Date of Submission
8-8-2022
Document Type
DiP
Degree
Doctor of Education
Department
Education
Keywords
cross-cultural, postcolonial, collaborative practice, culturally responsive, organizational culture, international school
Abstract
International School Philippines (ISP) (a pseudonym) is an international school established during an era of colonization in the Philippines. While the school’s mission has evolved, the organization now navigates a complex postcolonial and cross-cultural landscape. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) problematized the school’s vision of establishing an organizational culture of professional collaborative practice within a culturally diverse teaching faculty. Examining the constructs framing the problem reveals that cross-cultural approaches to human behaviour should consider how individual culture relates to organizational phenomena such as professionalism, collaboration, and leadership. Additionally, leadership approaches chosen to guide organizational change at ISP should be framed in postcolonial and cross-cultural theory. Synthesized through a culturally responsive lens, authentic and adaptive leadership are presented as a singular change leadership approach aligned with ISP’s change context. A critical organizational analysis points to school leadership as the primary driver of organizational change and cultural responsivity as the antecedent to professional collaborative practice in the cross-cultural and postcolonial ISP context. As such, developing culturally responsive leadership throughout the organization is the preferred solution to the problem and the focus of a four-stage change implementation process. Change monitoring—in the form of developmental evaluation (DE) and the plan, do, check, act (PDCA) improvement cycle—and strategic communication are activated throughout the change process. Establishing culturally responsive leadership throughout the organization is believed to be essential to the eventual development of an organizational culture of professional collaborative practice at ISP.
Recommended Citation
Petrillo, B. S. (2022). A Postcolonial Study of Organizational Culture and Professional Collaborative Practice in a Southeast Asian International School. The Organizational Improvement Plan at Western University, 279. Retrieved from https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/oip/279