A famous Peter Drucker quote says that "culture eats strategy for breakfast." This implies that the
culture of your school or company always determines success regardless of how effective your
strategy may be.
When he said that culture eats strategy for breakfast, Drucker pointed out the importance of the
human factor in any company (The Alternate Board, 2020). This statement seems to lend itself to
the combination of the human relations movement and the human resources movement discussed
by Coley (Coley, 2006). No matter how detailed and solid your strategy is, your projects will fail
if the people executing them don't nurture the appropriate culture. Building community; it must
be done if the organization is going to be successful. Building a community, however, begins
with the vision (a clear and compelling statement about where the organization wants to be in the
future) from the school leader. The principal has a vision. The principal shares the vision with
stakeholders (early adopters, dissenters—yes, even dissenters need to be brought to the table, and
champions). Building community means knowing your stakeholders and the pulse in the
building and the community. One way to build community would be through outreach to all
neighborhoods zoned to the school and an invite to a community forum around the growth and
development of that school's cluster. It means building an organization of trust (doing what you
say you will do and supporting your people). Harvey (2013)states that you will have to work
with your community to create a shared sense of what the community wants to accomplish
through its schools.
When considering involvement, questions must be considered from every aspect.
Questions such as Who needs to be involved? Who do you, as the leader, definitely want? Who
do you definitely not want? Why would you not want them? The internal school groups you
select should be aligned with what you want to accomplish. Is there a place for teacher
assistants, office/clerical staff, cafeteria staff, bus drivers, security guards/SRO, or custodians?
Maybe a better way to look at the situation is by asking, "What internal groups do I need to
include and why? What internal groups do I need to exclude and why? What impact will the
decisions made have on people who are not at the table?" If the decisions being made in some
way impact people who are not at the table - - you'll want to get a member of that group at the
table if the initiative is to be successful. One thing about groups is knowing what the "just right
group size" is. Too many cooks spoil the soup, and too few means that only a couple of people
will "buy in" to the community/culture development. Teachers, academic coaches,
interventionists, and support staff such as behavior management specialists, social workers, etc.,
will be included. Still, School Improvement Council (includes parents, business owners,
community members, etc.) and Student Council must also be at the table. Harvey (2013) points
out the importance of engaging communities around solutions, not needs. He also states that it is
essential that staff, teachers, citizens(who will be expected to collaborate in defining the change
and making it a success ) have time to describe their feelings about it (Harvey, 2013).
About the external community groups, it will depend on your area. In rural areas, church
partners tend to be the main community group where support can be garnered. In rural
communities, there is not really any industry there, so business partners can be few and far
between. In more suburban and urban areas, community groups such as Rotary club, Lions club,
HOA chairpersons, City Council Representatives, School Board Representatives, Community
Liaisons, Faith leadership should be involved. When working with adults, you don't have to
worry about the "pink elephant" in the room if you facilitate the conversation right. Rules for
communication and engagement must be established. When facilitating the conversation, the
North Star must hearken back to the vision, which naturally is about the students. Another
potential difference in perspective that may arise may be the general vision for the community
for future growth. Business/Development growth model vs. Community stability.
One of the best resources is the voices of community matriarchs and patriarchs. Other
resources that can be used are district resources associated with the special revenue and Title-I
office. Targeted work sessions, public interest surveys, and public forums can also be used. But,
in my opinion, the most important thing is that whatever strategies you employ and tools you
use, you must monitor the progress and conduct regular assessments of whatever you are
implementing. The last piece to this is that, as the leader, you have to be in charge of telling your
organization's story. Don't let somebody else control the narrative.
References
Coley, K.S. (2006). The helmsman: Leading with courage and wisdom. Purposeful Design
Publications.
Harvey, J., Cambron-McCabe, N., Cunningham, L. L., & Koff, R. H. (2013). The
superintendent's fieldbook: A guide for leaders of learning (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA:
Corwin.
The Alternate Board, (2020, February 26). Culture eats strategy for breakfast-what doe it mean?
The Alternate Board Blog. https://www.thealternativeboard.com/blog/culture-eats-strategy
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