Microsoft Word - fullpdf07012025 Georgian Scientists/ქართველი მეცნიერები ტ. 7 N 1, 2025 375 Georgian Scientists ქართველი მეცნიერები Vol. 7 Issue 1, 2025 https://doi.org/10.52340/gs.2025.07.01.33 Challenges and development paths for shaping school culture Sofia Mshvildadze PhD student of Business Administration Program, Georgian Technical University s.mshvildadze@gtu.ge Abstract The National Curriculum, which is the main tool for achieving the goals of the educational reform, sets out requirements that every school must follow in three areas: focusing on the personal growth of each student; adapting the learning process to constructivist ideas; and creating a school culture that supports and cares for children. The study of the characteristics and behaviour of school organisational cultures has traditionally occupied an important place in foreign research related to the field of school management, although this problem has not been practically addressed in Georgian scientific practice. The study's goal is to look into, analyse, and build the building blocks of a school culture centred on care and support in Georgia's public and private schools. This is to protect the school's conceptual integrity, make work more efficient, and carry out the mission, which is based on the national goals of general education.The article discusses the essence of organisational culture, its visible manifestations in Georgian schools, and the typology of organisational culture, the understanding of which is important for both the school principal and the pedagogical team, as it will help the school community to determine what is permissible and what is not allowed within the framework of a particular culture. Keywords: National curriculum of Georgia, general education reform, constructivism, general educational institution/school, school culture, management of organizational culture, factors affecting organizational culture The school, as an organization, differs in some respects from the traditional business model. In school education, the “production cycle” lasts for 12 years, the content of teaching and learning is much more stable than the constantly developing technologies and means of production. The basis of these differences, according to foreign researchers, is precisely the organizational culture, which determines the image and content of each general educational institution. Accordingly, the organizational culture of the school should be studied in order to optimize the functioning of the school. Georgian Scientists/ქართველი მეცნიერები ტ. 7 N 1, 2025 376 There are many definitions of organizational culture, here are a few examples: • William Ouch (1981) defines organizational culture as “the symbols, rituals, and myths that convey an organization’s core values and beliefs to its employees.” • Stephen Robbins (1998) defines organizational culture as a system of values shared by members that distinguishes that organization from others. - What can be the visible manifestations of organizational culture? Four characteristics of organizational culture are distinguished: symbols, heroes, rituals, values; - What can be the factors affecting organizational culture - external and internal? External factors: individualism and collectivism; masculinity and femininity; uncertainty avoidance; long-term and short-term orientation. Internal factors: The education and qualification of administrators and employees are important in the formation of organizational culture. Most conflicts and problems are phenomena of group behavior, which are based on stereotypes prevailing in the collective, that is, they are determined by the nature of the organizational culture of the school. Organizational culture is characterized by a high degree of stability. Its frequent change is dangerous, as it can cause a feeling of organizational collapse among employees. Today, there are many typologies of organizational culture. When studying the relationship between corporate culture and effectiveness, it was found that effective organizations are those where there is a fit between strategy, environment and culture. Consider the typology developed by American researchers Kim Cameron and Robin Quinn, and adapted to describe school organizations. This approach is used because this model of culture diagnostics is optimal for export evaluation and school consulting. There are 4 types of organizations, each of which has its own indicators for assessing the effectiveness of the organization. 