Educational researchers, practitioners and policymakers agree that quality of leadership and learning influence the quality of education. In the context of Ghanaian basic schools, previous research has shown that the Leadership for Learning (LfL) framework, an educational theory and practice, has improved the leadership capacities of education stakeholders as well as the quality of teaching and learning. However, the processes which lead to such improvements have not yet been studied. This study aimed to contribute to research on LfL by analysing the processes that accounted for the successful incorporation of the LfL principles. This in-depth case study was conducted in two successful LfL schools in the Central Region of Ghana. It engaged multiple stakeholders and gathered data through semi-structured interviews, focus group discussions, observations, and document analysis. Intra- and inter-case analyses were conducted to understand each case in its own terms as well as to identify areas of convergence and divergence between them. The findings reveal that despite the ubiquity of household poverty, youth unemployment, and paucity of infrastructure, stakeholders recreated structures, reoriented attitudes, developed self-efficacy, and deployed creativity. It has been found that stakeholders were able to come to a shared and contextualised understanding of the LfL principles. This engendered collaboration, co-ownership of the leading, teaching and learning activities, and their successful institutional absorption. Put differently, the successful incorporation of the LfL principles was driven by four practices: the stakeholders understood the principles based on their contextual realities; believed in their understanding; taught what they believed in; and practised what they taught. These findings are of practical relevance for policymakers and practitioners. Policymakers need to appreciate the importance of context in understanding and incorporating policy initiatives. Practitioners need to reorient their attitudes and practice, collaborate, form communal beliefs, and recognise, appreciate and harness their internal human capital to succeed. Further research is needed to understand the impact of communication technology - television soap operas, mobile phones and social media on leading, teaching and learning.

The programme provision in a third of further education (FE) colleges in England is poorly designed, according to Ofsted which inspect colleges in England, and does not provide post-16-year-olds the skills needed for employment. The policy landscape shapes the complex FE college environment. Often programme decision-making at strategic level does not respond to stakeholders’ needs or achieve stability and sustainability of these institutions. The aim of this research was to analyse programme decision-making in FE colleges in England. It focused on how FE colleges use the opportunities and constraints presented by their locality and context to tailor their programme provision whilst under pressure to meet the local needs for the provision of education and training and the expectations of the Ofsted inspection framework. A review of literature on the theories and models of decision-making led to the formation of research questions and a framework for the analysis of programme decision-making in FE college environment. Empirical data was collected by means of college principals and other senior managers in three contrasting FE colleges in England. Documentary analysis provided stimulus for interview questions and corroboration of evidence. The research found that programme decision-making is influenced by the opportunities and constraints presented by the locality of the FE college and a number of internal and external factors. It shows that FE leaders and managers who prioritise leadership for learning, which is characterised by a strong focus on learners’ learning experience, implement management approaches to the organisation of programme provision. Such focus informs the strategic directions to achieve effectiveness of programme provision and accountability, increase engagement with stakeholders and improve the sustainability of the college. The study shows that effective programme decision-making requires a collaborative approach involving the participation of stakeholders to provide a solution-driven method to managing programme provision in FE colleges.

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I denna studie har vi undersökt hur ledare i säljorganisationer beskriver att de skapar förutsättningar samt vilka strategier de använder sig av när det kommer till medarbetarnas lärande och utveckling. Vidare har vi undersökt hur ledarna beskriver sig själva i relation till medarbetarnas lärande och utveckling samt vad lärande har för betydelse för organisationen. Material till studien insamlades genom sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med de ledare som deltog. De teoretiska ramverk som användes var erfarenhetsbaserat lärande, ledarskap för lärande samt det humanistiska och det ledningsrationella perspektivet.  Vi har tittat på den insamlade empirin för att hitta både avvikelser och mönster mellan respondenternas upplevelser och uppfattningar för att sedan dra en allmängiltig slutsats, vilket kan liknas vid en induktiv ansats. Resultatet visar att ledare ser sig själva som ansvariga för medarbetarnas lärande och utveckling men att de endast har möjlighet att påverka lärandet och utvecklingen till viss del då individens egen vilja, engagemang, motivation eller nyfikenhet är avgörande för om lärande kommer äga rum. Vidare framkom det även att det finns olika ledarskapsstilar och roller som ledaren växlar mellan samt att ledaren använder sig av olika strategier för att skapa förutsättningar och underlätta lärande och utveckling hos medarbetarna. Lärande fann vi sker till stor del i informella miljöer och i det dagliga arbetet där formella lärandemiljöer fungerar som en stöttning i lärprocessen. Slutligen kunde vi konstatera att respondenterna beskrev att lärande och utveckling har en betydelse för organisationen både i form av ekonomisk vinning men också en mer välmående arbetsplats där individer mår bra och vill stanna kvar på. / In this study, we have examined how leaders in sales organizations describe that they create prerequisites and what strategies they use when it comes to employees' learning and development. Also, we have examined how these leaders describe themselves in relation to employees' learning and development and what significance learning has for the organization. The material of the study was collected through seven semi-structured interviews with the leaders who participated. The theoretical frameworks used were experiential learning, learning-oriented leadership as well as the humanistic and the management rational perspective.  We have looked at the collected empirical data to find both deviations and patterns between the respondents' experiences and perceptions to then make a general conclusion, which can be considered an inductive approach. The results show that leaders see themselves as responsible for employees' learning and development, but that they only could influence learning and development to some extent as the individual's own will, commitment, motivation or curiosity is decisive for whether learning will take place. Furthermore, it also emerged that there are different leadership styles and roles that the leader alternate between, and that the leader uses different strategies to create conditions and facilitate learning and development among employees. We found that learning takes place largely in informal environments and in the daily work where formal learning environments function as a support in the learning process. Finally, we could state that the respondents described that learning and development have an impact on the organization both in terms of financial gain but also a more prosperous workplace where individuals feel good and want to stay.

