Shaping Positive and Transforming Toxic Cultures

Dr. Kent D. PetersonUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison

1025 W. Johnson StreetMadison, WI 53706

kpeterson@education.wisc.edu

Dear Diary,

Please allow every teacher to realize what awesome power they hold in their hands and that they are the doors through which whole new worlds of possibility can open for their students. That by understanding students, day to day, and not judging them or shutting out the many opportunities for their success teachers can, and often do, make all the difference.

Sandi Redenbach (Diary of a Dropout)

Culture is a Powerful Force

School culture influences

how people think, feel, and act.

Culture is a key determinant of staff

focus, commitment, motivation, and productivity.

“…the only real thing of importance that leaders do is create and manage culture and the unique talent of leaders is their ability to work with the culture. (Schein, 1985 p.2)

“Effective leaders know that the hard work of reculturing is the sine qua non of progress.” (Fullan, 2001, p.44).

Culture is a powerful force that Culture is a powerful force that exists in any organization in which exists in any organization in which

people share some history. It people share some history. It develops as people work together, develops as people work together,

solve problems, cope with conflicts, solve problems, cope with conflicts, achieve successes, and deal with achieve successes, and deal with

tragedy.tragedy.(Schein, 1985; Deal and Peterson,1999)(Schein, 1985; Deal and Peterson,1999)

Culture is a powerful force that Culture is a powerful force that exists in any organization in which exists in any organization in which

people share some history. It people share some history. It develops as people work together, develops as people work together,

solve problems, cope with conflicts, solve problems, cope with conflicts, achieve successes, and deal with achieve successes, and deal with

tragedy.tragedy.(Schein, 1985; Deal and Peterson,1999)(Schein, 1985; Deal and Peterson,1999)

Culture and Effectiveness“At a deeper level, all organizations, especially schools, improve performance by fostering a shared system of norms folkways, values, and traditions. These infuse the enterprise with passion, purpose, and a sense of spirit. Without a strong, positive culture, schools flounder and die.”

(Peterson and Deal, 2002, p. 7)

Performance and Spirit“The key to successful performance is the heart and spirit infused into relationships among people, their efforts to serve all students, and a shared sense of responsibility for learning. Without heart and spirit nourished by cultural ways, schools become learning factories devoid of soul and passion.”

(Peterson and Deal, 2002, p. 7)

Key Roles of Cultural Leaders

READ the CultureHistorian and Anthropologist

ASSESS the CultureAnalyst and Evaluator

REINFORCE or TRANSFORM the CultureVisionary, Symbol, Potter, Poet, Actor, and

Healer

(Deal and Peterson, 1994; 1999)

Elements of Culture• Norms, Values and Beliefs that underlie thinking,

feeling and acting• Symbols and Artifacts that Communicate

Meaning• Stories that Herald Values• Cultural Network• Heroes and Heroines• Rituals, Traditions, and Ceremonies• “Culture is “the way we do things around here!”

Elements of Toxic Cultures• Negative Values and beliefs hold sway in toxic

cultures.• Sense of purpose is spiritually fragmented.• Relationships are negative and destructive.• The cultural network’s most powerful members

negaholics (Carter-Scott, 1989)• The only heroes are anti-heroic.• Few positive rituals, traditions, or ceremonies exist to

develop a sense of community and hopefulness.

Deal and Peterson (1999).

Ways of Reading Your Culture...Ways of Reading Your Culture...Ways of Reading Your Culture...Ways of Reading Your Culture...•List Six Adjectives to describe your school.List Six Adjectives to describe your school.•Think of a song that depicts your culture.Think of a song that depicts your culture.•Create a metaphor… If my school were an animal, Create a metaphor… If my school were an animal, it would be a _______ it would be a _______ because_________________________.because_________________________.•Conduct a school history.Conduct a school history.•Interview a school’s storytellers.Interview a school’s storytellers.

