' - THEPRINCIPAL'S DIVERGENTTHI‘NKINGV: ABM” 'N »“”TERPER30NAL 'RELATIONSHIPSEJTS -i_ 5 - - .T'IV‘W . .RELATEDNESS To THE ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE “j. . A . ¢ g . 5 OF SELECTED HIGH scHooLs ¥ X _* .Thesisfforthe Degree“of"'"-Ph. D. " D‘ - MICHIGANSTATE UNIVERSITY -_ CHESLEY LEON HARGRAVE 1 . 1959 * ' THESIS 0-169 Date .EQ'VT'W "" " '79:? £5.18 RA}? 1-" Michigan Star University JIM/1WWWII/INIWIHWIH Iflflfllflliflll [V 59330 This is to certify that the thesis entitled THE PRINCIPAL'S DIVERGENT THINKING E ABILITY IN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS: ITS RELATEDNESS TO THE ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE OF SELECTED HIGH SCHOOLS presented by Chesley Leon Hargrave has been accepted towards fulfillment of the requirements for Eb . [2 degree in Wicn ) , , I g _/ , 2y“ 4 ,/ , /,.L/gi . I J 15/»;/L‘ Z ‘14,) I1- - . Iv LL“ . Ll, Major professor November 4, 1969 x do N H VVVV The leaders were rated by their trainees, their sergeant, the platoon leader, and a standardized leader reaction test. An accuracy score was the correct number of answers each leader gave about his trainees. The leaders 5{‘J. R. Davitz, The Communication of Emotional Meaning (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1964), quoted in Michael Argyle, The Psychology of Integpersonal Behavior (Baltimore: Penguin Books 1967). p. 103. 57Robert D. Mann, "A Review of the Relationships Be- tween Personality and Performance in Small Groups," quoted in Bernard M. Bass, Le dershi Ps chol a d Or aniza- tional Behavior (New York: Harper and Brothers, 19605, Pp. 169‘1700 36 with the highest accuracy scores also received the best leader total scores from'the four sources of ratings.58 Again supporting the idea that sensitivity is a general rather than a specific ability. It is not difficult to find studies which conclude that the best leaders do not necessafily now the most about the attitudes and personal lives of those they lead. However, most of these studies can be justly criticized for deficient methodology and the COnfound- ing of variables. ' . In a well designed and controlled study by Johnson similar conclusions to those of Showel's were reached. He used a measure of general sterotype accuracy and a measure of constructive leadership attitudes. He res lated the scores on these two scales of over one hun- dred men to a wide variety of demographic data, person- ality, and aptitude measures. High scorers were some- what more intelligent, older, better listeners, and more open-minded. However, he found the largest dif- ference was in leadership attitudes. He concluded that those most considerate and most concerned about effective group organization are best informed about the interests of these groups.59 58Sm1th, op, cit., p. 116. sgsmith, oE, cit., pp. 139-140. 37 In summary, section I of this review of the litera- ture was concerned with studies and related ideas of organizational climate. There is general agreement that the interaction between individuals and groups within an organization does result in something called "climate.P The point is made that this "climate" does have an impact upon all members of the organization. The idea that "climate" has measurable dimensions is presented. Much of this section is devoted to a review of Halpin and Croft's pioneer efforts in developing the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire for measuring eight dimensions of school climates. Section 11 deals with the interrelated questions of: (1) What makes an effective leader? and (2) Is the leader's behavior determined primarily by his own per- sonal attributes or is it determined primarily by the situation? This review points to the position that leader-behavior is a function of the interaction between the personal attributes of the leader and the demand characteristics of the situation. Finally, in section III a review of literature on "sensitivity to others" and its relevance for leadership is presented. This section supports two assumptions: (1) that "sensitivity to others" is positively related to leader effectiveness and (2) that "sensitivity to others" is a general ability. 3? Section III is the most directly relevant section of this review to the major concern of this study. Essen- tially, this concern can be stated in question form as follows: Is phe ppipgipal'a ability to produce pr generate st te_e d i er e '0 about inter er 0 a1 behav- ior me sured e cil d aper test related to the organizational climate of the school in which he is principal? CHAPTER III RESEARCH PROCEDURES Introduction , There were three specific tasks necessary in carrying 3 out this study: 1. Measure the organizational climate of the school. L. Measure the principal's ability to interpret in— terpersonal relationships. 