West Chester Private School Case Study PDF

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West Chester Private School Case Study

Aldijana Sutkovic Colangelo College of Business, Grand Canyon University MGT-420: Organizational Behavior and Management Dr. Marnie Davis

2 West Chester Private School

The modern world is characterized by an informational environment that is both ambiguous and constantly changing. According to Xuana et al. (2019), this fact explains why most administrators are not well-versed in the concept of highly uncertain futures. It is true that in social organizations like schools, relationships and events are not preset. Traditional techniques for determining and exposing problems and possibilities in today's school environments are ineffective because of the many connections and options available. Information can be exchanged with the outside world in an open system. In an open system, the organization cannot govern its behavior without consulting the external world. Environmental variables, such as raw material availability, customer demand, and local and federal legislation, are just a few of the things that affect a business (Xuana et al., 2019). This means that we need to know how the forces listed above affect an organization's internal behavior to understand it. Hierarchical ordering is the most typical feature of open systems. For example, the following can be said concerning the West Chester Private School's (WCPS) open system while it was closed. West Chester Private School's contact with the outside world as an open system was weak and unsuccessful during the closure of two of its Phoenix campuses. The school's abrupt closure was due to the lack of advance notice given to parents by the school officials (Case study Resource, n.d). Some of the parents grumbled because they had not planned to attend new schools. Even if the problem stems from a lack of money, they asked the school to raise the tuition rate. In addition, the management had

3 already intended to eliminate some Phoenix campuses due to poor student enrollment, but they provided parents hope that their educational programs would proceed as scheduled despite their plans. The parents held them in high regard and relied on the institution for reliable information; therefore, it was a mistake on their behalf. The school's leadership anticipated the parents' indignation and, as a result, refused to acknowledge the fundamental cause of the school's premature closure (Case study Resource, n.d). As a result, the school's leadership lacked an effective means of communicating with the outside world. The key to timely communication was the lack of a permeable barrier between the school staff and the parents. In the same way, the administration was unable to maintain school activities due to a lack of cooperation between parents and the school's administration. As Xuana et al. (2019) explain, complex adaptive systems, on the other hand, cannot be fully understood by focusing only on a single property of the system. If you have a good grasp of one component of an organization, it does not mean you have a good grasp of the entire organization's behavior. It is important to use a multidisciplinary approach when looking at a complex adaptive system because it allows for the inclusion of different system-level models and insights, allowing for potential phase transitions and unexpected behaviors to emerge. People, groups, and linkages abound in complex adaptive systems, and these are rarely oriented in a single direction. As a result, even a small shift in one part of the system can significantly impact the entire system. Complex adaptive systems can be described as follows for Western Chester Private Schools. According to the Case Study Resource (n.d), because the WCPS's system was subject to various changes just before its closure, it was a complicated adaptive system

4 that had to adjust to the changing times. To begin with, WCPS ran into roadblocks when trying to grow into Southern California with the help of regulatory authorities within the state government. The administration was focused on expanding its scope, but it ignored the importance of developing a system that would facilitate virtual learning. Second, despite the administration’s best efforts, it was clear that the organization was in financial trouble due to the low level of student participation. Independent Charter Schools opened two high-profile institutions in the early months of 2019 near the WCPS schools in danger of closure. Even though the WCPS leadership was aware of the upcoming competition from the charter school, no preparations were made to ensure that the district remained relevant and competitive. When faced with a rapidly-shifting environment, the WCPS proved its incapability. While many schools were forced to turn to remote learning during the Covid-19 pandemic, pupils needed access to stable internet and a workstation capable of supporting virtual learning. Due to a lack of basic online training for teachers during the pandemic, WCPS's waves were more pronounced. The professors' inability to adapt to ERT (emergency remote teaching) exacerbated the institution's problems (Case study Resource, n.d). It was only possible for the teachers who were already familiar with using virtual educational technology to continue with the virtual training that could do so. Therefore, it is correct to claim that the school's complex adaptive system was unsuccessful. A person can use two distinct phenomena, the organization's culture and climate to characterize their experiences at work. In the context of an organization, organizational climate refers to how people in the organization perceive the procedures, practices, and policies they interact with on a day-to-day basis (Chai et al., 2021).

