An evaluation of organizational culture in low performing high schools (Rekopantswe Area Project office)

Abstract

Schools, like other organisations have their own way of doing things. This is referred to as 'organisational culture'. Organisational culture may be likened to the personality of a particular institution. Culture gives an organisation a sense of identity. The study intended to evaluate the organisational culture of low performing secondary schools and how such cultures affected performance in the Area Project Office of Rekopantswe, which is found in the Central Region of the North-West Province with offices in Mafikeng. Data was collected by means of questionnaires administered to educators in all six secondary schools (in the Area Project Office of Rekopantswe) categorised as low performing. This was based on the Grade 12 results for the academic year 2010. A sample of 105 educators was used and a total of 69 responded to the questions in the questionnaire. The main findings revealed that organisational culture has both direct and indirect impact on the performance of schools. If the culture is positive, the organisation stands a good chance of achieving good results and if the culture is negative, the organisation is likely to perform poorly. The researcher recommended among others, that there should always be consultation when dealing with matters affecting members of staff in schools. This will improve transparency and accountability. It was further recommended that recognition of goal attainment should be a common occurrence in schools. This will serve as a motivation for educators to double their efforts in their attempts to help schools realise their objectives of strategic importance. Communication should also be enhanced in schools.