3. Collect selected biographical data in regard to the principal and the staff. Population A population of twentyéfour (24) high schools roughly distributed according to population centers were selected to participate in the study. Only two schools whose par- ticipation was requested refused to participate. The cri- teria for the selection of participating schools were: 1. High schools enrolling students in at least three grades of 9 through 12. 2. High schools with enrollments between 600 and 2,000 students. 3. Administered by a full time principal who had served in his present position for at least the ,last three years. (This criterion wasn't applied to two new schools.) 4. Only schools of Michigan's lower penninsula were selected. Ulla: -IJ] . bliuf. I.. I I'll ‘ . «138 all. din-Juli? . 40 The rationale for selecting schools with enrollments between 600 and 2,000 was that most of the high schools in Michigan's lower penninsula have enrollments between these figures. "Inner-city" schools were not selected to avoid going through various authority levels of larger city sys- tems for permission to include those schools in the study. Selected schools were primarily located in surburban neigh- borhoods near large metropolitan centers. Sociologically, they would fall into lower-middle and middle class family categories. There were no "very wealthy" nor "very poor" schools in the sample. Twenty-four principals and a one-fourth sample of 1188 teachers participated in this study. All principals were white males with a median age of 46 years ranking from 35 to 59 years of age. Additional biographical data on the principals can be found in Table It on page 41, I. METHODOLOGY OF THE STUDY The Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire was handed to each teacher individually along with a form letter and an addressed, stamped envelope to be completed in privacy and mailed directly to the researcher. A copy of this letter can be found in the Appendix. This approachwas used for three reasons: (1) the questionnaire was completed within the last three weeks of 41 TABLE I ‘ BIOGRAPHICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PARTICIPATING PRINCIPALS IN THIS STUDY tale Female la. Sex QO—Z9i30-39I40-49]50-59160 or over? lb. Age T 5 I 6 I 0 i Bachelor[4r M.A. Ed. Ph.D. or ; lc. Educational Degree M.A. plus Spec. Ed.D. 1 Level A] 2 16 5 l E ld. Number of Years h-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20-24L25-29 30 on in Present Lv overI Position 19 9 2 2 l I 0 l ! le. Total Number of 9-4 5-9 10-14 15-19 20—24 25-29 30 or Years as a over‘ Principal S 5 6 4 2 0 ‘ 42 the school year making total faculty participation diffi- cult, (2) the total number of teachers represented (1198) would have increased the expense significantly, and (3) this procedure insured a hiph degree of confidentiality to the participants. A follow-up letter was sent to every participant in schools where 90 percent of the questionnaires were not re- turned within two weeks after the close of school. This procedure was necessary since teachers were asked not to sign the questionnaire. A copy of this letter can be found in the Appendix. Table II shows the percentage of com- pleted questionnaires returned for each school.(see p. 43) The instrument for the principal was administered per— sonally by the researcher within one month after the close of the school year. The instructions printed on the front of each test for administering the instruments were fol- lowed exactly. II. INSTRUMEETATION The Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ) was used to measure the organizational climate of the schools participating in this study. This instrument was developed by Andrew W. Haplin and Don B. Croft for use in identifying and describing organizational climate dim- ensions of elementary schools. The questionnaire contains sixty-four items. These items consist of brief statements TABLE II PERCENTAGE OF TEACHERS COMPLETING THE OCDQ School ‘*No. of Teachers No. of Teachers Percentage No. Asked to Com- Who Completed plete OCDQ the OCDQ l l4 14 100 2 6 6 100 3 15 15 100 4 15 13 87 5. 10 9 90 6 18 14 79 7 15 12 80 8 15 14 93 9 15 13 P7 10 16 15 94 ll 10 9 9O 12 15 13 P7 13 15 13 87 14 9 9 PP 15 12 10 93 16 10 8 90 17 10 8 80 18 15 12 90 19 13 11 P4 20 12 11 92 21 16 13 81 22 28 21 74 23 23 20 P7 24 20 14 70 347 296 Percent of teachers completing the OCDQ = 85 *Each number in this column equals one-fourth of that, school's total classroom teachers. 