Exploring Organisational Culture and Professional Learning

How do your colleagues experience your organisation’s professional learning culture?

Culture Insight helps you understand their perspectives and enables you to plan to support, enhance and sustain CPD effectively.

Dr Kathryn Taylor (EdD) specialises in research-informed approaches that enable you to understand your school’s culture and enhance your teachers’ capacity for professional learning.

How do perceptions of organisational culture influence teachers’ professional learning?

Did you know that even the most engaging speaker can alienate a teacher who feels switched off from learning?

When a teacher’s psychological safety or learning needs are unmet, they may disengage, or worse, sit and seethe. The reasons behind this are complex, but one thing is certain: leaders often don’t know which staff members are feeling this way.

I offer an innovative survey designed to capture teachers’ perspectives and lived experiences of their organisational culture. This tool provides valuable insight into how open your colleagues are to professional development interventions.

The results, synthesised by me into a clear, actionable report, will empower you to meet teachers where they are and help you curate a culture that supports meaningful, sustained professional learning.

Organisational culture incorporates the shared values, beliefs, and practices within an institution. However, perception of organisational culture can vary dramatically, as this data from three teachers in one school indicates.

Figure 1: Three teachers’ perceptions of aspects of school cultures associated with agency, efficacy, logistics, collegiality, trust, resilience, reflection and reflexivity and professional autonomy.

Individuals’ perception and lived experience of the culture in which they work profoundly shapes the way they work, learn, and grow. In the field of education, where continuous professional learning is essential for teachers to meet evolving student needs, perceptions of organisational culture play a critical role. Teachers’ views of their school’s culture can either bolster or hinder their capacity to engage in meaningful professional learning.

The Culture Insight survey elicits anonymised perspectives at the individual, team and organisational level on the cultural dimensions associated with sustained professional learning.

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UNDERSTANDING
ORGANISATIONAL

CULTURE IN
SCHOOLS

Schools are not just places of learning for students; they are workplaces with distinct cultures that reflect leadership practices, communication norms, and values around teaching and learning. A school’s organisational culture influences everything from teacher collaboration to attitudes toward change and innovation.

Key aspects of school culture that impact professional learning include:

  1. Collaboration and Collegiality: A culture that values teamwork fosters a sense of trust and mutual support among teachers.
  2. Professional Agency and Autonomy: Schools that balance structure with flexibility empower teachers to take ownership of their professional growth.
  3. Logistics: Not to be underestimated! People need the time, space and resources to foster their professional learning.
  4. Shared Vision: Leadership that encourages and provides the structures necessary to support risk-taking, innovation, and ongoing learning helps teachers feel supported in their development. A clear and collective understanding of educational goals aligns professional learning with broader institutional objectives.

PERCEPTIONS OF
ORGANISATIONAL

CULTURE AND
THEIR IMPACT

Teachers’ perceptions of their school’s culture influence their motivation, engagement, and capacity for professional learning.

Perception is reality for your colleagues

  • When teachers perceive their school culture as supportive and inclusive, they are more likely to:
    • Embrace Collaboration: Teachers who feel part of a collaborative community are more open to sharing ideas, co-teaching, and learning from peers.
    • Engage in Lifelong Learning: A culture that celebrates continuous improvement motivates teachers to seek out professional development opportunities.
    • Experiment with New Strategies: Supportive environments encourage teachers to adopt innovative teaching methods without fear of judgment or failure.
  • Conversely, when teachers perceive the culture as rigid, hierarchical, or unsupportive, professional learning can be stifled.
    • Resistance to Change: Teachers in a stagnant culture may view professional learning as a burdensome requirement rather than an opportunity.
    • Isolation: A lack of collegiality can lead to silos, reducing opportunities for peer-to-peer learning.
    • Low Morale: Unsupportive leadership and unclear goals can diminish motivation, making professional growth feel less achievable or rewarding.

DEMOCRATIC PROFESSIONALISM

AND CULTURAL DYNAMICS

Democratic professionalism is research-informed and agent centred. Teachers and other education professionals engage with research, seek efficiency and innovation and strive to implement ‘what works’. Interventions are contextualised rather than ‘off the peg’.

An ecological approach

Systemic factors make it challenging to create and sustain democratic professional cultures leading to loose, emerging, inconsistent and tight patterns of implementation.

Cultures of professional learning:

  • Loose democratic cultures​
    Associated with laissez-faire implementation​ and vicious cycles of mis-trust of leaders and teacher apathy.
  • Emerging/inconsistent democratic cultures
    Associated with fast, unsuitable or ‘scattergun’ implementation​ and vicious cycles of confusion and burnout.
  • Tight democratic cultures
    Associated with clear, structured and logistically supported implementation processes​ and virtuous cycles teacher self-efficacy and belonging.

Read more here: https://culture-insight.com/2025/06/22/what-are-teachers-and-school-leaders-perspectives-and-experiences-of-the-conditions-associated-with-teacher-professional-learning-pl/

ENHANCING
PROFESSIONAL
LEARNING

THROUGH
POSITIVE CULTURAL
CHANGE

To improve teachers’ professional learning capacity, schools must cultivate cultures that are conducive to the growth and collaboration associated with democratic professionalism.

Supportive structures include:

  1. Promote Collective Sense-making: Establishing structures and systems that support teachers to share experiences, reflect, and innovate together strengthens both relationships and learning outcomes.
  2. Identify and Address Your Issues: Curate a curriculum for evidence informed professional development that meets your organisational needs.
  3. Align Learning with Goals: Ensuring that professional development aligns with the school’s vision and teachers’ needs makes learning more relevant and impactful.
  4. Encourage Reflective Practices: Providing opportunities for teachers to reflect on their learning and teaching practices deepens and sustains professional growth.

THE

CONCLUSIONS

The way teachers perceive their school’s organisational culture has a profound influence on their professional learning capacity. Positive perceptions of culture — marked by collaboration, support, and shared goals — create an environment where teachers feel empowered to grow and innovate. On the other hand, negative perceptions can stifle motivation and hinder professional development.

By prioritising a supportive and inclusive culture, school leaders can unlock the full potential of their teaching staff, creating a dynamic learning environment that benefits both educators and students. Ultimately, fostering a culture that values professional learning is not just an investment in teachers—it is an investment in the future of education.