“Our Organization Deals with People, not with Products”: Perceptions of School Organizational Patterns

This article is part of a wide-scope research examining teachers’ perceptions regarding the organizational profile of their school. Research participants were asked about nine parameters that outline the school’s organizational structure (Chen-Levi, 2019). Main research questions were: How do the three different groups of position-holders in the school- administrative staff, homeroom teachers, and subject-matter teachers – perceive the organizational profile of their school? What is the importance of each parameter that comprises a school's organizational profile? A loglinear analysis was performed to test whether the three groups differed in the way they related to these parameters. Differences or similarities in the faculty's perception of the school will have implications on the staff’s internal cohesion, quality of its communication and staff members' motivation to contribute to change-related tasks that require a long-term view. Analysis of teachers’ responses produced a picture according to which the criteria they regard as central to the school’s organizational structure are: curriculum content and teaching methods, as well as innovation and changes in the organization. These areas are cornerstones in education. They stressed the need to expose students to a rich and varied education, challenging and encouraging curiosity in many disciplines by means of creative tools and constant innovation. Keywords: organizational profile, school structure, teachers’ perceptions, bureaucratic-hierarchical approach, systemic approach