44 of situations involving interpersonal behavior and role performance of teachers and principals. Teachers are asked to decide how typical the described behavior is of his principal, fellow teachers, or his school in general. The responses are grouped for scoring into eight categories, each measuring one of the eight dimensions of organizational climate. Four of these dimensions (Disengagement, Hind- rance, Esprit, and Intimacy) describe behavior of teachers and four (Aloofness, Production-Emphasis, Thrust and Con-' sideration) describe the principal's behavior. The various dimensions of the OCDQ are described in greater detail in Chapter II. A copy of the instrument can be seen in the Appendix. Although the OCDQ was originally designed for use with elementary schools it has proven useful andapplicable in studying the organizational climate of high schools. Some studies using the OCDQ with high schools have been reviewed in Chapter II. Permission to use the OCDQ was granted by Mr. Harry Cloudman of the MacMillan Company of New York. Scoring of the instrument was done by the New Mexico Testing Services, Inc., Las Cruces, New Mexico. The Behaviorsl-Divergent-Production Test (BDPT) was used to measure the principal's ability to produce or gen- erate statements and interpretations about.both verbal and non-verbal behavior. The BDPT's are factor analytically 45 developed tests. According to the authors, J. P. Guilford, Moana Hendricks, and Ralph Heopfner, they are designed to measure items of information or mental con- structs used by the individual in dealing with interper- 1 sonal relationships. These mental constructs are said to be in an operational category known as "divergent produc- tion" of which there are six kinds of items of information or ”products.? These six "products," which have their theoretical basis in Guilford's structure—of—intellect model, are: units, classes, relations, systems, trans- airs: A - «.55.. t...-.r formations, and implications.60 Guilford's research in- dicates that these "products" are basic elements of flex- ibility necessary in solving social problems involving interpersonal relationships.61 . The DBPT's are classified as "experimental" tests since they are so new that there has not been time to validate them through empirical investigations. However, Guilford says that for the most part the factor analytical studies show these instruments to be measuring what they are theoretically supposed to measure. Thus confirming their construct validity through factor analysis.62 6OJ. P. Guilford, The Nature of Human Intelligence (New York: McGraw-Hill Book Co., 1967 . 61J. P. Guilford, Moana Hendricks. and Ralph Hoepfner, "Solving Social Problems Creatively," Journal of Creative ' Behavior, Vol. 2, No. 3 (Summer 1968), pp. 155-158. 62Personal communication (July 1969) from J. P. Guilford. 46 The test battery, as used in this study, consists of five individual factor tests with an average reliability coefficient of .77. Intercorrelations of the individual tests that make up this test battery are presented in Table III. The relatively low intercorrelations of in- dividual tests and the relatively high correlations of each with the composite score supports Guilford's factor analytical findings for these tests. His findings indicate that each test does measure a different, but related factor of one's ability to cope with interpersonal relationships. There is no reliability coefficient available for the .composite score of the Behavioral-Divergent-Production Tests used in this study. Due to the type of responses required on these tests the split-half method of obtaining a reli- ability cOefficient is not possible. The tests were scored accordinz to the instructions furnished by the Aptitudes Project Director. The scorer was supervised by this writer. The respondents were iden- tified by number only on the test making it impossible for the scorer to identify the person whose test was being scored. Permission to use these tests was granted by the Ap- titudes Project at the University of Southern California. J. P. Guilford is Project Director and Ralph Hoepfner is Co-Director. 47 TABLE III CORRELATIONAL DATA ON BEHAVIORAL—DIVERGENT-PRODUCTION TESTS Individual Intercorrelations Reported Tests 1 2 - 4 5 Reliability l. Varied Emotional --- Relations .64 2. Expressinp Mixed Emotions .36 --- .78 3. Multiple Social Problems .43 .50 .78 4. Alternate Picture Meaninss .51 .41 .59 .97 5. Creating Social . Situations .40 .43 .59 .57 .79 Total Battery I71 .63 .80 .86 075 "- Note: Raw scores from which these intercorrelations were derived can be found in the appendix. 