Organisational Structure of Kyoto International School - Essay Example

?Develop an Organisational Management Profile of an Organisation in a Defined Cultural Context and Critically Reflect upon the ‘Fitness of Purpose’ of One or More Aspects of the Organisation’s Management for that Context Table of Contents Introduction 3 Senpai/Kohai Relation at Japan 4 Organisational Structure of Kyoto International School 5 Cultural Context in Which the School Operates 6 Link between Culture and Structure to Theories of Culture and Management 8 Fitness of Purpose 9 Conclusion 10 References 11 Introduction Organisation can be comprehended as the groundwork upon which the entire structure of management is developed. It can be understood as the mechanism built up of group of people who work mutually for the accomplishment of the common goals of the organisation (Steels, 1996). Organisation structure tends to identify the ways in which the job related tasks are divided, grouped and coordinated formally within the organisation. While developing the organisational structure, it is quite significant for the managers to address six key components. They are work specialisation, chain of command, centralisation and decentralisation, departmentalisation, span of control and formalisation (Murphy & Willmott, 2010). The organisational culture is mainly concerned with the way in which the employees perceive the nature of the organisation. It represents the common perception held by the members of organisation (Murphy & Willmott, 2010). The main objective of the study is to identify a Japanese organisation and to describe its cultural context in which the organisation tends to function and its management structure. The study will also try to relate management structure with the organisational culture with the assistance of varied theories that are available. After having related both the key aspects, this study will try to identify how well the organisation’s culture and structure aligns with its objectives. The Japanese organisation that has been chosen for the study is Kyoto International School. It is located at the heart of Kyoto city and therefore offers its students with the first-class international education program. The school makes use of the international curriculum structure that offers the students with an opportunity to develop their intelligence in a way that can assist each student to build confidence towards facing the challenges in the real world (Kyoto International School, n.d.). Senpai/Kohai Relation at Japan Senpai and Kohai are considered as significant components of age-related status relationship in Japan. Senpai is almost similar to the western conception of mentor and Kohai is nearly similar to the notion of “acolytes”. The young employee in an organisation will be considered as Senpai of the older employee in case the older employee joins the organisation at a later time in comparison to the young employee (Geelong & District, Golden Plains Kyokushin Inc, 2011). It has been observed that in Japanese schools, the senior students who are considered as Senpai tend to have greater power over the students who are young (Kohai). The Japanese society has a vertical structure where the individuals are arranged according to rank order in their social group. The structure in Japan is quite rigid and is universally accepted and applied. The hierarchical Japanese social system is administered via education system. The individuals at Japan are not just evaluated by the length of education but by the name of the schools that they have attended as well (Czinkota & Kotabe, 2000). The Senpai and Kohai relationship also tends to impact the relation in between the teachers and the students. In Japan, the students think that teachers must be respected because of their experience, age as well as ability. They also consider that the teachers are always right. However, in universities the seniors are treated with greater respect but rank and power tend to separate professors and it is observed that there are vertical hierarchies involving seniority rules among the faculties in Japanese Universities. The older employees belonging to higher positions are paid greater in comparison to the young subordinates. Therefore, it can be stated that status, position and salary depend greatly upon the seniority in Japanese organisations (Davies & Ikeno, 2002). Organisational Structure of Kyoto International School The organisational structure of Kyoto International School comprises of the Executive Board along with the Board of Trustees and the Auditors. The main duty of the Executive Board is to prepare strategies and policies, ensure responsibility and demonstrate leadership skills so that the school is capable of stimulating its learning environment. It has been noticed that although the members of the board are diverse in their backgrounds, they tend to demonstrate successful leadership and work together in a collaborative way to attain the objectives of the school. The main task of the Board of Trustees is to act as a supervisor for the Board of Directors at Kyoto International School. They conduct advisory as well as approval roles on pertinent and special events. The Auditors at Kyoto International are responsible to supervise Board of Directors as well as Board of Trustees. They are also responsible to prepare and submit annual report covering the issues related to financial management along with the status of the school to the Prefectural government (Kyoto International School, n.d.). In such circumstances, it can be observed that the Executive Board at Kyoto International is the Senpai for the Board of Trustees as well as Auditors. On the other hand, the Board of Trustees as well as the Auditors can be considered as Kohai of Executive Board. Cultural Context in Which the School Operates Organisation culture plays a noteworthy role in determining the success of the organisation. The school culture determines the success of the students, the teachers as well as the overall organisation. In Japan, the children at their early ages learn to develop cooperative relationships with their friends. They are taught to follow the schedules that have been set by the schools and need to provide importance to punctuality. The students learn the leadership as well as group organisation skills with the help of their assigned roles. Teachers tend to entrust authority as well as accountability to the students at their schools. It has been noted that the teaching culture of Japan is completely different from those of other countries. The teachers in Japan focus on creating a holistic child. They regard it as their prime duty to pay due attention on the matters such as personal hygiene, nutrition as well as sleep which is not considered as a duty of a teacher in the Western countries. The Japanese education is one of the strongest tools of cultural continuity as well as national policy. Along with that the citizens of Japan are capable of getting the required attitudes, knowledge and skills that can be utilised for their own benefits and also for the benefits of others. Higher value is given on harmony in the interpersonal relation among the members and the capability to cooperate with others