COSERE | 7 UNIT 1: LEARNING ORGANISATION AND CULTURE OF COLLEGIALITY Learning outcomes: After completing this unit, participants will be able to: • Understand the concept of school culture and collegiality and use the tools to support its integration. 1.1 What is a learning organisation? Learning processes thrive in an environment of collaboration and good collegial relationships. Most scholars see the learning organisation as a multi-level concept involving individual behaviour, teamwork, and organisation-wide practices and culture. A learning organisation is a place where the beliefs, values and norms of employees are brought to bear in support of sustained learning; where a “learning atmosphere”, “learning culture” or “learning climate” is nurtured; and where “learning to learn” is essential for everyone involved (Kools & Stoll, 2016). A learning organisation is one in which people are constantly expanding their abilities, where new ways of thinking are nurtured, where people are constantly learning how to learn together (Senge, 2006). Similarly, Silins et al. (2002) mention that schools can be considered learning organisations when they engage in environmental scanning, develop shared goals, foster collaboration, encourage risk-taking, and provide opportunities for professional development. The five disciplines identified by Senge et al. (2006) that a learning organisation should possess are: • Team learning – emphasis on the learning activities of the group rather than the development of the team process. • Shared vision – ability to unearth shared ‘pictures of the future’ that foster genuine commitment and enrolment rather than compliance. • Mental models – deeply held internal images of how the world works. • Personal mastery – continually clarifying and deepening personal vision, focusing energies, developing patience, and seeing reality objectively. • Systems thinking – the ability to see the bigger picture, to look at the interrelationships of a system as opposed to simple cause-effect chains; allowing continuous processes to be studied rather than single snapshots.
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