Organizational Structure and Shared Decision Making in Elementary Schools

As elementary principals' roles continue to expand, teacher involvement in decision making needs to increase. In site-based managed schools, stakeholders (e.g., teachers, parents, community, and students) are encouraged to solve problems and make educational decisions collectively. This research explored principals' perceptions of organizational structure in elementary schools and perceptions of their teachers' participation in shared decision making. Three forms of organizational structures (i.e., centralization, formalization, and complexity) were examined. Principals generally want their teachers to participate in shared decision making, although they indicated that teachers were not participating in this process. Professional development was recommended to help principals understand the organizational structure of their schools. Further study should include expanding the study to include middle and high school teachers to determine if organizational structure and teacher involvement in shared decision making differ by building level.