in Japanese society. It is often believed by the Japanese that it is generally a pleasurable as well as natural human experience to be associated with the well-organised group, working hard to attain the group goals. They further believe that there is no substitute for hard work and attentiveness and perseverance help to derive success in education as well as in other fields of life (Education in Japan, n.d.). Kyoto International School prides itself of being located in the city of Kyoto which offers it with tremendous opportunities to learn by means of experiential activities. The school also embraces diversity of background that students bring in the organisation which assists in sharing of numerous perspectives among the students. Kyoto International School tries to provide more emphasis upon being collaborative within the global community so that the students do not face problems related to culture in school or in their workplace. The school believes in value of empathy and therefore tends to cultivate a culture of integrity, openness as well as respect. By instilling the necessary knowledge and skills among the students, Kyoto International School is capable of making its students live harmoniously in different communities which are novel and known, at home and abroad (Kyoto International School, n.d.). The cultural richness of Kyoto International School is linked with a progressive as well as forward thinking educational model that makes the students ready to face the challenges in the changing world. The school generally embraces diversity in thoughts, ethnicity as well as nationality (Kyoto International School, n.d.). Link between Culture and Structure to Theories of Culture and Management There is close relationship between the organisational culture and organisational structure which is often overlooked by most of the researchers. It is quite difficult to clearly differentiate between the two concepts. Organisational structure is part of organisational culture. Organisational culture is a wider term and is generally referred to as bigger umbrella of small issues in an organisation. It is the structure of the organsation which means the infrastructure and the numerous methods as well as practices within that infrastructure which assist the organisational culture to run properly. With the help of well planned model which is successful at distinguishing the association in between the organisation structure and culture, the organisation will be capable of directing its employees’ efforts towards the attainment of the objectives. It can be said that organisational culture cannot exist without organisational structure to permit for effective work and effort. When it is assumed that the organisation structure is evaluated on four main areas such as (‘specialisation’, ‘centralisation’, ‘formalisation’ and ‘standardisation’) and culture is evaluated on four areas such as (‘individualism/collectivism’, ‘masculinity/femininity’, ‘power distance’ as well as ‘uncertainty avoidance’), the close association among these variables can explain the association between the organisational structure and organisation culture (Krokosz-Krynke, n.d.). The relation between the organisational culture as well as organisational structure is of great importance to comprehend. The organisation possessing large and complex organisation structure tends to enhance the possibility of numerous cultures generating concurrently within the same organisation. It is often noted that high schools tend to have minimum organisational structure which helps to cultivate a solid organisational culture that assists in all the spheres of the organisational activities. The creation of the different cultures within complex organisations is not foreseeable; however the development of a unitary culture possessing broader and active support within the institutions needs skilled leadership in order to ensure diffusion as well as corroboration of the required values and beliefs (Bush, 2003). It has been found that Japanese are very much concerned about their hierarchical positions in an organisation. The country ranks high in terms of collectivism (Geert Hofstede, 2012). Fitness of Purpose It can be observed that the organisational structure and the organisational culture of Kyoto International School align with its objective of maintaining a friendly and supportive learning environment. It also embraces diversity and does not prefer any kind of discrimination based upon the caste, religion or nationality. The school has tried to preserve the Japanese culture and has tried to focus upon the Senpai and Kohai relationship. It has been observed that the students of this school respect their teachers and therefore teachers also realise their role as being significant for the success of the students. Kyoto International School has very minimal organisational structure. However, the seniors in the management hierarchies are respected according to their status and positions. It is because of this organisational culture at Kyoto International School, the school is capable of imparting high quality education to its students and maintaining its position in Japan. Japan ranks higher in terms of collectivism and therefore it has been noted that Kyoto International School also focuses more upon group efforts of the students. Conclusion The culture and the structure of an organisation tend to define the success in the organisation. A properly organised and planned structure in an organisation which is based upon the existing cultural values of the nation in which the organisation is operating goes a long way in establishing success for the organisation. When the organisational structures are complex, it gives rise to numerous subcultures in an organsation. Japanese organisations generally possess very complex and conservative organisational structures. The educational system of Japan is based upon the notion that everyone is born equal and therefore they can achieve anything if they work hard to attain the objectives. Collectivism has been found to be higher in Japan educational organisations. The objective and management structure of Kyoto International School seem to fit well with the Japanese culture. The members tend to respect their seniors and help each other to attain the group objectives. It is through the proper understanding of the organisational roles and tasks, success can be derived at stipulated period of time. References Bush, T., 2003. Theories of Educational Leadership and Management. SAGE. Czinkota, M. R. & Kotabe, M., 2000. Japanese Distribution Strategy: Changes and Innovations. Cengage Learning EMEA. Davies, R. J. & Ikeno, O., 2002. The Japanese Mind: Understanding Contemporary Japanese Culture. Tuttle Publishing. Education in Japan, No Date. The Japanese Educational System. The Role of Modern Schooling. [Online] Available at: http://www.education-in-japan.info/sub1.html [Accessed January 12, 2012]. Geert Hofstede, 2012. Culture Dimensions. Power Distance. [Online] Available at: http://geert-hofstede.com/japan.html [Accessed January 12, 2012]. Geelong & District, Golden Plains Kyokushin Inc, 2011. Sempai/ Kohai Relationship. Downloads. 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