ABSTRACT
In this chapter the focus is on the links between emotional growth and learning and the issues of managing the organisation. Fullan (1991) suggests that management involves getting things done by working effectively with people. In recent years there has been much debate about managing the processes which produce effective schools and other organisations. The wide body of research which demonstrates the influence which the school has upon a child’s achievements (e.g. Mortimore et al. 1988, Rutter et al. 1979), was reinforced by recent submissions of evidence to the Committee of Inquiry into Discipline in Schools, chaired by Lord Elton (Galloway 1990). Research has shown that schools which achieve higher levels of outcomes have certain typical internal conditions, that these differences are systematically related to the school’s culture or ethos, and that the school’s culture is amenable to alteration by the concerted action of the staff. This research suggested that in effective schools, organisational factors-such as a supportive climate within the school, clear goals and high expectations for students, a system for monitoring performance and achievement, ongoing staff development and in-service, and parental involvement and supportare consistent with the school’s culture. Hopkins (1991:58) makes the point that organisational characteristics alone do not inform our understanding of the dynamics of developing schools as organisations, and that there are further ‘process factors’ which ‘lubricate the system and “fuel the dynamics of interaction”’. Fullan (1985) suggests that process factors are related to the process of leadership, a guiding value system, intense interaction and communication providing support and pressure both horizontally and vertically within the school, and collaboration in planning and implementating initiatives. Fullan asserts that school improvement requires a direct and primary focus on organisational factors: ‘Strategies are needed that more directly affect the culture of an organisation’ (1988:29).
