Culture club
Culture eats strategy for breakfast! Commonly attributed to the management guru, Peter Drucker, this provocative statement is often used to argue that there is an inherent conflict between strategy and culture. A more positive and constructive interpretation is that for our strategic efforts to be effective they need to resonate with, and be rooted within, a supportive culture. All of our best laid plans, and often frenetic activity, will come to nought without a fundamental appreciation of the culture in which they are implemented. If nothing else this signals the importance of investing time and energy in fostering cultural development, not least when considering effective approaches to the professional learning of school staff and their leaders. This, then, is the common concern of the contributions to this issue of Professional Development Today.
Toxic cultures
Ian Craig begins with a stark warning about the current culture holding sway over education which is resulting in school leadership becoming toxic, with this in turn having its own cultural impact. The ingredients contributing to this toxic mix include the belief that competition produces improvements in the quality of services; emphasis on business, economic effectiveness and value for money; and the accountability regime which puts “great pressure on school leaders to act in ways they believe will ensure that their schools conform.” He argues that the consequences of this slow and insidious trend are dire with long-term organisational health being sacrificed for short term gains, and a failure to recognise or develop individual worth, experience and the professionalism of staff. Craig pulls no punches. He claims that unrealistic expectations mean many headteachers, particularly those in more difficult schools, are now working in a climate of fear and inculcating this in their staff. He concludes that “in the current free enterprise, quasi-market and targets culture in education, toxic management of schools is widespread and inevitable.”
Caring for leaders
A similar tone is struck in the article by Peter Earley and Sara Bubb. They are likewise concerned about the “high stakes accountability culture” and ask “what is needed for school leaders to survive, thrive and also revive.” Drawing upon research evidence they maintain that the answer lies in personal development. They explain that in order to combat the emotional demands, big workloads and high levels of occupational stress, school leaders, especially headteachers, “need intellectual breadth, self-awareness and self-confidence, good interpersonal skills and high degrees of resilience.” What they call for is a fundamental shift in training perspective. This focuses on “leader” rather than “leadership” development and sees this as being, above all, about “the development of the individual and only secondarily the development of the role.” The call is for personal development for professional reasons. They then outline what this means in terms of customised programmes - including sabbaticals, secondments and study leave - which give greater prominence to elements of personal development.
Pivotal partnerships
In the next piece I begin by considering another aspect of the prevailing culture in education – the movement towards increased school autonomy, self-improvement and collaboration. I consider potential tensions between, on the one hand, the autonomous drive for professional development to be school-led, drawing on the expertise within schools, and on the other, the important potential contribution of higher education. The article reports on key issues and messages from a major literature review on school-university partnerships which typically collaborate on initial teacher training; continuing professional development; and consultancy and research. One of the big challenges identified is the cultural dissonance between the partners, with the academic and school teacher portrayed as having significantly different outlooks. The article provides tabulated guidance on strategies to promote effective school-university partnerships. This includes the crucial role of new types of leaders at the boundaries of the partnership. Above all it emphasises the value of creating a third partnership space - not part of either organisation - which nurtures trusting relationships, mutual respect and joint collaborative working.
Performance management for learning
The need for a mutually supportive culture is also a strong feature of the HOW TO section. John Blanchard gives practical guidance on how the school’s performance management philosophy, approach and arrangements can be geared to serve the professional development of staff. Indeed he sees performance management and ongoing professional learning as being in a symbiotic, mutually stimulating and reinforcing relationship. The HOW TO pieces give an array of strategies related to lesson observation and the leading of teaching and learning. In the final piece he addresses how performance management can specifically focus on professional development through a culture of collaboration between teachers, senior leaders and governors.