Organizational Theory in Education: Seven Perspectives

Leaders and researchers benefit from having a toolkit of theoretical perspectives to frame, analyze, and support education. This paper summarizes seven perspectives in organizational theory, with the mnemonic SCRIPTS: structure, culture, relations, institutions, professions, transformation, and social conflict. Each perspective highlights theoretical propositions, empirical findings, and practical applications. Structure includes bureaucratic causes and policy consequences. Culture involves organizational climate and individual sensemaking. Relational theories include social network and social capital. Institutional theories explain isomorphism and dynamism. The professions include sociological studies of group formation and psychological studies of motivation and satisfaction. Theories of organizational transformation center revolutionary and evolutionary processes for change. Finally, theories of social conflict include general processes of opportunity hoarding and specific processes explaining gendered and racialized organizations. This paper helps leaders in using theory and evidence for their decisions, scholars in framing their studies, and research students in knowing the landscape of organizational theory.