n their chapter 2 "The School as a Social System" of their book Educational Administration: Theory, Research, and Practice, Hoy and Miskel explain how the school is an open social system based on the key properties, elements, and assumptions of open systems that determine the organizational behavior of the school. They draw attention to fundamental notions of how politics affect the school system, but overlook certain aspects that may also affect the school system such as presence of original thought, and how culture is more or less just a result of the present structure and individuals' interactions.
In their discussion of politics, Hoy and Miskel consider politics as illegitimate "because it is a behavior usually designed to benefit the individual or group at the expense of the organization" (p.39). Here, I can see the interplay of privilege and power that may set individuals or groups against each other and thus entwines corroding and dangerous effects of oppression not only on the staff but also on the students and then, as a result, on the whole community/environment outside the school. It should be noted that sometimes the individual is not aware of his/her privilege over the other. Being of a certain race, ethnicity, class, etc... entitles an individual a certain power over 'the weaker other' and this is a basic concept of social reality that we cannot escape; so, how can we label it as "illegitimate" when we cannot escape it? Could the school escape that informal authority that has been socially constructed and is embedded in our environment and transmitted to school organizational behavior?
Furthermore, Hoy and Miskel set culture as a distinct element that affect the behavior of the school and its interaction. They define culture as "the unwritten, feeling part of the organization" that grants individuals of the school a scheme of values and beliefs that sets them in a group "larger than themselves" (p. 39). They distinguish culture from the structural and individual elements that affect organizational behavior. However, I believe the school culture is an integral part of the organizational system dictated by bureaucracy and the individual's simultaneously. One cannot speak of a school culture without inferring that this culture came to be due to the integration of the school's vision, beliefs, mission, values, structure, and common shared language that are developed and performed by the members of the school. Thus, culture cannot be considered as an element as much as a result of the interaction between the bureaucratic requirements and the school's individualistic values and morales.
Another notable point that is discussed in this chapter is the issue of homeostasis and entropy. Equilibrium and stability, as stated, are crucial in order for a system to survive and "move toward a steady state" (p.33). However, Hoy and Miskel project the need for disequilibrium so that systems demonstrate a dynamic growth (p.33). This notion of the need for chaos is of great importance in a school as it is a critical tool that obliges school members, particularly school administrators, to reflect and reevaluate their beliefs, vision, thoughts, and direction of the school leading to sometimes a radical cultural change. Chaos brings reorganization of thought, meaning, and change in the system. This disequilibrium leads to open discussions, emergence of difference, and thus a qualitative stance on issue that may lead to new forms comprised of a combination of the opposing perspectives. In that sense, the system should not be "countered by forces that seek to maintain the system" as much as embrace the chaotic paradigm to maintain instead a level of system arousal that plays interchangeably between chaos and entropy for a healthy openness and structure.
Hence, when examining the school as a social system, Hoy and Miskel state assumptions they believe the concept of the social system is built upon. Examining these assumptions stated, I believe all the assumptions mentioned project the social system as a static structure with closed boundaries that is determined by its interaction with the outer environment, its members, imposed regulations, and its interdependent parts. These assumptions fail to highlight that social systems can also be creative. Individualistic, innovative ideas from within the school could affect its structure, values and even transmit such original thoughts to the outside environment.
In this chapter, Hoy and Miskel are able to give an inclusive overview of how the school is an open social system that constitutes that interplay of all the elements of a social system and the environment.