Schools as organisations: some contemporary issues

Wilkins, Raphael

doi:10.1108/09513540210422228

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 5 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…We conducted the research in two stages and collected the data at the end of the two-year organizational learning intervention of firm "X". In the first stage, we made use of an opportunity sample (Wilkins, 2002) of 45 employees and conducted laddering, non-directive interviewing with the subjects. Each interview lasted between 40 and 60 minutes (see Table I).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change in(ter)ventions to organizational learning: bravo to leaders as unifying agents

Yeo

2007

The Learning Organization

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Purpose -The purpose of this research is to examine the relationship between change interventions and organizational learning. It seeks to identify the process through which team learning is developed, the factors that affect organizational learning and its influences on organizational effectiveness. Design/methodology/approach -Two groups of samples from a Singapore large manufacturing firm that had implemented change interventions for two years were selected. Qualitative data from 45 employees using the laddering, non-directive interviewing technique, and 20 leaders using focus group discussions were gathered. Findings -Changes to organizational systems and structure have led to a state of not-knowing which contributes to defensive dynamics. Learning begins with the unlearning of old habits by encouraging new thinking patterns through rigorous feedback loops. Expectations of leaders should also be redistributed to facilitate and integrate the various aspects of learning. Research limitations/implications -Change interventions have led organizational learning to develop in reciprocal directions where the initial top-down approach is subsequently supported and driven by a bottom-up approach. The strategy is to engage employees in collaborative decision making embedded in constant dialogue and reflection. Practical implications -Organizational learning strategies, developed from the lessons learned, are based on organizational infrastructures with an emphasis on efficiency, effectiveness and transformation. One of the critical considerations is the institutionalization of learning as being integral to daily work practices. Originality/value -The study extends the theoretical basis of the "fifth discipline" by incorporating the nominalist perspective such that organizations, as organisms, have the capacity to recreate themselves for the expansion of the shared vision.

show abstract

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Change in(ter)ventions to organizational learning: bravo to leaders as unifying agents

Yeo

2007

The Learning Organization

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…A key factor for schools is the need to respond appropriately to questions and expectations from their social environment (engels et al 2004;Laila 2015;Wilkins 2002). In formulating, policy schools need to take account of various stakeholders (parents, pupils, etc.)…”

Section: Pupil Well-being Policy-making Capacitiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of school culture on schools’ pupil well-being policy-making capacities

Gasse

Vanhoof

Petegem

2016

Educational Studies

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Pupil well-being has been an important topic in educational research for some time. Differences between schools in their influence on the well-being of their pupils are attributed to the policy-making capacities of the school. Little is known about schools' policy-making capacities with regard to pupil well-being, and the impact of school culture on these policy-making capacities. This study addresses these questions using a quantitative research approach. The results show that teachers rate the policy-making capacities of their school, with regard to pupil well-being, in largely positive terms and that these policy-making capacities are mainly affected by flexible perspectives of effectiveness within the culture of schools.

show abstract

“…Eighteen leaders attended the retreat and together with the two facilitators, an opportunity sample (Wilkins, 2002) was established. These 20 subjects were interviewed four months after the training, an estimated period that the small-scale PBL process would take to complete.…”

Section: Reflective Inquirymentioning

confidence: 99%

Problem‐based learning: a viable approach in leadership development?

Yeo

2007

Journal of Management Development

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

PurposeThe aim of the paper is to investigate problem‐based learning (PBL) as a viable approach in leadership development. It identifies several key factors, strategies and possible outcomes associated with this new approach to training.Design/methodology/approachReflective inquiry through storytelling was employed as a research tool to gather rich qualitative data from two PBL trainers and 18 senior management personnel in a Singapore engineering firm. In‐depth interviewing was conducted four months after a structured three‐day leadership training using PBL.FindingsThrough a content analysis, three important factors have been identified as contributing to the meaningfulness of leaders' learning process: problem definition; open communication; and utilization of resources. Also, appropriate handholding is required to facilitate participants' deeper understanding of PBL even after the training session.Research limitations/implicationsThe study has led to new theoretical perspectives of cognitive and behavioral learning. For instance, PBL has increased participants' capacity and propensity to learn through the interplay of adaptive and generative learning. Further, the dynamics of learning hinge on the notion of single‐ and double‐loop learning where acting (investigation), thinking (reflection) and learning (knowledge sharing) intersect.Practical implicationsA matrix eliciting a guided approach to PBL in leadership development is presented to make explicit the subtle complexity of the learning process. Through both a structured training to an unstructured operational phase, PBL has led leaders to the discovery of new roles, attitudes and knowledge required to meet current changing times.Originality/valuePBL is traditionally an educational tool, but its wider application manifested in leadership training offers an original perspective in human resource development. Of value is the attempt to quantity qualitative data, yielding considerable clarity in the way complex information is managed.

show abstract

Schools as organisations: some contemporary issues

Cited by 7 publications

References 5 publications

Change in(ter)ventions to organizational learning: bravo to leaders as unifying agents

Change in(ter)ventions to organizational learning: bravo to leaders as unifying agents

The impact of school culture on schools’ pupil well-being policy-making capacities

Problem‐based learning: a viable approach in leadership development?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About