Week 3

Organisation Change and Learning Organisations

Organisation change in the last three to five years is a prolonged process as education sectors are learning to continually adapt and reposition themselves for the future. Higher education and Vocation Education and Training sectors  are in a period of rapid and dynamic change that will continue with changes in technology and demands for increasing numbers of populations nationally and internationally to have higher levels of qualifications and new skills.

The higher education and vocational education sectors are influenced by political , economic national and international changes that are demanding new and innovative cost effective and efficient methods of teaching and learning . Modes of delivery have changed from being teacher cantered to become learner centred with increasing integration of technology in learning. Student profiles are becoming more complex with increased numbers of the population accessing higher education institutes from diverse geographical locations.

Courses are assessment driven and this is impacting on teachers who must manage the increased workload, feedback and marking of assessments. The quality and quantity of assessment must be in accordance with the Australian Qualification Framework (AQF) of  the qualification.  learning outcomes, assessment outcomes and learning experience are increasingly important for learners to gain skills and be work ready with  performance requirements of  professions , employers and learners. 

Kotter (1992) explains that for  effective change organisations must adapt and shift the organizational culture, values and behavioural norms. Kotter describes the changes required to build a new organisation culture that is collaborative and sharing (p.44-46).  Muller (2001). explains that education leaders must transform the learning culture through out the education system. Educational leaders are challenged to provide effective sustained change, leading with a moral purpose and vision for the whole of the systems and not just their own department or institution.  Essential to change is the leader ability to building relationships and collaboration in the organisation (p.4-10).
Senge  (2006) Fifth Discipline of systemic thinking provides  five characteristics for organisations to build and sustain as learning organizations. Senge describes effective organisation change in learning organisations as those that in  periods of rapid change promote flexibility  and continually adaptation. According to Smith (2001) Senge believes that successful learning organisations have collaborative processes informing and influencing the organisation processes. Learning organisations as described by Senge characteristically display a  commitment to building learning capacity and capability in the organisation so that the continuum of change is a momentum. Critical to the process is the engagement of staff in the organisation to be empowered and supported in the continual change processes. Engaging thoughts and ideas from all levels of workers in the systems is essential to inform the organisation changes . Organisation structures must be developed to receive communication and have effective feedback strategies to ensure open flow of ideas and information.

Rogers (1962) innovation adoption model describes the process of adapting to use new technologies or change processes  Rogers uses a bell curve model divided into segments as percentages with chasms/ gaps  between the sections to illustrate the level of change from one group to the next .According to Rogers the first adopters of innovation are the "innovators," then "early adopters. "a gap is evident then the early and late majority, the last group to  adopt or not  are called "laggards"(p.16).

Change for learning organisations means that the learning experience must be learner cantered
I have a blog post this week linking to the  Conversation   https://theconversation.com/au  that explores campus design by currently running a series "Reimagining the campus" https://theconversation.com/topics/reimagining-the-campus
contributing writers are exploring campus design , sharing ideas and thoughts about what is  working now. Current changes in technology in  learning and in learners is shaping the thoughts of the writers who question and share their vision of future learning environments.


The Conversation  "Reimagining the campus" https://theconversation.com/topics/reimagining-the-campus Retrieved 20th March 2014.


Fullan, M. (2001). Leading in a Culture of Change, Jossey-Bass, San Francisco, CA.

Kotter, J.P. & Heskett, J.L. (1992). Corporate Culture and Performance. New York: The Free Press (p.44-46).

Rogers, Everett M. (1962). Diffusion of Innovations, Glencoe: Free Press.(p.16).Retrieved  from: http://books.google.com.au/books?id=qvd_eAgiRZkC&pg=PA16&lpg=PA16&dq=Rogers,+Everett+M.+(1962).+Diffusion+of+Innovations,+Glencoe:+Free+Press.&source=bl&ots=V7CIMqRJ6n&sig=hMfZTuz62F57Lbbc4Upb327j1Jk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=PIguU4KRFtCNkgWc54D4BA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Rogers%2C%20Everett%20M.%20(1962).%20Diffusion%20of%20Innovations%2C%20Glencoe%3A%20Free%20Press.&f=false 22nd March 2014.

Senge, P. (2006). The Fifth Discipline: The Art &Practice of the Learning Organisation. Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group Inc.

Smith, M. K. (2001) ‘Peter Senge and the learning organization’, the encyclopedia of informal education. [http://infed.org/mobi/peter-senge-and-the-learning-organization/. Retrieved:18th March 2013

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