48 III. TECHNIQUE ‘The OCDQ responses were tabulated into climate simi- larity and climate profile scores at the New Mexico Testing Services, Inc., Las Cruces, New Mexico. A summary of the scores provided by this scoring service can be found in Tables VIII and IX in the Appendix. The BDPT data obtained for each principal was pro- gramed through the Computer Center at Michigan State University. A mean and standard deviation were calculated for the total distribution of principal test scores. The following data were key-punched for each school in this study: 1. Organizational Climate a. The six OCDQ Climate Similarity Scores. b. The eight OCDQ Climate Profile Subtest Scores. N . Principal a. Each principal's score on the BDPT. b. Each principal's age, educational status, years in present DOSition, and total years as a principal. U.) . Teacher 2. Ages of all members of each school's teaching faculty. The Pearson product-moment correlation statistical procedure was computed measuring the relationship between these variables. The results of these relationships and their significance for each hypothesis tested in this study are discussed in detail in Chapter IV. CHAPTER IV ANALYSIS OF THE DATA Introduction The statistical analyses of all data for this study were done at the Computer Center at Vichigan State University. The Pearson product-moment correlation tech- nique was used in analyzing all data. The correlations of variables related directly to the testing of the hypotheses of the study are presented in table form as each hypothesis is discussed in this chapter. 1. ANALYSIS OF THE DATA Hypothesis one: There is no significant relationship between the principal's divergent thinking in interpersonal relationships, as measured by the Behavioral-Diver- gent-Production Tests, and the type of organizational climate of the school as measured by the OCDQ. The theoretical basis for hypothesis one can be stated as---the more divergent or flexible a person is in his ability to make accurate interpretations of interper- sonal behavior the greater is his potential for coping with more "open" communication systems. FrOm this theo— retical proposition it should follow that principals with greater potential for coping with more "open" communication 49 50 systems will tend to be associated with more "open" rather than more "closed" organizational climates. The relationships between the Behavioral-Divergent— Production Tests and the various types of organizational climates are presented in Table IV. In studying Table IV we see that none of the correlations reach the 5 percent level of significance. On the basis of this information Null hypothesis number one is accepted. However, careful examination of the correlations for each type of climate in Table IV indicates that "open" climate certainly approaches the 5 percent level of signi- ficance, receiving a correlation of .35 when a correlation of .40 is required for significance. Further, it can be noted that all correlations, except for "controlled" cli- mate, are in the expected theoretical direction. These re- lationships are interesting due to the fact that none of the schools in this study was found to have either "open," "autonomous," or "controlled" climates while sixteen schools were found to have "closed" climates. For further information on climates found in these schools see Table VIII in the Appendix. Also, raw scores for the Behavioral- Divergent-Production Tests can be found in Table X in the Appendix. Hypothesis two: There is no significant relationship between the principal's divergent thinking in interpersonal rela- tionships, as measured by the Behavioral-Divergent- 51 TABLE IV CORRELATIONS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE WITH BEHAVIORAL- DIVERGENT-PRODUCTION TEST SCORES —_' Organizational Behavioral-Divergent-Production Tests Climates Open -.36 Autonomous -.21 Controlled ’ .16 Familiar -.17 Paternal .01 Closed ' .19 Organizational Climate Scores are weighted negatively. Thus, correlations with negative signs are to be inter- preted as positive and correlations with positive signs are to be interpreted as negative. Correlations for principal age is based on an N of 24 which requires a correlation of .40 to reach the 5 percent level of significance. 