Reflexive Journal: Dimmock & Walker (2000)

Dimmock, C., & Walker A. (2000). Developing comparative and international educational leadership and management: A cross-cultural model. School Leadership & Management, 20(2): 143-160

Questions:

How does the national/societal culture of students and their families interact with, or influence, the host country culture, local community culture, and organizational culture? What happens when multiple societal cultures come together to form one organizational culture?

In the minds of Dimmock, C., & Walker A. (2000), what does “internationalism” mean, and what does it look like in schools?

“We affirm that internationalism as an educational phenomenon is desirable, especially in the new millennium of global trade, multi-cultural societies, the Internet and air travel” (p. 144).

An area of study lacking exposure within this article is the dynamic of internationally-minded schools, both in national and international contexts. In defining culture, Dimmock and Walker (2000) suggest that cultural differences can exist at the organizational level or the national level. From my experience, this belief is not incorrect; however, it is perhaps a bit overly simplified. In my opinion, this oversimplification is also present in the model for cross-cultural comparison in educational leadership and management (p. 148).

Many schools, such as mine, educate a student body with a high concentration of societal cultures that differ from the national/societal cultural context in which the school is located. For example, many students and their families may be from different countries, having arrived in the Philippines only recently. In this scenario, there may be several different contexts in which differing societal cultures are simultaneously influencing and being influenced by each other, the host nation culture, as well as the organizational culture. Similarly, I would suggest that the authors’ usage of the term “internationalism” and suggestion that it is desirable as an educational phenomenon (p. 144) is relatively ambiguous and, therefore, a little outdated. This is understandable given the year of publication.

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