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Chapter 1Chapter 1

The School As AThe School As ASocial SystemSocial System

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WHAT is system?

Managing SystemsSystem - a set of interrelated and interdependent parts arranged in a manner that produces a unified wholeClosed system - a system that is not influenced by and does not interact with its environmentOpen system - dramatically interact with their environment

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WHAT is the organization?

OrganizationDeliberate arrangement of people to accomplish some specific purposeCharacteristics of an organization

distinct purposedeliberate structurepeople

Today’s organizations have adopted:flexible work arrangementsopen communicationsgreater responsiveness to changes

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Key Properties of Open Systems

Inputs --people, materials, and resources from the outside

Transformation -- the process transforming inputs into something of value by the system.

Outputs --the byproduct of the transformation.

Feedback -- how the system communicates to its parts and the environment.

Boundaries -- systems are differentiated from their environments.

Environment -- is anything outside the system.

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Open System with Feedback LoopsOpen System with Feedback Loops

ThroughputThroughput[Transformation][Transformation]

InputsInputs OutputsOutputs

People

Materials

Finances

Products

Services

Feedback

EnvironmentEnvironment

Performance

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Social Systems Model: Key Assumptions

• Social systems are open systems.• Social systems consists of interdependent parts, which interact with each other and the environment.• Social systems are goal oriented.• Social systems are peopled.• Social systems have structure.• Social systems are political.• Social systems have cultures.• Social systems have norms.• Social systems are conceptual and relative.• All formal organizations are social systems, BUT not all social

systems are organizations.

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Key Elements of the School as a Social SystemSchools are social systems with the following key parts:

Structure : roles are expectations of positions that are arranged in a hierarchy.

Individual: the individual is a key unit in any social system; regardless of position, people bring with them individual needs, beliefs, and a cognitive

understandings of the job.

Culture : represents the unwritten feeling part of the organizations: its shared values

Politics : informal power relations that develop spontaneously.

Core : the teaching-learning process is the technical core of schools.

Environment: everything outside the organization; source of inputs.

Outputs : the products of the organizations, e. g. educated students.

Feedback : communication that monitors behavior.

Effectiveness: the congruence between expected and actual outcomes.

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Internal Elements of the System Internal Elements of the System

Transformation ProcessTransformation Process

Structural SystemStructural System(Bureaucratic Expectations)(Bureaucratic Expectations)

Cultural SystemCultural System(Shared Orientations)(Shared Orientations)

Political SystemPolitical System(Power Relations)(Power Relations)

Individual SystemIndividual System(Cognition and Motivation)(Cognition and Motivation)

Learn

ing

Learning Teach

ing

TeachingOutputsOutputsInputsInputs

EnvironmentEnvironment

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Social System Model for Schools Social System Model for Schools

Transformation ProcessTransformation Process

Structural SystemStructural System(Bureaucratic Expectations)(Bureaucratic Expectations)

CulturalCulturalSystemSystem(Shared(Shared

Orientations)Orientations)

PoliticalPoliticalSystemSystem(Power(Power

Relations)Relations)

Individual SystemIndividual System(Cognition and Motivation)(Cognition and Motivation)

Learn

ing

Learning Teach

ing

Teaching

OutputsOutputsInputsInputs

Environmental constraints

Human and capital resources

Mission and board policy

Materials and methods

Achievement

Job satisfaction

Absenteeism

Dropout rate

Overall quality

Discrepancy between Actual and Expected

Performance

EnvironmentEnvironment

Interview your friend using the social-systems model described in this chapter. Ask about school-community relations (environmental opportunities and constraints) and the perceived effectiveness of his or her school. Analyze the answer based on the followings:

•The structure of the school

•The teaching and learning system

•The culture of the school

Tutorial activitiesTutorial activities

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