52 Production Tests, and the total number of years he has been a principal. ' The theoretical basis for hypothesis number two de- rives from the proposition that---principals continue to develop their ability to interpret and understand intere personal relationships with successive years of experience as a principal. Item 5d in Table V indicates a non-significant nega- tive correlation of -.11 between the total number of years one has been a principal and his score on the BDP Tests. Related item 5c shows a non-significant correlation of -.20 between years in present position and attained score on the BDP Tests. This finding lends further support to the prop- osition that no relationship exists between years of exper- ience as a principal and the ability to interpret and un— derstand interpersonal relationships. Item 5b in Table V indicates a highly significant negative relationship of -.60 between the principal's age and educational level (defined as graduate credit earned). Item 5a in the same table indicates that a significant positive relationship exists between the principal's edu- cational level and BDP Test score. Also a negative rela- tionship of -.36, which almost reachesthe required level of significance, between age and the BDP Test is shown in Table V. Summarizing the findings from Table V, we see when contrasted with the younger principal 53 TABLE V CORRELATIONS OF BEHAVIORAL-DIVERGENT-PRODUCTION TESTS WITH SELECTED BIOGRAPHICAL DATA OF PRINCIPALS Biographical Data of Principals Educational Level BDP Tests 5a. Educational Level --- ,47s 5b. Age ...607'c _.36 5c. Years in Present Position -.40* -.20 5d. Total Years as Principal n41"r -.ll The correlations in Table V are based on an N of 24. correlation of .40 is required for the 5 percent level of significance. 7"Indicates at least 5 percent level of significance. A 54 the older principal is likely to: (1) have been a prin- cipal longer,(2) have earned fewer hours of graduate credit, and (3) have achieved a lower score on the BDP Tests. A definite trend can be seen when all relationships in Table V are considered together. This trend suggests that a negative relationship may exist between length of experience as a principal and the ability to understand and Ainterpret interpersonal behavior. 0n the basis of the relationships presented above Null hypothesis number two is accepted. ‘ HypotheSis three: 7There is no significant relationship between the‘ principal's divergent thinking in interpersonal rela- tionships, as measured by the Behaviorsl-Divergent-Pro- . duction Test, and the amount of graduated credit earned. Intelligence test results have consistently shown sig-{ nificant gains in test scores associated with continuation of formal schooling. Studies of high school and college students, after an interval of one to four years, when re- tested typically show significant gains in I. Q. scores. Students with very high or very lOW’I. Q.'s do not show such gains. An investigation of Table I (p. 41) reveals that the subjects in this study are mostly at.the same educational level. These principals are much older than the high I . 6?Frank S. Freeman, Theory and Practice oijsycho- ‘ lggic%l Testing (New York: Henry Holt and Company. 19 0), 55 school and college students in the studies mentioned above (median age of 46 years) and are well beyond the grade level range where gains on ability tests are likely. Therefore, the relationship between these tests of social intelligence (BDPT's) and graduate credit earned was antici- pated to be non-significant. ' Item 5a in Table V indicates that a positive correla- tion of .47 was found between the educational level and the BDP Tests results of the principals in this study. This correlation is significant well beyond the 5 percent level. This finding is interesting because the equality of educational level of these principals, as mentioned above, prevents using differences in educational level to account for this relationship. Data on the kinds of training or educational experiences, such as Sensitivity Training. psychotherapy, or academic course work which these princi- pals have been exposed to was not available. Therefore, any attempt to establish a cause and effect explanation of this finding would be merely conjecture. On the basis of this relationship Null hypothesis number three is untenable and must be rejected. Hypothesis four: There is no significant relationship between the ”openness" of the organizational climate of the school, as measured by the OCDQ, and the age of the faculty. Studies have consistently demonstrated that the fac- ulty as well as the administration have some influence in 56 determining the organizational climate of the school. For example, the emotional adjustment of teachers has long been recognized as having an important influence upon the learning climate within the classroom. In a recent study of