Abstract
M.Ed.
This study, which locates itself within the context of educational transformation in South Africa, focuses on culture and its implication for school management in a multicultural
environment. Hofstede's (1987:9) comments on how culture influences management are pertinent to this endeavour: "Management is something done by people to people. It is
a human rather than a technical process. If the people in question differ, say, if they are Japanese instead of American, management will be done differently and this is
unavoidable and natural. ...It is now customary to label these differences as cultural."
Luthans (1989:50) also states that when people join an organization (which in this research will refer to the school), they bring with them thd values and beliefs they have been taught. Adler (1983:231) emphasizes the major impact of culture on the ways in which individuals and groups function within organizations. This considerable impact that culture has on individuals is also conceded by Silver (1983:249). Every aspect of people's lives, such as the food they eat, the clothes they wear and their patterns of thought are indicative of the culture to which they belong.