Schools as

Learning
Organisations

Perception Challenges: What Do You

See?

Objectives:
By the end of this lecture, you should be able to:
1. Explain schools as learning organisations.
2. Apply leadership styles in simulated and work-related
situations.
3. Demonstrate an awareness of the of the importance
of effective leadership in educational management.
In this lecture, we will look at how schools are viewed as
learning organisations. You will observe how the notion
of leadership is applied in teaching-learning situations in
schools.

Definition of learning organisation

There is no single generally accepted definition of a
learning organisation (Silins, Zarins and Mulford 2002).
The most common definition of a learning organisation is
referred to:
coordinated group effort towards commonly shared
goals; active commitment to continuous improvement
and to the diffusion of best practices throughout the
organisation; horizontal networks of information flow to
help bring together expertise as well as links with the
external world; and, the ability to understand, analyse,
and use the dynamic system within which they are
functioning (Keating, 1995, cited in Silins, Zarins &
4
Mulford, 2002, p. 25).

The Organization as an Iceberg

 Silins, Zarins, and Mulford went on to explain that studies

have found several conditions that can foster
organisational learning in primary and secondary
schools.
These are related to school culture, structure, resources
and leadership.
They define schools as learning organisations if the
schools:
employ processes of environmental scanning; develop
shared goals; establish collaborative teaching and
learning environments; encourage initiatives and risk
taking; regularly review all aspects related to and
influencing the work of the school; recognise and
reinforce good work; and, provide opportunities for
continuing professional development (p. 24).
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 To them, organisational learning refers to the way the

whole school staff, collaboratively and on a continuous
basis, learn and put learning to use (p. 27).
It has also been explained earlier in the literature that
a learning organisation is a situation in which teachers
and senior teachers are continuously enhancing their
knowledge, updating the subjects contents, and
advancing their capability with effective practices
(Hillman and Mortimore, 1995).
All aspects (parents, teachers, staff and students) are
interrelated. Learning continuously takes place in
schools, for example, through in-service training
courses for the teachers.
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 The expectation that schools become learning

organisations is on the rise. According to Hillman &
Mortimores research on school effectiveness, there are
five levels of learning that are expected: students,
teachers, staff, organisation and leadership.
Students are expected to achieve excellent academic
achievement, teachers to give outstanding performance,
staff to keep motivated, organisation to keep track of
goals and objectives, while leadership function to provide
the positive and stimulating atmosphere for
organisational success.
Consistent with Hillman and Mortimores study, Razik
and Swanson (2010) pointed out three characteristics to
explain schools as learning organisations. However, the
latter focus on leadership aspect.
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 First, the leadership dimensions as can be explained

through various theories of leadership.
Second, the human relations dimensions which seek
to identify ways of bringing people together to work
productively and cooperatively.
The third dimension is communication, the ingredient
for effective leadership in educational organisations.

Competencies for future leadership

needed
for organisational improvement
Effective educational institutions need capable and
competent leaders. In practice, the exercise of
leadership and management happens in dynamic and
complex situations, constantly changing and requiring
strong teamwork, creativity, adherence to rules and
regulations, and being adaptive.
Ellison (2005) suggests future competencies to
overcome organisational challenges and to enhance
organisational improvement.

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Aspects

Future competencies for

leaders
Requirements

Self-confidence
Achievement
Orientation
Conceptual Ability

Must possess high self-confidence to lead and to

manage
Possess high achievement goals for the
organization
Able to conceptualise further opportunities beyond
the present situations

Information Seeking

Able to seek and utilise relevant and strategic

information for decision making.

Initiative

Have strong thinking ability to initiate changes

Collaborativeness

Able to work in teams and inspire members to

give outstanding performance. Leaders are also
able to develop, empowered and sustain team
members in teams.
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Aspect
Impact and
Influence
Interpersonal
abilities
Decision-making
skills

Requirements
Presence is felt, influencing and have strong
impact on organizational success
Able to create and maintain a positive
atmosphere. Communicate effectively.
Able to judge when to make decisions, when to
consult others and when to defer. Analyse and
interpret relevant information, use data and
think creatively to anticipate and solve
problems.

