representing organization to envir.)Adjusting internal operations (structural

contingency approach, Burns & Stalker)

Resource Environment

Interorganizational Coping StrategiesEstablish favorable linkages – coopt (bring

into decision making structure)Shaping environmental elements –

influence tactics, advocacy

School districts do not have to be passive

Institutional Environment

Rules and regulations (formal)Norms and values (informal)Shape or constrain behavior

Rather than being based on effectiveness, institutional perspective makes legitimacy pre-eminent

Institutional Environment

Organizations are rewarded for conforming to institutional rules, beliefs, and ideologies

Article by Rowan on external links

Institutional Environments

Rationalized mythsTrue because they are believedWidely held beliefs that cannot or typically

are not objectively tested.

Example – SAT or ACT tests tell us which students will be successful in college

Institutional Environments

From a task perspective, schools are particularly ineffective organizations.Uncertain technologies of instructionTend to be rewarded for conformity to

professional standards and legal requirements than for quality of outputs.

Institutional Environments

ConformityCoercive conformity (mandates) Imitative conformity (innovation)Normative conformity (socialization)

Institutional Environment

DiversityMany, diverse layers of institutional

environment in American schools

PrivateVocationalDay careAlternative

Institutional Environment

StabilityStandard operating proceduresStandard expectationsResource guaranteeBuffer from turbulenceSlow change

Consider this: Are market forces and systemic reform changing the institutional environment?

Institutional Environment

Downplays the role of agency

What do you think about the agency of schools or the individuals in them?

Institutional Environment

Strategies for dealing with Institutional EnvironmentsBuffering (Decoupling and Managing

Image)Boundary-Spanning (Conformity)Schools become more homogeneous and

gain legitimacy

Teacher’s Communities of Practice

Social relationships vs Institutional forces Independent variables

Communities of practice (learning and working with others)

Mathematics or science Experience

Dependent variables Competence (efficacy and responsibility to change

instruction, make more effective) Use of teaching practices aligned with

science/mathematics standards (NCTM, NCR)

Communities of Practice

Dependent variable: Competence

Mathematics:

Experience:

Communities of Practice:

The numbers are “effects.”

Communities of Practice

Dependent variable: Competence

Mathematics: -.11**

Experience: -.05**

Communities of Practice: .22***

The numbers are “effects.”

Communities of Practice

Dependent variable: Standards-based Pedagogy

Mathematics: -.67***

Experience: -.02

Communities of Practice: .20***