elementary schools Cook found age of the faculty to be a significant factor in determining school climate.6S Present tenure laws and other factors tend to remove the variable of faculty age from administrative control ex- cept in the case of initial employment. Therefore, infor- mation on such an uncontrollable variable would be invalu- able to those attempting to change the high school climate. Thus, the basis for including hypothesis four in this in- vestigation. Correlations between organizational climate and fac- -ulty age are presented in Table VI. A perusal of this table indicates that none of the six types of organizational climates yielded a significant correlation with age of the faculty. This same statement holds true for the age of the principal as can be noted in the same table. This relationship is interesting in view of the dif- ferences in average age (approxiamately 10 years.) of the faculties in this study. (See Table VII in the Appendix 64Ha1pin. op. cit. 65Cook, op, cit. 57 TABLE VI CORRELATIONS BETWEEN ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE AND AGE OF FACULTY AND PRINCIPAL m w-nr-wtxco. '91,. (‘1... -¢ aplk 6.; .4...“ ,- n‘ 0—. ‘47 O Organizational Climates Faculty Age. Principal Age Open -.ll .13~ Autonomous -.06 -.03 Controlled .Ol -.14 Familiar -.08 .03 Paternal .23 .28 Closed “.13 .03 Note: A non-significant correlation of .26 between faculty and principal age was found in this study. Organizational Climate Scores are weighted negatively. Thus, correlations with negative signs are to be inter- preted as positive and correlations with positive signs are to be interpreted as negative. Correlations for faculty age in this table are based on an N of 19 and a correlation of .45 is required to reach the 5 percent level of significance. Correlations for principal age is based on an N of 24 which requires a correlation of .40 to reach the 5 per- cent level of significance. 58 for more information on the average age of the partici- pating faculties) This finding is in conflict with Cook's finding re- viewed on page 26 in this study. He used the OCDQ in a study of 20 elementary schools in New Jersey and found a significant relationship between faculty age and school climate. From this study he concluded that older, more stable, and the very young faculty members, with limited family responsibilities tend to be associated with more "open" climates. Faculty members between 30 and 40 years of age, with mortgages and family responsibilities tended to be associated with "closed" climates.66 On the basis of the relationships between faculty age and organizational climate Null hypothesis number four is accepted. In summary, four Null hypotheses were tested and re- ported on in this chapter. Three of these hypotheses were concerned with the relationship between the principal's measured ability to cope with interpersonal relationships and the school climate; the total number of years he had been a principal; and the educational level attained by the principal. The fourth hypothesis focused on the relation- ship of faculty age to the organizational climate of the school. 66Cook, op. cit. 59 Only one of the Null hypotheses was rejected. A significant relationship was found between the educational level of the principal and his score on a measure of ability to understand interpersonal relationships. CHAPTER V SUMMARY, FINDINGS, CONCLUSIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS Introduction This chapter extracts from the preceding chapters the central ideas and elements of the study. A summary of the study design, the findings, and data upon which these find- ings are based is presented. Finally, some conclusions and recommendations will be noted. Summarv This investigation was designed to assess the relation- ship between the organizational climate of the high school and the principal's understanding of interpersonal relation- ships. A total of 24 experienced principals participated in the study. A Halpin and Croft's Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire (OCDQ) was used to measure the organizational climate. This instrument delineates six climate types along an "open-closed" continuum. These climates desig- nated (Open, Autonomous, Controlled, Familiar, Paternal, and Closed) were determined by the responses of classroom teachers in each high school. The principal's understanding of interpersonal 60 61 relationships was measured with some recently developed tests called Behavioral-Divergent-Production Tests. These tests are designed to measure some of the abilities neces- sary for interpreting mental and physical attitudinal states in other persons. A review of the literature on leadership, organiza- tional climate, and sensitivity to others emphasized the following points: 1. Leadership is an important factor in determining the climate of an organization. 