Creating a climate for innovation in education: Reframing structure, culture, and leadership practices

2012-04-16The focus of this study was on creating a climate for innovation in schools to lead to improvements in student achievement. Bolman and Deal’s (2008) four frame model of organizational thinking was used as a framework for the study.The study examined the influence of leadership practices, structure, and school culture in the context of a K-12 private school in Honolulu, Hawaii, that is seeking to advance itself as an innovative institution of twenty-first century teaching and learning.Qualitative methods were employed, centering on interviews of a purposeful sampling of the faculty. Questions were designed to obtain participants’ perspectives on the features of organizational structure, organizational culture, and the leadership practices that support or hinder the development of a climate for innovation. Participants’ statements were coded by category, and content analyses following the method of constant comparison were conducted.Major findings from the study identified several challenges that schools may face as they seek to become innovative institutions. One is the inconsistencies in the definition of innovation between individuals and the organization. The size of the institution would be a second challenge in bringing about innovative change. Third, a school culture based upon traditional notions of success would hinder a climate of innovation. A fourth challenge faces school leadership as they deal with structural and cultural tensions. The fifth finding suggests that the three aspects of structure, culture, and leadership practices need to be aligned and coordinated to successfully initiate and manage innovative chang