This study investigates the characteristics of the organizational environment perceived by 627 teachers in 64 Hong Kong secondary schools. From the cluster analysis, the perceived school organizational environments can be classified into four typical styles: commitment, control, disengagement, and headless. All of them have contrasting organizational characteristics. The findings are consistent with the studies conducted in Western societies.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Afifi, A. A. , & Clark, V. (1984). Computer-aided multivariate analysis. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth.
2.
Aiken, M. , & Hage, J. (1968). Organizational independence and intra-organizational structure. American Sociological Review, 33, 912-930.
3.
Bardsley, W. N. (1978). The assessment of school environments. Educational Research and Perspectives, 4(2), 39-51.
4.
Blake, R. R. , & Mouton, J. S. (1985). The managerial grid III. Houston, TX: Gulf.
5.
Brown, R. J. (1965). Organizational climate of elementary schools (Research Monograph No. 2). Minneapolis: Educational Research and Development Council.
6.
Cammann, C. , Fichman, M., Jenkins, G. D., Jr., & Klesh, J. R. (1983). Assessing the attitudes and perceptions of organizational members. In S. E. Seashoreet al. (Eds.), Assessing organizational change (pp. 71-138). New York: Wiley.
7.
Cheng, Y. C. (1986a). School effectiveness as related to organizational climate and leadership style. Educational Research Journal1, 86-94.
8.
Cheng, Y. C. (1986b). Function and effectiveness of education. Hong Kong: Wide Angle Press.
9.
Clark, D. L. , Lotto, L. S., & Astuto, T. A. (1984). Effective schools and school improvement: A comparative analysis of two lines of inquiry. Educational Administrative Quarterly, 20(3), 41-68.
10.
Dill, D. D. (1984). The nature of administrative behavior in higher education. Educational Administrative Quarterly, 20(3), 69-99.
11.
Getzels, J. W. , & Guba, E. G. (1957). Social behaviour and the administrative process. School Review, 65, 423-441.
12.
Hackman, J. R. (1983). Designing work for individuals and for groups. In J. R. Hackman, E. E. Lawler III, & L. W. Porter (Eds.), Perspectiveness on behavior in organizations (pp. 242-257). New York: McGraw-Hill.
13.
Hackman, J. R. (1987). The design of work teams. In J. W. Lorsch (Ed.), Handbook of organizational behavior (pp. 315-342). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
14.
Hall, J. W. (1972). A comparison of Halpin and Croft's organizational climates and Likert and Likert's organizational systems. Administrative Science Quarterly, 17, 586-590.
15.
Hall, R. P. (1987). Organizations: Structures, processes and outcomes. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
16.
Halpin, A. W. (1966). Theory and research in administration. New York: Macmillan.
17.
Halpin, A. W. , & Croft, D. B. (1963). The organizational climate of schools. Chicago: University of Chicago, Midwest Administration Center.
18.
Hellriegel, D. , & Slocum, J. W., Jr. (1974). Organizational climate: Measures, research and contingencies. Academy of Management Journal, 17(2), 255-279.
19.
Hoy, W. K. , & Clover, S.I.R. (1986). Elementary school climate: A revision of the OCDQ. Educational Administration Quarterly, 22(2), 93-110.
20.
Hoy, W. K. , & Ferguson, J. (1985). A theoretical framework and exploration of organizational effectiveness of schools. Educational Administration Quarterly, 21(2), 117-134.
21.
Hoy, W. K. , & Miskel, C. G. (1987). Educational administration (3rd ed.). New York: Random House.
22.
Jackson, J. H. , & Morgan, C. D. (1982). Organization theory: A macro perspective for management (2nd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
23.
Kenney, J. B. , & Rentz, R. R. (1970). The organizational climate of schools in five urban areas. Elementary School Journal, 71, 61-69.
24.
Kerr, S. , Schrieshein, C. A., Murphy, C. J., & Stogdill, R. M. (1974). Toward a contingency theory of leadership based upon the consideration and initiating structure literature. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 12, 62-82.
25.
Kets de Vries, M.F.R. , & Miller, D. (1986). Personality, culture, and organization. Academy of Management Review, 11, 266-279.
26.
Kottkamp, R. B. , Mulhern, J. A., & Hoy, W. K. (1987). Secondary school climate: A revision of the OCDQ. Educational Administration Quarterly, 23(3), 31-48.
27.
Lewin, K. (1936). Principles of topological psychology. New York: McGraw-Hill.
28.
Lewin, K. (1943). Defining the field at a given time. Psychological Review, 50, 292-310.
29.
Likert, J. G. , & Likert, R. (1978). The Likert profile of a school (2nd ed.). Ann Arbor, MI: Rensis Likert Associates.
30.
Likert, R. (1967). The human organization: Its management and value. New York: McGraw-Hill.
31.
Litwin, G. , & Stringer, R. (1968). Motivation and organizational climate. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
32.
Mackenzie, D. (1983). Research for school improvement: An appraisal of some recent trends. Educational Researcher, 12(4), 5-16.
33.
Miskel, G. , Fevurly, R., & Stewart, J. (1979). Organizational structures and processes, perceived school effectiveness, loyalty, and job satisfaction. Educational Administration Quarterly, 14(3), 97-118.
34.
Miskel, G. , McDonald, D., & Bloom, S. (1983). Structural and expectancy linkages within schools and organizational effectiveness. Educational Administration Quarterly, 19(1), 49-82.
35.
Mortimore, P. , & Sammons, P. (1987, September). New evidence on effective elementary schools. Educational Leadership, pp. 4-8.
36.
Mott, P. E. (1972). The characteristics of effective organizations. New York: Harper & Row.
37.
Roethlisberger, P. J. , & Dickson, W. J. (1939). Management and the work. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
38.
SAS Institute, Inc. (1985). SAS user's guide: Statistics. Version 5. Cary, NC: Author.
39.
Schein, E. H. (1985). Organizational culture and leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
40.
Sergiovanni, T. J. (1984, February). Leadership and excellence in schooling. Educational Leadership, pp. 4-13.
41.
Sergiovanni, T. J. (1987). The principalship: A reflective practice perspective. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
42.
SPSS, Inc. (1988). SPSS-X user's guide (3rd ed.). Chicago: Author.
43.
Steers, R. M. (1977). Organizational effectiveness. Santa Monica, CA: Goodyear.
44.
Stern, G. G. (1970). People in context. New York: Wiley.
45.
Stogdill, R. M. (1974). Handbook of leadership. New York: Free Press.
46.
Thomas, A. R. (1976). The organizational climate of schools. International Review of Education, 22, 441-463.
47.
Thomas, A. R. , & Slater, R. C. (1972). The OCDQ: A four factor solution for Australian schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 10, 197-208.
48.
Walton, R. E. , & Hackman, J. R. (1986). Groups under contrasting management strategies. In P. S. Goodman (Ed.), Designing effective work groups (pp. 72-119). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