1. Family (clan) culture type 2. Hierarchical culture type 3. Adhocracy culture type 4. Market culture type A family-type culture is characterized, on the one hand, by flexibility and individualism, on the other hand, by internal focus and integration. It is a friendly environment where people have a lot in common, the school resembles a large family, and the leaders are perceived as educators or parents. The organization is bound by tradition and loyalty, a high sense of obligation. The organization focuses on the long-term development of the individual, attaches great importance to the moral climate and cohesion, success is defined in terms of: caring for the person, good feelings among students. The organization encourages teamwork as much as possible. The characteristic features are: 1. High level of specialization, strict distribution of official responsibilities, raising the qualification of personnel. 2. Pyramidal structure of management, with a clearly developed hierarchy of authority and established boundaries of responsibility. All employees are accountable to their superiors. Georgian Scientists/ქართველი მეცნიერები ტ. 7 N 1, 2025 377 3. The existence of a system of rules and instructions that are rationally formulated and serve the purpose of achieving the goal. Instructions determine the coordination and uniformity of employees' actions. Unconditional relations with colleagues and customers, which protects the organization from "installation" and the penetration of privileges. In a school that develops in a hierarchical context, the administration, first of all, pays attention to procedures, rules and instructions, which are considered the main means of ensuring the educational process. Negative consequences: the creativity of employees may be suppressed, formalized behavior is developed that does not take into account the personal characteristics of students and colleagues, and in non-standard situations, which are common in school, there is no readiness for quick action. Adhocratic organizational culture is a dynamic and creative work environment. For the sake of common success, employees are ready to take risks and sacrifice their own interests. Leaders are characterized by innovation. This type of organization encourages personal initiative, creativity, and freedom. Success is important for this type of organization, which means the development of new unique products and services. Adhocratic structures are created on the basis of ideas that are sharply different from bureaucratic principles. Within the framework of an adhocratic organizational culture, several structures are distinguished, for example, a project structure. This is, as a rule, a temporary union of the most qualified employees of the organization for the purpose of successfully implementing a specific task. The main advantage of such a structure is that the best personnel are concentrated in one area, creating a team focused on achieving the goal. Market organizational culture - this type of culture began to develop very rapidly since the 60s of the 20th century. The main values of this culture are productivity and competitiveness, which are achieved primarily through increased attention to working with the individual. The following approaches are characteristic of this type of culture: the environment is considered as a challenge, the customer is interested in receiving quality service, the main goal of the organization is to be competitive and result- oriented. A school that develops within the framework of a market-type organizational culture is characterized by an aspiration to satisfy the needs of all groups on which the success of the school depends. The school administration takes care that students and their parents believe that they are studying in the best or very good institution. To establish and maintain such an image, the school actively participates in the development of various additional paid educational and upbringing education. The quality of such service is given great attention. Negative side - competition can penetrate the interpersonal sphere of students and teachers. The equivalent of school management is the management of its organizational culture. Two functions of organizational culture are distinguished: • Culture determines standard ways of solving problems; • Culture helps to reduce uncertainty when people encounter new situations. School culture is of fundamental importance to its leader, especially when different directions of development appear and when strategic changes become necessary and inevitable. Any leader who comes to an organization seeks to make changes, but he must know how to start the change process. In general, there