Identification and description of professional culture in innovating schools

Abstract

In this article, results of a qualitative study of the professional culture of nine innovating primary schools are presented. The culture is defined as a “socially constructed reality.” Three relevant domains are identified to study the organizational culture: the principal as builder and carrier of the culture, the goal consensus, and the professional relationships among teachers. Comparative analysis of the culture stories of the nine schools resulted in a description of three culture types that are clarified by means of metaphors: the family‐school, the school as a professional organization, and the living‐apart‐together‐school. Evidence was also found for the interaction between the culture and the implementation of an innovation. The nature of the organizational reaction that occurs when a school implements an innovation depends on the existing culture and determines to a large degree the success or failure of the innovation.