Norms, Values, and Beliefs

• Norms of Collegiality, Performance, Improvement

• Values of Achievement and Equity• Beliefs about student ability, the

community, staff collaboration• Leaders shape these deep elements of

school culture

Symbols and Artifacts in the School

• Communicate values

• Reinforce culture

• Build success through commitment

• Symbolize the mission

Informal NetworkInformal Network• GossipsGossips• Spies, Counterspies, MolesSpies, Counterspies, Moles• StorytellersStorytellers• Heroes and heroinesHeroes and heroines• “ “ Keepers of the Dream “Keepers of the Dream “

Toxic Informal Network• Saboteurs• Pessimistic Storytellers• “Keepers of the Nightmare”• Negaholics• Prima Donnas-Prima Donalds• Space Cadets• Martyrs• Deadwood, Driftwood, Ballast

The Importance of Ceremonies and Celebrations

• Reinforce Values

• Build Culture and Community

• Recharge Motivation

• Communicate Purpose

• Celebrate Success

Types of Celebrations• Beginning of Year• Fall Solstice• Ethnic Events• Battle Preparations• Retirements• End-of-Year• Large and Small Successes

Elements of Ceremonies

Map Your Ceremonies and Celebrations Over the

Year

Elements of Toxic Cultures• Negative Values and beliefs hold sway in toxic cultures.• Sense of purpose is spiritually fragmented.• Relationships are negative and destructive.• The cultural network’s most powerful members negaholics

(Carter-Scott, 1989)• The only heroes are anti-heroic.• Few positive rituals, traditions, or ceremonies exist to

develop a sense of community and hopefulness.

Deal and Peterson (1999).

Toxic Informal Network• Saboteurs• Pessimistic Storytellers• “Keepers of the Nightmare”• Naysayers and Negaholics• Prima Donnas and Prima Donalds• Space Cadets• Martyrs• Deadwood, Driftwood, Ballast

(Deal and Peterson, 1999)

Toxic Nondiscussables“The health of a school is inversely proportional to the number of nondiscussables: the fewer nondiscussables, the healthier the school; the more nondiscussables, the more pathology in school culture. Nondiscussables are subjects sufficiently important that they are talked about frequently for are so laden with anxiety and fearfulness that these conversations only take place in the parking lot, the rest rooms, the playground, the carpool, or at the dinner table at home. Fear abounds that open discussion of these incendiary issues – at a faculty meeting for example – will cause a meltdown. To change the culture of the school, the instructional leader must enable its residents to name, acknowledge, and address the nondiscussables – especially those that impede learning.”

(Barth, Roland, “The Culture Builder,” Educational Leadership, 2002)

Toxic Cultures• Examples from practice.

• Examples from your experiences.

• Discussion: Ways to Reshape Toxic Cultures.

Culture Shaping Roles• Anthropologist• Historian• Visionary• Symbol• Potter• Poet• Actor• Healer

(Deal and Peterson, 1999)

"Becoming a leader is a lot like investing successfully in the stock market. If your hope is to make a fortune in one day, you're not going to be successful."

John C. Maxwell

“Teachers usually have no way of knowing that they have made a difference in a child’s life, even when they have made a dramatic one…

Good teachers put snags in the river of children passing by, and, over the years, they redirect hundreds of lives…

[Great schools are] made up of people who can never really know the good they have done.”

Kidder (1989): Among Schoolchildren

Resources and Research

Research on Organizational Culture

Effective Schools Research (Edmonds)School Reform Literature (Fullan)Professional Learning Communities (DuFour)Good to Great (Collins)Balanced Leadership (Marzano et al)Execution (Bossidy et al)

Elements of Positive, Successful

Cultures• a mission focused on student and teacher learning• a rich sense of history and purpose• core values of collegiality, performance, and improvement that

engender quality, achievement, and learning for everyone• positive beliefs and assumptions about the potential of students and

staff to learn and grow• a strong professional community that uses knowledge, experience, and

research to improve practice• an informal network that fosters positive communication flows• leadership that balances continuity and improvement• rituals and ceremonies that reinforce core cultural values• stories that celebrate successes and recognize heroines and heroes• a physical environment that symbolizes joy and pride• a widely shared sense of respect and caring for everyone• Source: Shaping School Culture: The Heart of Leadership (1999). Terrence Deal and Kent Peterson, San

Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Characteristics of Professional Learning Communities

Shared Sense of PurposeTeacher Involvement in Decision MakingCollaborative WorkA Sense of Joint Responsibility for the

Outcomes of TeachingNorms of ImprovementProfessional Learning

(Kruse; Lambert; DuFour; Hipp et al.)