are five levels of change, and each subsequent one requires the implementation of changes at the previous level: Georgian Scientists/ქართველი მეცნიერები ტ. 7 N 1, 2025 378 The first level – changing/improving the qualifications of a member or members of the school. This does not require much effort. We can send this person/people to qualification improvement courses or use the human resources available within the school for this. The second level – changing the procedures within the organization. Implementing such a change requires more effort until these procedures become “habitual” to the members of the organization. For example, professional development group meetings are scheduled on the last Friday of each month and everyone knows what task they have to perform for this meeting. The third level – changing the structure of the organization. This is a relatively difficult change to implement, related to the redistribution of functions and responsibilities, which can create discomfort among the members of the organization. It can also lead to changes in relationships in the organization, changes in the behavior of an individual member or members or groups. The fourth level – changing the strategic development of the organization. This is a change that requires the implementation of changes in all previous levels and that concerns each member of the organization. The fifth level is changing the organizational culture. This is the most difficult change, requiring a lot of time and energy. The establishment of a school culture focused on caring and support in public and private schools in Georgia is aimed at maintaining the conceptual integrity of the school, effective operation, and realization of the mission, which is based on the national goals of general education. References 1. Order of the Minister of Education of Georgia of 24.05.2016, on the Approval of the National Curriculum, [online], available at: https://matsne.gov.ge/ka/document/view/3285991?publication=0 (last accessed 07.05.23).William G. Ouchi,(1981), Theory Z:How American Business Can Meet the Japanese Challenge, 227 2. Thomas J. Sergiovani, School Leadership. Perspectives on the Thoughtful Application of Theoretical Knowledge in Practice, Sixth Edition, Ilia University, San Antonio, Texas, 506, [Online], Available at: https://library.iliauni.edu.ge/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/skolis- khelmdzghvaneloba.pdf, (last accessed 07.05.23). 3. Geert Hofstede and Geert Jan Hofstede (2011), Cultures and Organizations: The Software of the Mind, Ilia State University, Tbilisi, pp. 17-19 4. Berika Shukakidze, Nato Ingorokva, Manana Ratiani, Khatuna Barabadze, Ekaterine Kvirikashvili, Sopiko Lobzhanidze and Natia Natsvlishvili (2021), Modern School Management, National Center for Teacher Professional Development, Tbilisi, 308, [online], available at http://mastsavlebeli.ge/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Book-Tanamedrove-sklois-martva- web.pdf, (last accessed 07.05.23). Georgian Scientists/ქართველი მეცნიერები ტ. 7 N 1, 2025 379 სასკოლო კულტურის ფორმირების გამოწვევები და განვითარების გზები სოფიო მშვილდაძე აბსტრაქტი საქართველოს ზოგადსაგანმანათლებლო სისტემაში განათლების რეფორმების დაწყებიდან დღემდე უკვე მესამე თაობის ეროვნული სასწავლო გეგმა. ეროვნული სასწავლო გეგმა, რომელიც განათლების რეფორმის მიზნების მისაღწევად მთავარ ინსტრუმენტს წარმოადგენს, განსაზღვრავს სავალდებულო მოთხოვნებს სასკოლო საზოგადოების მიმართ 3 მიმართულებით: სწავლა-სწავლების პროცესის ორიენტირება მოსწავლის პიროვნულ განვითარებაზე; სასწავლო პროცესის დაფუძნება კონსტრუქტივისტულ საგანმანათლებლო პრინციპებზე; ზრუნვასა და მხარდაჭერაზე ორიენტირებული სასკოლო კულტურის ჩამოყალიბება. სკოლის ორგანიზაციული კულტურის თავისებურებებისა და ქცევის შესწავლას ტრადიციულად მნიშვნელოვანი ადგილი უჭირავს უცხოურ კვლევებში, რომელიც ეხება სკოლის მართვის სფეროს, თუმცა ქართულ სამეცნიერო პრაქტიკაში ეს პრობლემა ფაქტიურად არ არის დამუშავებული. კვლევის მიზანს წარმოადგენს საქართველოს საჯარო და კერძო სკოლებში სკოლის ორგანიზაციული კულტურის შესწავლა, ანალიზი და ზრუნვასა და მხარდაჭერაზე ორიენტირებული სასკოლო კულტურის ჩამოყალიბების საფუძვლების შემუშავება, რაც მიმართულია სკოლის კონცეპტუალურ მთლიანობის შენარჩუნებაზე, ეფექტურ მუშაობასა და მისიის რეალიზებაზე, რომელიც ეფუძნება ზოგადი განათლების ეროვნულ მიზნებს. სტატიაში განხილულია ორგანიზაციული კულტურის არსი, საქართველოს სკოლებში მისი ხილული გამოვლინებები, ორგანიზაციული კულტურის ტიპოლოგიზაცია, რისი ცოდნა მნიშვნელოვანია როგორც სკოლის ხელმძღვანელის, ისე პედაგოგიური კოლექტივისთვის, ასევე, ხელს შეუწყობს იმის განსაზღვრას, რა არის დასაშვები და რა დაუშვებელი ამა თუ იმ კულტურის ფარგლებში.