ABSTRACT
Aligning the organization with its environment refers to the interrelationship between educational institutions and the environment in which they are embedded. It concerns determining educational goals and strategies in interaction with this environment. In former years, this interrelationship was not an important issue in the field of educational organization and management. School leaders could manage their schools from a closed-system approach by focusing mainly on internal principles of structuring and functioning. The external environment was stable, and changes were predictable. It is common knowledge nowadays that the external environment is changing rapidly and significantly since the late nineteen fifties. The environment has become dynamic and changes are less predictable. The impact of all kinds of environmental forces on educational activities has increased, and it has become imperative that schools understand and reckon with their environment. The closed-systems approach has proven itself to be inadequate for dealing with the problems of educational administrators (Boyd & Crowson, 1981). The interrelationship with the external environment has become an important issue for schools. This new open-systems perspective is essential for the viability of schools.
