Running head: ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE 1

Changing Organizational Climate in the Ontario College System:

The role of organizational climate and culture in the school improvement process

Deborah Long

November 6, 2017

University of New Brunswick

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Changing Organizational Climate in the Ontario College System:

The role of organizational climate and culture in the school improvement process

Ronald Lindahl’s article is a collection of knowledge on how the culture and

organizational context of school systems influence how power is used to affect cha

change amongst educational improvement processes. No where is this more evident

than within the current ongoing labour dispute within Ontario’s College system, where

full-time faculty are on strike to obtain more power to enact change and improvement

within the learning experience in the College education system.

The main issues at stake are the role of full-time faculty in the development of

school policy, including school and curriculum improvement; and the detrimental effects

of a high proportion of contract faculty on the quality of education students are receiving

at the College level. OPSEU (2017), the union who represents faculty, have argued that

the Ontario College system is determining curriculum changes only at the management

level, and enacting changes that are not informed by established pedagogical practice

(para. 5). Whereas, Colleges Ontario (2015) argues faculty demands are not realistic in

the context of College budgets and the increasing strain on financial resources cannot

withstand union demands of more full-time faculty to staff ratio and academic senates to

inform decision making (p. 11).

These opposing viewpoints are a clear indication of how power dynamics and

organizational culture influence change within the context of adult learning. While

College management places financial stability as the principle driver for improvements
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in the school system, faculty members prioritize quality of learning delivery as the most

important factor in educational decision making. Schein (1985) states, “Deeper

discussions expand this definition to cover such issues as the basic assumptions and

beliefs shared by members of the organization regarding the nature of reality, truth,

time, space, human activity, and human relationships” (as cited in Lindahl, 2006, p. 4).

Similarly, the organizational culture of Ontario Colleges must shift from “the way we do

things around here” (Deal, 1993, as quoted by Lindahl, 2006, p. 4), to a new relationship

between College Management and faculty. A culture shift is required on both sides to

come to a workable agreement with a balance of power over decision making to

address both these sets of concerns influencing educational process improvement.

While the existing organizational structure has faculty and management working

in silos with decisions of one being obscured from the other. The relationship the faculty

union proposes would create a collaborative foundation to educational process

improvement and decision making that ensures curriculum design and delivery

decisions are informed by those educated and experienced in the subject; ensuring a

quality learning experience for students. Similarly, this collaboration would allow for

management to share more openly with faculty the financial and operating reasons

behind various decisions, which are valid concerns under which Colleges must operate,

allowing for a more shared understanding of the rationale behind each groups points of

view and policy direction. The Province demands that Colleges operate leaner, relying

less on financial grants, which causes budgetary pressures to flow downwards through

the system; from management onto faculty and support staff and finally affecting

learners.
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Another issue in efforts of faculty to gain greater decision making power within

their respective colleges, is highlighted by Rousseau (1990) stating, “the uniqueness of

each organization’s culture prevents outsiders from forming valid a priori questions” (as

cited in Lindahl, 2006, p. 6). Rousseau makes this statement in relation to quantitative

survey instruments for assessment of school culture, but one could argue that

Rosseau’s statement could also be applied to the top-down management style of the

Ontario government over unique Colleges across the Province. While the Province

would like to apply standard management of post-secondary education, the unique

strengths and learner needs of each school and the expertise of its staff are not taken

into consideration when applying a one-size-fits-all framework to education.

Colleges Ontario (2015), documents their funding priorities for the coming years

as: providing effective learning environments and meeting local/regional employer and

community needs; but the needs of student populations and the complexity of those

needs, as stated as foremost in decisions making (p. 13).

Given the priority of the needs of students as the utmost importance for Colleges

Ontario’s budgets and decisions, it is in the best interest of the College system to

ensure that educators are using their front-line expertise to inform decisions regarding

learning delivery to students in their local area, and re-design the organizational context

and structure to value the importance of faculty input into academic decision making

across the entire College system.

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References
Colleges Ontario. (2015). Building on a 50-Year Legacy of Excellence: The Ontario

colleges’ submission for the 2016 provincial budget. Retrieved from http://www.

colleges ontario.org/policy-positions/budget-submissions/ CO%202016 %20

Budget%20WEB_2. pdf

Lindahl, R. (2006). The Role of Organizational Climate and Culture in the School

Improvement Process: A Review of the Knowledge Base. Connexions: Rice

University, 1 (1), 1 – 16. http://conx.org/content/,1313465/latest

OPSEU. (October 2, 2007). College Faculty Bargaining: Questions and answers for

students. Retrieved from https://opseu.org /information /college-faculty-bargaining-

questions-and-answers-students#toc3