Culture describes the totality of socially transmitted behaviour patterns, beliefs, values and methods of operation that are acceptable to members of a group. It pervades people's minds and forms perceptions to interpret and relate to the world in which they live. The concept that organisations can develop their own culture has created a new way of interpreting the interactions and behaviours of people within workplace environments. By the mid 1980s corporate culture was accepted as a theoretical construct, useful in providing an understanding of organisational management. It was soon recognised that schools too had a distinct culture, influenced by all who attend. A dramatic rush to incorporate cultural concepts within educational administration occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s, using terms such as 'cultural effectiveness' to describe schools where good practice was evident.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the dominant cultural components of schools within the Australian Adventist Education System. The aims were to investigate what cultural factors supported the norms, values and behaviours of members and using descriptors of strong, moderate and weak, to determine their intensity. The study examined regional variation, short and long-term effects of the culture and the existence of a relationship between measured cultures and teacher satisfaction. Twenty-one schools in eight regions from Queensland to Western Australia participated in the research. Teachers completed the Organisation Culture Inventory as the primary data collection instrument.

Results indicated that a paradox existed at the National level - its strengths were also its weakness. The culture proved to be constructive at moderate to high levels of intensity with affinitive and encouragement orientations being dominant. Though positive cultural factors, these norms were realised at the expense of achievement and self-actualising cultural elements. Such factors translated into high levels of teacher satisfaction apparently due more to the pleasantness of the environment rather than to member achievements. Implications of a continuance of this culture includes the possibility of short-term satisfaction but long-term erosion of the System's educational standards.