The cultural web of a socially oriented school: A case analysis of organizational culture

• Main Author: Feliciano, Mary Vincent F., OSB.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 1994
• Subjects: School management and organization; Corporate culture; Culture; St Scholastica's College (Philippines); Educational Leadership
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etd_doctoral/716
• Institution: De La Salle University

This case study analyzes the cultural web of St. Scholastica's College to determine whether or not it has actually been shaped by its mission statement as a socially-oriented school.Cultural paradigms shared by members of the organization were deciphered. The framework of a web of cultural artifacts found in the organizational life of the school was used (Chaffee & Tierney, 1988 Johnson, 1992). An eclectic model for analyzing the cultural web was drawn based on Johnson's (1992) framework, Ott's (1989) levels of organizational culture, and Sergiovanni's (1991) dimensions of school culture. The school's mission statement was affirmed by school members in a survey. Indicators of social orientation in the mission statement were compared with resulting paradigms in the cultural web. This showed the school's culture was indeed shaped by its mission statement.The use of the ethnographic approach in field work surfaced cultural data on the school's internal environment, in the 6 areas of the school's organizational life: school's power structure, organizational structures, control system, rituals and routines, organizational stories and symbols. Cultural paradigms operative in each of these areas were laid out in three cultural matrices to illustrate the cultural web of the College. Observations of the school's physical and social settings were accomplished during the two 8-day on-site visits. Interviews were conducted following a 7-question protocol. The school's external environment was investigated through a documentary analysis of the historical background and the origin of school's mission statement along with national goals, Catholic Church teachings and the congregation's charism and its influence on the institution's mission statement, its goals and objectives.There were 1,145 respondents from administrators, faculty, staff, and graduating students in the College. Convenience sampling was used. The 31 interviewees and 44 workshop participants were identified by the liaison representative.Findings showed that St. Scholastica's started as a school for women. As a pioneering school in music, it had a tradition of high academic standards, strict discipline and a strong Christian and Benedictine identity which were the legacy of its founding sister-administrators. Its reorientation into a socially-oriented school was a response to the changing times since 1970s.The indicators identified were: 1) The faculty and administrators served as models of social orientation 2) They developed efficient learning and work environment 3) Curricular programs were updated with the needs of the times and 4) The parents of students supported the school's approach to holistic education. The values of social orientation were shared by school members and were proclaimed as values of St. Scholastica's College. The indicators of a socially-oriented school were present in the actual school situation. The school's culture could be described in three cultural paradigms that were operative in its organizational life. The study affirmed that the school had a tradition of academic excellence and trained young women to be prepared for life and to be agents of transformation in society.