Volume 4 - Issue 1 - DBU Journal of K-12 Educational Research - Page 27

Journal of K-12 Educational Research 25 AN EXPLORATION OF MISSION DRIFT IN TEXAS CHARTER SCHOOLs Scott Fuller, EdD Introduction Nonprofit organizations are created to meet a specific need and that need is usually expressed through the organization’s mission or mission statement (Oghojafor, Olayemi, Okonji, & Okolie, 2011). The mission of the organization must drive where the organization is going (Schleckser, 2015). Bart (1998) tells his readers, “there is a relationship between the words and concepts of a mission statement and that firm’s success as a business” (p. 31). Bartkus and Glassman (2008) emphasized to “practice what you preach. Walk your talk. Actions speak louder than words” (p. 207). Organizations can lose sight of their main objectives by redirecting time, energy, resources, and effort to other activities outside of the stated mission (Shingadia, 2012). This is called mission drift. It can have a negative effect on the organization (Froelich, 1999). Literature Review The foundation of the not-for-profit organization (NPO) rests on the mission (Hader, 2006). Kouzes and Posner (2012) stated “words and deeds must be consistent” (p. 17). When the leaders’ words do not match the actions and behaviors of the organization, there is some kind of misalignment taking place. This misalignment is considered mission drift (Battilana, Lee, Walker, & Dorsey, 2012; Christensen, Clerkin, Nesbit, & Paarlberg, 2009; Gooding, 2012; Herlin, 2015). Mission drift happens “slowly, silently, and with little fanfare, organizations routinely drift from their original purpose, and most will never return to their original intent” (Greer & Horst, 2014, p. 15). Harvard and Yale both were founded as training schools for ministers and today are not what the founders intended. Compromises were made and over time the organizations’ behaviors and actions did not match their mission (Greer & Horst, 2014; Schleckser, 2015). It is important for every organization to understand why the organization exists and how it can advance its mission. Without that understanding, the organizations will drift just like a boat when the rower stops using the oars (Greer & Horst, 2014). Leaders must be prepared, focused, and equipped to keep moving the mission forward. Purpose of the Study The current study was a convergent parallel mixed-method research study. The purpose was to gain an understanding of how Texas charter school superintendents perceive their organizations’ mission clarity, mission intentionality, and their stated mission. Texas public charter schools are NPOs that have applied for and been awarded a contract with the state of Texas to provide education opportunities for children (Wilson, 2006). As NPOs, Texas charter schools face the same pressure of mission drift as all other NPOs. The researcher wanted to gain an understanding of how Texas charter school leaders rated themselves regarding mission drift. Journal of K-12 Educational Research 2020, VOL. 4, ISSUE 1 www.dbu.edu/doctoral/edd