Where is Your School in the Organizational Life Cycle- Why Does it Matter

By Dr. Barrett Mosbacker

October 24, 2009

Schools are organic and dynamic, not static. Like the human body, schools go through a lifecycle of change and stages of development. Although most schools follow a predictable cycle, that cycle is not inevitable.

Below are typical organizational stages, summarized and adapted from research on the topic. The final stage (renewing) is not developed here.

Understanding where your school falls in the organizational lifecycle will help you identify the issues you are facing and adapt your leadership accordingly.

Birth and Infant Stage

• Characterized by a strong entrepreneurial visionary leader or small founding group
• Requires a leader who can sustain a high degree of commitment
• The leader or founding group must maintain control and have significant input into the infant school; hands-on leadership with little or no delegation is normal at this stage
• Staff are visionary and pioneering, characterized by strong belief, hard work, and high morale
• Tendency to adopt a particular school of thought or philosophy of education, instruction, or curriculum
• School structure is minimal and informal
• Systems are still developing
• Policies are minimal; roles are ill-defined, or policies are well written but poorly followed
• Board or committee micro-management of administrative functions is common, usually out of necessity
• Change can be quick and relatively easy
• Resources are limited
• Potential for rapid growth
• The school is establishing its reputation and market presence

Adolescent Growth Stage

• Beliefs, values, goals, structure, and actions become more formalized
• Staff are added as the school grows
• Delegation is increasing
• The challenges of growth are being confronted: facilities, resources, programs, personnel, school structure, and board-administrator roles and relationships
• The original feel of the small infant school gives way to the characteristics of a larger, maturing institution; this can shift the clientele and prompt complaints that “we have abandoned our mission” or “we are becoming something we never intended to be”
• As structures mature, the board grapples with its role relative to a changing school, added staff, and developing administration
• The school faces the danger of growing too fast, with vision outpacing current or projected resources, financial and physical alike — adding a high school too quickly is a common example
• Conflict and inconsistency become more evident as stakeholders multiply and the original founders find their vision and values stretched; confusion over roles and responsibilities fuels further conflict; leadership must learn to share control and delegate responsibility with commensurate authority
• Serious problems arise when conflict erodes mutual respect and trust among those charged with decision-making, shifting focus from strategic development to technicalities, legal questions, and procedural disputes

Maturing Stage

• The school enjoys high visibility and a strong, shared sense of purpose that continues to energize leadership
• Leadership knows what it is doing, where it is going, and how to get there
• Plans are made and followed through
• Structures and policies have matured but continue to develop
• Bureaucracy and systems are increasing; not all bureaucracy is harmful, and the distinction between good and bad bureaucracy matters here
• Leaders must maintain the delicate balance between creating and managing; it is easy during this stage to do what is customary while forgetting why — a method can become more important than the mission
• Staff specialization is increasing, as are the quality of programs
• Emphasis shifts from start-up training to high standards of excellence
• Expectations for teachers and staff are rising
• School quality is growing, with clear evidence of excellence
• The school is confident, secure, and morale is high

Aging Stage

• The aging stage is characterized by a decline in stakeholders’ understanding of and commitment to the school’s purpose; newer parents and staff may lack a sense of ownership, assuming others are responsible, and involvement declines accordingly
• As the aging stage progresses, the school moves from nostalgia to questioning; in the nostalgia phase, the community reflects on and longs for a comfortable past — the signs are familiar: “I remember when,” “We cannot do that,” “We tried that and it did not work”
• In the questioning phase, stakeholders initially question privately, then more openly in groups; at this point the school either redefines itself and is revitalized by its founding dream, or decline sets in
• Expectations for growth are lowered; interest in new methods is minimal; the focus shifts from future vision to past achievement, and emphasis falls on how things are done rather than what and why
• Procedures and policies are maintained even when they are no longer relevant
• Changes are met with suspicion and increasing resistance; proposals for change diminish, and anything that departs radically from the status quo or threatens the peace is not seriously considered

The Dying Stage

• This stage is characterized by the total loss of purpose and hope; the mission is no longer understood; as questioning and polarization intensify, the focus shifts to who caused the problem rather than what to do about it
• Conflict, backstabbing, and infighting are prevalent
• Attention turns inward to turf wars; newcomers, especially those with vision or a willingness to challenge conventional wisdom, are seen as a nuisance or a threat, or are simply ignored
• Programs are eliminated due to lack of interest and participation; volunteers are scarce, with roughly ten percent of stakeholders carrying ninety percent of the load
• Programs and structures are cut for lack of funds and involvement; preservation and survival become the primary goals
• Although traditions, practices, and procedures remain, they do little to serve people or advance the mission
• Change is nearly impossible; excuses and rationalizations multiply
• The prospect of dying is frightening, but changing is more so; any suggested change tends to fuel polarization further
• There is widespread confusion between principled conviction and personal preference
• Morale reaches a deep low; few retain any sense of hope or optimism; everyone believes the problem belongs to someone else
• Leadership is frustrated to the point of despair, unsure how to arrest the decline or the infighting; the leader is frequently perceived as the problem, whether or not that is true; visionary, creative, and assertive leaders are unlikely to survive long in this environment
• A passive, maintenance-oriented leader may keep the patient comfortable while the decline continues

Where is your school in the organizational lifecycle? Are you adjusting your leadership to ensure that your school navigates each stage successfully and continues to have a lasting impact?