2. Leader-behavior is a function of the interaction between the personal attributes of the leader and the demand characteristics of the situation. 3. Climate has an impact upon all members of an organization. 4. Climate is the result of interaction between in- dividuals and groups both within and outside an organization. 5. Sensitivity to others is a general ability that is positively related to leader effectiveness. A total of 25 variables of organizational climate characteristics, tests of interpretations of interpersonal behavior, and biographical factors were correlated to pro- vide the data for the findings of this study. Findings During the planning stage of this study four experts in school administration, from the state of Michigan, were consulted regarding the sample of schools to be used in this investigation. There was unanimous agreement among 62 these experts that if there were high schools in Michigan with open climates they would be found in this sample of Schools. A. One of the striking findings of this investiga- tion can be seen by studying the Organizational Climate Similarity Scores of participating schools in Table VIII. This table indicates that on a continuum of six climates no faculty rated its school as having either an Open, Au- tonomous, or Controlled climate. This represents the ”more open" end of the continuum. Instead, sixteen of the twenty-four schools were rated by their faculties as having closed climates, which represents the "more closed" end of the continuum. Two of the remaining eight schools received ratings most similar to a Paternal climate; five were rated as having Familiar climates: and one was rated as having mixed characteristics of Familiar, Paternal, and Closed climates. According to the characteristics indicated in Table XI these teachers perceive the climate of their schools as characteristically low in Esprit, Thrust, and Consideration and high in Hindrance, Production Emphasis, Aloofness, and Disengagement and average in Intimacy. Since the OCDQ was originally designed for and stan- dardized on a population of elementary schools the immediate inclination is to suspect that this finding is the result of inadequate instrumentation. However, upon examination 63 of the various climate characteristics assessed by the OCDQ (Esprit, Hindrance, Aloofness, Thrust, Disengagement, Consideration, Production Emphasis, and Intimacy) it is difficult to argue that these same characteristics do not apply equally to the high school. This investigator feels that there are sociological and psychological forces present in most high schools which operate to create relatively more”closed" than "open" cli- mates. ‘Some of these forces are: l. Historically, schools have derived their organi- zational structure from a subordinate-super- ordinate model of human relationships. This re- sults in parent—child types of interaction be- tween studen-teacher and teacher-principal. 2. Adults in general feel that the sexually and physically mature adolescent has great potential for "getting into trouble" if given the freedom in an open climate. ' 3. The adolescent is potentially a greater threat to faculty members and faculty members are similarly a greater threat to the principal in an open as opposed to a closed climate. B. Another finding that deserves further study is the significant relationship found between the BDP Tests and the amount of graduate credit earned. No attempt was made to control for factors which might confound this relation- ship such as: (1) age, (2) intelligence, (3) institutions awarding the credit, or (4) types of experiences repre- sented in earned credits such as training in Human Re- lations o C. No significant relationship was found between the 64 principal's ability to understand interpersonal rela- tionships and the organizational climate of the school. However, a positive relationship closely approaching the 5 percent level was found between the climate "openness" and the principal's ability to understand interpersonal relationships. D. No significant relationship was found between the principal's ability to understand interpersonal relation- ships and the total number of years he had been a principal. There was a trend in the data indicating that the length of time one has been a principal may be negatively associated with understanding of interpersonal relationships. E. No