Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to extend Odell's (1995) and Rutherford's (1994) dissertations: (1) to identify the intrapreneurial climate factors found in schools that have implemented school site-based management; and (2) to determine the ways in which the intrapreneurial climate factor in site-based managed schools compares to earlier studies of distinguished elementary schools and high schools. Methodology. The original sample consisted of a total of fifty-eight schools that were asked to participate in the study. The population for the research included two major groups of elementary school principals, California distinguished schools and non-distinguished schools, in Los Angeles County, excluding the distinguished schools in Los Angeles and Long Beach Unified School Districts. From this population, an equal-size random sample of twenty-nine schools per group was drawn. Each group also contained schools that were identified by their principals as participating in school-based management. Of the fifty-eight schools invited to take part in the study, forty returned useable questionnaires for a 69 percent return. Findings and conclusions. Some of the findings generated by this study were: (1) 80 percent of school-based management principals used "priming ideas" to a great extent; (2) SBM schools differed significantly from non-school-based management schools (p ≤ .05) on three elements; (3) Distinguished elementary schools differed significantly from non-distinguished elementary schools with respect to only one factor, "expanding the ownership for innovations to a larger group"; (4) There were six factors associated with the highest mean scores for distinguished schools; (5) Only one factor, "realizing that mistakes are an inevitable part of innovation," was found to be significant and concurred with Rutherford's (1994) study; (6) The current study concurred with Odell's (1995) findings for the most prevalent factor in distinguished schools for the "moving to decisions/implementation" phase only, "expanding the ownership for innovation to a larger group." This study concurs with Odell's (1995) and Rutherford's (1994) previous studies that leadership, not demographic factors, influences the establishment of a environment that releases creativity and innovation. Implications. Schools will require leaders who are willing to: (1) take baby steps to achieve the big ideas of the school, (2) hold celebrations for intraprenuers, and (3) expand the ownership for innovation to a larger group. Intrapreneuring is a strategy to bring about change in elementary schools that have restructured and implemented site-based management.