Fight or Flight? - Avoiding “Silo” Behaviour. October 2, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Learning Organisations, Outdoor Learning, Vision , 2comments
Recent study has given me an interest in several of the boundaries to organisations becoming Learning Organisations. I can understand that it’s hard to come to terms with efficiency savings in local goverment and still deliver statutory requirments, offer best value, provide quality services and embrace culture change whilst aligning the authority to wider govermental aims.
”A Smarter Scotland - Expand opportunities for people in Scotland to succeed from nurture through to life long learning, ensuring higher and more widely shared achievements.”
(Moving Scotland Forward: The Government’s Programme for Scotland 2008-09)
In my previous work in the private sector internal departments in organisations can often develop an “I’m alright Jack” lockdown or “silo effect” approach when budget cuts are introduced much like our own human fight or flight mode when threatened. Although I am not responsible for a budget, I can appreciate how difficult that can be having been a budget holder in the private sector. I think the natural fight of flight reaction will happen with an organisation,section, service or department etc, when it is trying to ensure it’s own survival. This does not help however when an organisation is trying to acheive culture change through impoving organisational learning. A sharing of resources and knowledge is difficult I guess when you are concentrating on providing services from a limited financial pot.
Providing high quality Outdoor Learning in East Lothian is an on-going partnership with community, schools and the support of internal departments of the authority and we continue to offer an excellent service at no cost (importantly) to school pupils and the wider community within East Lothian. Although non-statutory, it supports and enhances many statutory requirements through delivery of inspirational outdoor learning. I wonder if efficiency savings, as we look for new premises, will result in the Outdoor Education Service entering a “silo mode” and potentialy having to consider charging for Outdoor Learning in East Lothian? Or can a funding partnership between the silos be considered to fund new premises for the East Lothian Outdoor Education Service?
Abstract thinking. August 10, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Learning Organisations, Outdoor Learning , add a comment
Funny coincidence. Last night we had a fantastic meal at Abstract Restaurant in Edinburgh, and I have just managed to finish my abstract for my MSc dissertation. I must say I have found it the hardest bit of all. It’s below but next time I will put it in a better format as Fearghal Kelly’s blog has done with his work on CT using Scribd or something similar, I’ll look at these options when I get time.
Can Educational Establishments be Learning Organisations?
ABSTRACT: Current literature on the concept of the Learning Organisation often indicates that schools and educational establishments are incapable of becoming Learning Organisations as they often suffer from hierarchical and bureaucratic structures. These are considered as barriers for all organisations in achieving the Learning Organisation ideal. It is clear that as Educational establishments continue to be placed on the frontiers of change they could benefit from adopting the Learning Organisation concept. Although there is an abundance of literature on Learning Organisations, there appears to be a lack of literature and data on educational establishments as learning organisations. This study examines what the key characteristics of a learning organisation are by reviewing some of the main works on this complex and often vague concept. This work also reviews and selects a diagnostic tool for use within the authors own Local Education Authority to gather data on whether the reviewed and identified key characteristics of a learning organisation are present. A range of educational establishments were sampled within a Scottish Local Authority. The results of a web based questionnaire show that the identified characteristics do exist in the sampled educational establishments. Considering the results highlighted that strengths and areas of learning organisation confidence as well as spikes of dissatisfaction and areas for future work for educational establishments’ to achieve the Learning Organisation ideal were evident. It also concludes that the use of diagnostic tools which give an illustration of Learning Organisation Shape have a potential to support the delivery of Outdoor Management Development courses. The study also appreciates and identifies the need for further work on Learning Organisation Diagnostic Tools for the education sector and the transfer of learning using more coherent language, models and more considered, carefully designed creative and relevant experiential activities in Outdoor Management Development.
Can Schools be Learning Organisations? June 2, 2008
Posted by Bill in : A Curriculum for Excellence, Learning Organisations , add a comment
I have been working on the data from the responses to my on-line questionnaire for my MSc, it’s starting to feel like I may finish this incredible learning journey soon. The questionnaire was selected from examining several diagnostic tools used in the field of Organisational Learning. I am learning so much from the reading and research. There is a lot of critical writing on whether schools and educational establishments are capable of achieving the LO ideal. So seeing the data coming back (over a hundred responses so far - thanks to all!) has been fascinating. The data is starting to build a Learning Organisation Profile and Dissatisfaction Index of the sampled EL educational establishments. I will be evaluating this data and its potential to support management development courses. As part of a literature review I read this article yesterday, and although I have reviewed already writings on what a LO is I like this interpretation of the essential features of a LO described by Gephart et al [(1996) p 38, Training and Development]
- “Continuous learning at the systems level - Individuals share there learning in ways that enable an organisation to learn by transferring knowledge across it and by integrating learning into routines
- Knowledge generation and sharing. emphasis is placed on creating, capturing and moving knowledge rapidly and easily..
- Critical systemic thinking. people are encouraged to think in new ways and use productive reasoning skills, systemically in order to see links and feedback loops and critically, in order to identify assumptions.
- A culture of learning. Learning and creativity are rewarded, supported and promoted through various performance systems from the top down
- A spirit of flexibility and experimentation. People are free to take risks, experiment, innovate, explore new ideas , and generate new work processes and products.
- People-centered. a learning organisation provides a caring community that nurtures, values and supports the well being, development and learning of every individual”
This is of course only one interpretation of the LO. Do our East Lothian Educational Establishments have these essential features?
Can East Lothian Schools be Learning Organisations? February 18, 2008
Posted by Bill in : Dissertation, Learning Organisations , 2comments
I have been taking some leave to get some work done on my MSc dissertation. I have finally put finishing touches on proposal and have been working on the methodology for the study . During my reading i have noted that many works consider that schools are “institutions of learning” however they are often “incapable of innovation”(Senge) due to structural barriers and are unable to become learning organisations themselves. As an EL education employee you may disagree..
What I hope to do is (In summary);
” The author intends to in this study examine and identify the key characteristics of learning organisations and select an appropriate diagnostic tool to collect data within the author’s organisation (Scottish Local Education Authority) and by further analysis examine the question of whether educational establishments can become learning organisations. The findings will also consider the application of the selected diagnostic tool in terms of it’s potential to support Outdoor Management Development Courses”
I intend to use a diagnostic tool in the form of a questionnaire which will give holistic data on where the organisation (East Lothian Education) measures up on some of the key traits of learning organisations. The sampling will be on purposive basis i.e. non probability and I intend to the questionnaire out to a;
- Secondary School
- Primary School
- Education support staff and management (JMH)
I realise it will be with school or department approval and will of course keep the questionnaire to a manageable form and hopefully get it in staff in trays at an appropriate time - I realise the timing will be unique for all of the above.
The data could prove to be useful for future training and development within East Lothian as well as for my own aim in identifying whether educational establishments can become learning organisations and whether findings could support content on OMD style courses. It may also assist helping shape future revolutions / visions of EL Education?
Although I have approached in principal with Education Management it will be up to the schools as to whether they will allow me to distribute the survey. I have had one or two agree on principal but would welcome any volunteer schools.
IS YOUR SCHOOL A LEARNING ORGANISATION?