5 Similarly, an organization's environment can be defined as the recognized behavior that merits praise and encouragement from upper management. On the other hand, organizational culture is the set of shared fundamental assumptions, attitudes, and values that every firm instills in its new hires. The stories and mythology people tell about how employees carry out their duties in an organization are a means through which the organization’s culture is transmitted. Before the school was shut down, the climate at WCPS was not favorable to productive work. All of the children, parents, and administrators at the school were in disbelief at the news. Managers may have failed to adequately prepare them for the impending closure, therefore the surprise. For example, the principal of the North Phoenix campus received word a few days before classes resumed in December 2019 that the school would close after the semester and just two campuses would stay open. A lack of suitable internal communication channels or regulations suggests that the school could not effectively communicate critical choices before they were communicated to external stakeholders. Schools were unexpectedly closed by the WCPS management without any discussion with other staff members, and the action did not go over well. Even though they were in the thick of a pandemic, the employees lost their jobs with no prior psychological help (Case study Resource, n.d). The WCPS was in flagrant violation of statutory requirements that it has policies and processes in place to guide it when it comes to dismissing personnel. A lack of an effective communication culture in the West Chester Private schools made consensus-building among all parties involved in assessing circumstances and making informed decisions

6 challenging. Because of this, the conclusion that the WCPS atmosphere and culture were unpleasant and ineffectual is correct. Dr. Murphy and Educations Management Services (EMS) chose to close the institution despite the difficult economic times caused by the covid-19 pandemic, which led to the closure of enterprises and harsh financial times for all citizens. Before the pandemic, the school had established a stellar reputation in finances and student enrollment, which prompted the opening of five other schools in Phoenix. When the WCPS successfully launched the International Baccalaureate Program (IBP) in 2019 and made great progress, parents and stakeholders hope that the school was doing well. They did not foresee the unexpected closure. Parents were eager to pay an extra tuition fee to help the school run smoothly when Murphy announced the school's closing at the annual parents and instructors meeting, but the manager was not (Case study Resource, n.d). Even while the Charter School was a significant threat, it did not necessitate a shutdown; there were alternative options for dealing with the competition. Increased school advertising, searching for entities to finance the services, and bettering administrations and management operations were possible solutions. Combined with the fact that the school has a lengthy history and has overcome previous obstacles, the efforts outlined above were vital to remain competitive. By virtue of the school's reputation for providing superior instruction, the WCPS was justified in being wary of newcomers. Murphy and the EMS made the wrong decision because the school had all the tools to stay relevant and restore its place in the community. One of the remaining two branches was tarnished by the decision. The administration's closing can be handled in various ways by the organization.

7 The organization should have adopted weber's Bureaucracy in accordance with classical theory. The board of directors and executives set the organization's goals in this top-to-bottom hierarchical arrangement. Mid-level managers set organizational goals while lower-level employees train and resolve issues. As Chai et al. (2021) explain, the organization's structure establishes a clear chain of command and guarantees that each employer fulfills its responsibilities. Therefore, a human relations perspective should have been used to examine Maslow's hierarchy of demands. Students, parents, and faculty had faith in the school to meet their requirements; therefore, its closing came as a shocking surprise. Consider all parties' psychological needs and communicate in time for a smooth transition using Maslow's theory by the school. This organization's immediate goals include taking back the land it has lost and establishing new name recognition in the neighborhood. Because of its sudden closing, the school has painted a skewed picture of itself that needs to be fixed. The long-term goal should be to reestablish academic quality at the school, reopen the branches, and reopen students' doors. EMS must enhance the effectiveness of the school management, according to Dr. Murphy and his team. To avoid the mistakes of the past, they should devise strategies for setting long-term and short-term goals and policies to achieve them. The director should lead the other employees in achieving the new organization's objectives and guide the resources needed to accomplish the goals.

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References Chai, J., Weng, Z., & Liu, W. (2021). Behavioral Decision Making in Normative and Descriptive Views: A Critical Review of Literature. J. Risk Financial Manag, 14 (490). West Chester Private School Case Study-Case Study Resource: Grand Canyon University

9 Xuana, V., Thua, N., & Anh, N. (2019). Factors affecting the business performance of enterprises: Evidence at Vietnam small and medium-sized enterprises. Management Science Letters, 10 (2020), p. 865–870...