Strategic orientation Capable of formulating strategy for

organisational success. Know about strategy to
promote that will benefit the organisation.

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Assessing leadership effects through

leadership competencies
Assessing leadership competencies can be done by
examining leaders behaviours against the
characteristics described for competent leaders (Ellison
2005). As an example, the following table shows the
competencies assessment based on the criteria
developed for Leadership Programme for Serving Head
teachers (LPSH) (HayGroup2000) in the UK. This table
can be used as a guideline for teachers to assess their
leaders through observation.

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The expression of a competent leader (Source: Ellison,

2005, 38).
Cluster

Title of competency

Creating the vision

Initiative

Definition

The drive to act now to anticipate and pre-empt events.

Core question

Does the individual have a bias for action and does he

or she think ahead to anticipate and act on future needs
and opportunities?

Why it matters

Heads need to be able to take decisive and immediate

action when there are difficulties, or to prevent a
situation from escalating. Prompt action enhances the
credibility of the head teacher.
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Cluster

Levels of
action

Creating the vision

1. Acts decisively
Is decisive in a crisis situation. Defuses potential
problems before they escalate. Questions to probe
significant detail.

2. Thinks and acts ahead

Thinks and acts ahead of time, to seize an opportunity
or to sort out a problem.

3. Prepares for future opportunities

Anticipates and prepares for possible problems or
opportunities that are not obvious to others. Takes
action to create an opportunity or to avoid a future
problem.

4. Acts now to achieve long-term payoffs

Anticipates situations a long way off and acts to create
opportunities or avoid problems that are not obvious to
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others.

Activity
Now try to assess your boss in your workplace based
on characteristics described in the table above. You
have to be positive and avoid any prejudice against the
person. Spend about 30 minutes.

__________________________________________
__________________________

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Organisational competence
Organisational competence is another aspect which is
essential for organisational effectiveness (Ellison 2005).
It refers to the capabilities that allow the organisation to
be a leader in the provision of a particular range of
products or services that are of benefit to its customers
(p. 40).
Although the concept is taken from the industrial sector,
in the current competitive educational environment,
schools as organisations have to possess organisational
competence that can distinguish them from others.

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Three competencies identified by Ellison are mentioned

below:
1. Customer value -students will choose certain schools
because they feel that the chosen schools can make their
students learning experience valuable, although it is
sometimes difficult to explain why certain schools become
the schools of choice.
2. Competitor differentiation - the school has a unique feature
that distinguishes it from others.
3. Extendability - the school has a strong bondage with the
community, and has the capability such as to provide
lifelong learning for the community through its services to
the community. However, this is more relevant to the Western
community and its applicability to our society is still vague.
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Case Study
Read the following case and answer the questions that
follow.
You are working as an officer with the Curriculum Development Division
in the Ministry of Education and you have been asked to improve the
present curriculum for the secondary school. As part of the process of
implementing the new approach to curriculum, you have just invited a
school principal, who is an expert in innovative approaches to teaching
and learning to join you. Both of you see the current assignment as a
stepping stone to advancement in your career. Because of this goal, you
both plan to move up within the next five years. With both of your
experience and talents, you believe strongly in the innovative curriculum
that both of you have initiated.
Questions:
1. What can you and the school principal do over the next three years to
strengthen the possibility that the new curriculum will contribute to the
development of an effective school?
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2. What difficulties can you anticipate in your efforts?

3. How do you overcome such difficulties?
References
Everard, K B, Morris, G and Wilson, I (2004) Effective School
Management, 4th edn, London: Paul Chapman.
Razik, T A and Swanson, A D (2010) Fundamental Concepts of
Educational Leadership & Management, 3rd edn, Boston: Allyn &
Bacon.
Sergiovanni, T J, Kelleher, P, McCarthy, M and Fowler, F C (2009)
Educational Governance and Administration, 6th edn, Boston: Pearson.
Silins, H, Zarins, S and Mulford, B (2002) What characteristics and
processes define a school as a learning organisation? Is this a useful
concept to apply to schools?, International Education Journal, vol. 3, 1:
24 31.
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