The Issues
Our Private Training Establishment (PTE) was founded in 1989, with a strong culture of inclusive well being driven from the founders, however over time as the college has matured we have seen the slow increase of stagnation and a trend of decline through a resistant to adapt culture to our current environment.
This has had deep impacts on the College, staff and students where the culture has evolved to resist any attempt to challenge the long-held, unchanged norm’s, especially in terms of culture change for improvement.
Over time the College’s environment has changed drastically with the introduction of eLearning technology, distance learning, external educational policy shifts and stricter funding mechanisms which currently compound dysfunction and barriers to improvement adoption.
This has had deep impacts on the College, staff and students where the culture has evolved to resist any attempt to challenge the long-held, unchanged norm’s, especially in terms of culture change for improvement.
Over time the College’s environment has changed drastically with the introduction of eLearning technology, distance learning, external educational policy shifts and stricter funding mechanisms which currently compound dysfunction and barriers to improvement adoption.
Current Context
However over the last year the college has been working to address such culture issues through the integration of Continuous Improvement processes to address NZQA External Evaluation & Review (EER) ratings.
This has been an exercise of systematic Re-Culturing (Stoll, 1998) “the process of developing new values, beliefs and norms….. building new conceptions about instruction... and new forms of professionalism for teachers...”.
However over the last year the college has been working to address such culture issues through the integration of Continuous Improvement processes to address NZQA External Evaluation & Review (EER) ratings.
This has been an exercise of systematic Re-Culturing (Stoll, 1998) “the process of developing new values, beliefs and norms….. building new conceptions about instruction... and new forms of professionalism for teachers...”.
It began with a wake-up call, a poor result within our NZQA EER ratings with old assumptions of “this is how we’ve always done it” simply failing to make the mark. It was through this catalyst that cracks within the culture were made and assumptions started to sway.
With emphasis on the need to raise our EER category ratings, a discussions around improvements was conducted, with resistance for some key members of staff - still opposing the required shift in culture, the adoption of continuous improvement and change.
As Stoll (1998) suggests a culture metaphor was created within the team one that was inclusive to our history and journey.
As Stoll (1998) suggests a culture metaphor was created within the team one that was inclusive to our history and journey.
The Waka
Such was born the “Waka” a metaphor for the College as a whole, with the team “paddling” and the “Chief scanning the horizon and directing the boat.”
The power of this one simple metaphor was amazing, it could be used in a variety of context, situations and used impartially.
This brought about catch-phases used within meetings which quickly spread to every day staff language, as such, “paddling in the wrong direction” - a resistive assumption often produced by fear of change, “bailing out the water” - Getting rid of assumptions and resistance, and “navigation by starlight” - using factual evidence to steer the Waka.
Conclusion
The process of Re-Culturing has assisted with breaking down barriers and overcoming resistances, no longer are changes seen as College-Changing they are now being viewed as Assumption-Changing.
More importantly staff are now focussed on problem-solving , improving and evidencing within the College, where all members are interconnected and interrelated through the metaphor driving the culture change.
Such was born the “Waka” a metaphor for the College as a whole, with the team “paddling” and the “Chief scanning the horizon and directing the boat.”
The power of this one simple metaphor was amazing, it could be used in a variety of context, situations and used impartially.
This brought about catch-phases used within meetings which quickly spread to every day staff language, as such, “paddling in the wrong direction” - a resistive assumption often produced by fear of change, “bailing out the water” - Getting rid of assumptions and resistance, and “navigation by starlight” - using factual evidence to steer the Waka.
Conclusion
The process of Re-Culturing has assisted with breaking down barriers and overcoming resistances, no longer are changes seen as College-Changing they are now being viewed as Assumption-Changing.
More importantly staff are now focussed on problem-solving , improving and evidencing within the College, where all members are interconnected and interrelated through the metaphor driving the culture change.
References
Stoll. (1998). School Culture. School Improvement Network’s Bulletin 9. Institute of Education, University of London. Retrieved from http://www.educationalleaders.govt.nz/Culture/Understanding-school-cultures/School-Culture
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