Exploring the factors that affect organisational culture of a high school in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Abstract

Organisational culture is a relevant concept across all industries and environments. It is complex in nature but of critical importance to investigate due to the impact it has on everything from staff turnover to profit. The aim of this study was to investigate what organisational culture looks like at a school level and revealing the factors that affect it. In particular, the study explored four key driving factors influencing organisational culture within the school context, namely leadership, parental involvement, individual personalities within the organisation, and market pressures. This study took on a qualitative nature which enabled insights and discovery from the research conducted through the inductive approach. The data obtained was done through semi-structured interviews engaging a varied group of 15 participants. These participants were a mixture of administrative and academic staff at the high school and came from different positions in the hierarchy. Some of the common themes that emerged from the research include leadership impact, employee and customer impact, drastic changes and overall policies, procedures and behaviours enabled at the school. These influence how organisational culture is generated and sustained in an organisation. These themes confirmed what was depicted in some of the literature but provided further detail that is not found in the aforementioned literature. Additionally, the research showed that many participants have concerns about the current state of the organisational culture. However, a few participants had positive perceptions about the future organisational culture in light of organisational changes to come. With all participants, it was clear that organisational culture is a noteworthy consideration as an employee and directly impacts the way that they experience the organisation. When it came to changing or improving organisational culture, most participants believed that it was possible but that it would take time and intention. It would be advised that another study on the organisation is done at a different period from now after the abovementioned changes are implemented.