significant relationship was found between age of the faculty and the type of organizational climate in the school. F. No significant relationship was found between age of the principal and the type of organizational climate in the school. This finding suggests that it is the interaction of the principal with the situation that has meaning for the faculty and this interaction cannot be predicted from the principal's age. Conclusions Few people would disagree with the proposition that the principal is an important influence in determining a 65 school's climate. However, influence exerted by the prin- cipal is often complex and difficult to assess separately from the influence of others. Relatively little is known about the influence of students, parents, and the community upon a school's climate. Within the limitations of this study the following conclusions are made: 1. A low but positive relationship does exist be- tween a principal's understanding of interpersonal rela- tionships and the "openness" of the school climate. 2._ The older principal is likely to have less under- standing of interpersonal relationships than is his younger counterpart. 3. The more graduate hours of credit a prinCipal earns the more ”sensitive to others" he becomes. Recommendations Within the limitations of this study the following recommendations seem warranted: 1. ,The graduate school should study differentially the kinds of experiences offered principals to determine whether some experiences increase one's "sensitivity to others" more than other experiences. 2.1 The Behavioral-Divergent~Production Tests used in this study show promise as feasible pencil and paper tests 66 for measuring "sensitivity to others" and should be used in further studies of this nature. 3. Studies designed to replicate or refute the relationship between the BDP Tests and graduate credit earned as found in this study, should be done. 4. Studies should be conducted to determine whether the climates of the public high schools of Michigan are as closed as the sample of schools in this study would indi- cate. BIBLIOCRAPHY 68 BIBLIOGRAPHY Bass, Bernard M. Leadershipl Psychology, and Organiza- tional Behavior. New York: Harper and Brothers, 1960. ' Berends, Eugene H. ”Perceptions of the Principal's Per- . sonality: A Study of the Relationships to Orga- nizational Climate." unpublished doctoral dis— sertation, Michigan State University, 1969. Bird, C. Social Psychology. New York: Appleton; Cen- tury, 1940. Bradford, Leland P. and Lippitt, Ronald. "Building a Democratic Work Group," Leadershi in Action, No.2, National Training Laboratories, NEA, Washington D. C. 1961. Combs, Arthur. The Professional Education of Teachers. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Inc., 1965. Cook, Edward V. 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APPENDIX 72 TABLE VII AVERAGE AGES OF PARTICIPATING FACULTIES School Average Age of Faculty Number in Years \ 1 39.1 2 ---_ 3 35.? 4 39.4 5 32.9 6 ___- 7 31.0 8 34.3 9 32.3 10 39.1 11 37.7 12 29.7 13 ---- 14 30.9 15 34.1 16 35.8 17 31.1 It 36.1 19 32.? 20 37.3 21 29.? 22 ---- 23 30.4 24 --—- Ages for five faculties were not received in time for inclusion in the study. 73 TABLE VIII ORGAYIZATIONAL CLIMATE SINILARITY SCORES OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS OCDQ Climates School Auton- Con— Famil— Pa- flpmber Opgh gmous trolled iar ternal Closed 1 91 97 92 63 56 ‘ 5? 2 63 60 116 24 67 93 3 80 89 111 43 47 54 4 95 73 107 57 60 40 5 B3 61 110 37 73 67 6 114 99 RF 46 57 59 7 95 76 110 57 63 34 8 101 94 107 63 58 34 9 121 107 95 96 53 55 10 113 10? 90 75 60 26 11 116 104 91 90 67 23 12 118 99 61 91 71 26 13 96 80 112 58 59 39 14 105 95 104 67 60 2? 15 106 105 96 78 62 ‘ 30 16 113 112 82 81 65 27 17 90 98 114 52 42 51 18 120 93 ' 87 P6 72 20 19 116 117 81 92 65 22 20 77 78 118 37 49 60 21 91 P6 1]1 51 59 40 22 103 90 103 69 63 31 23 117 113 79 92 61 17 24 114 108 81 89 59 21 1. On this scale, the lowest score indicates the climate most like the one being investigated, thus School #20 is identified as having characteristics most similar to a Familiar Climate. . The higher score indicates farther away from the char- acteristics of that particular climate. 3. If two or three scores are very similar and are the lowest of the six, this indicates all of these character- istics are present in the school (as in School #1). 74 TABLE IX ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE PROFILE SCORES OF PARTICIPATING SCHOOLS* OCDQ Subtests 1 a) m 5 . a. o k m -H u (U c. 0 (D U 0) H34 c; m p w x: U U 'U 00) C L: "-1 E ‘H :1 ‘0 HQ 0.0 mM figg 2mm