FREE ESSAY ON RETHINKING LEADERSHIP IN THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION

RETHINKING LEADERSHIP IN THE LEARNING ORGANIZATION

A proclamation by a CEO that "we are going to become a learning organization" will likely
be met with collective eye rolling and wonderings of, "What workshop did he attend last
week?" Indeed, many employees are so accustomed to these management
"initiatives-of-the-month" that seeing any results from such a managerial decree is
extremely unlikely.
Another of the main barriers to creating a learning organization, Senge says, is the
difference between compliance and commitment. The employees are loath to accept change
that starts at the top of the managerial hierarchy. A value is a value only if
voluntarily chosen. We cannot force others to learn. Since it is really the individuals
that comprise a learning organization, there is no substitute for a personal desire to
learn.
Decisions made by managers can also have the effect of paradoxically moving an
organization backwards. Downsizing can lead to increased competitiveness, which is a
hindrance to productivity. Competitiveness can also undermine collaborative efforts and
thereby affect a company's economic prosperity.
Senge defines three leadership types that he says are essential to building a learning
organization:
1. Local line leaders. These are leaders who undertake meaningful experiments to test
whether new learning capabilities actually lead to improved business results.
2. Executive leaders. They provide support for line leaders, develop learning
infrastructures, and lead by example in the gradual process of evolving the norms and
behaviors of a learning culture.
3. Internal networkers. These are individuals who can move freely about the organization
to find those who are predisposed to bringing about change, to help out in organizational
experiments, and to aid in the diffusion of new learning.
None of the issues prevalent in businesses today will be resolved by a hierarchical
management system. To bring about change, we must explore new ideas in leadership based
on new leadership principles.
Senge's five disciplines have interested me since the start of this course. Their
applications in our educational system could be profound. The largest barrier that
today's schools, adult or otherwise, face is the tacit acceptance that what is now cannot
be changed. It is this mental model that we must break down before real change can be
affected. 
By recognizing the needs of adults in a learning environment, many, if not all, of the
principles of the learning organization can be applied to the hierarchical organization
of the administration in our schools. 
The barriers discussed in this article are no different from the barriers faced by school
administrators. People who are not committed to change will not buy into any new idea.
Change cannot be mandated. It must come from within the organization.
Bibliography
Senge, P.M. (1996). Rethinking leadership in the learning organization. The
Systems Thinker [Online]. Available: http://www.pegasuscom.com/senge1.h