Οι μεγάλης εκτάσεως μεταρρυθμιστικές προσπάθειες που εφαρμόστηκαν στο δυτικό κόσμο τις τελευταίες δεκαετίες δεν κατέληξαν σε θεαματικά αποτελέσματα. Μπορεί να βελτιώθηκαν οι ικανότητες των εκπαιδευτικών και να εμπλουτίστηκαν οι γνώσεις τους, αλλά δεν κατόρθωσαν να ενεργοποιήσουν τη δημιουργικότητα τους. Αντίθετα τα τελευταία χρόνια εκφράζεται η άποψη ότι εστιασμένες παρεμβάσεις στα σχολεία, που το καθένα έχει τη δική του δυναμική ενδεχομένως να λειτουργούν πιο αποτελεσματικά. Για τους λόγους αυτούς στη διατριβή αυτή διερευνώνται διαδικασίες μέσα από τις οποίες ένα σχολείο μπορεί να ενεργοποιηθεί και να προωθήσει βελτιωτικές αλλαγές αξιοποιώντας τις δικές του δυνάμεις. Γίνεται απόπειρα να διαμορφωθεί ένα σύνθετο εργαλείο,το πορτραίτο, που θα μπορούσε να συμβάλλει σε προσπάθειες αυτοβελτίωσης του σχολείου. Στόχο του έχει να παράσχει μία εικόνα του σχολείου ως προς την ηγεσία για τη μάθηση, να δημιουργήσει κουλτούρας ανοιχτής και σοβαρής συζήτησης και να βοηθήσει τα μέλη της σχολικής κοινότητας να εντοπίσουν εστίες ανάπτυξης. Συνδυάζει ποσοτικά και ποιοτικά εργαλεία, που λειτουργούν συμπληρωματικά, στοχεύει στην οικοδόμηση γνώσης και συμβάλλει στη γεφύρωση της επιστημονικής με την εμπειρική γνώση. / The extensive reform efforts in the western world the recent decades didn’t end up to spectacular results. There might be improvements in the skills of teachers and enrichment of their knowledge but they didn’t manage to activate creativity. To the contrary in recent years there is a view that focused interventions in schools, each with a different dynamic, could be more effective. For these reasons this thesis researches processes through which a school can activate and promote improvement utilizing each own capability.There is an effort to format a complex tool, the portrait, which could contribute to self improvement efforts of the school. Its goal is to provide a picture of the school in regard to shared leadership for learning, to create a culture of open and in depth discussion and assist the members of the school community to identify possible focal points of growth.It combines quantitative and qualitative tools with complementary function, aims at knowledge building and bridges scientific and empirical knowledge.

For several years now, the healthcare service has been facing major recruitment challenges where the shortage of nurses is a reality. As time goes by and experienced employees leave the profession, managers are facing a transition to not only having a lack of resources but also a lack of competence. Insufficient staffing or competence can create negative consequences and further aggravate the basic problem of competence management. The overall purpose of this study is to create knowledge about the situation of unit managers regarding the competence management of nurses, by examining what conditions and tools   unit managers have in their leadership to handle this. The study examines the conditions and tools that unit managers describe that they have for managing competence and need thereof in the department. What tools regarding competence management / needs, how the tools look like and how they are used in relation to competence management, and whether the unit manager lacks any tools. Finally, the study describes how the unit manager handles the unit’s competence needs and competence management, through leadership. The study is based on theories in competence management, learning organizations, learning in the workplace and leadership. Specifically, four different departments are examined at an emergency hospital in central Sweden using a qualitative method. The empirical material comes from completed semi-structured interviews with a total of eight unit managers, which were analyzed based on a qualitative content analysis approach. The results of the study show how the unit managers have adopted different strategies for working with the prevailing competence management situation. Competence management is mostly described in terms of competence development. The unit managers describe limitations regarding the shortage of nurses and there are major challenges regarding the competence level of the department. The unit managers describe a need for a larger proportion of the group of nurses who have solid professional experience within the specialty of the   department. The results show different obstacles at different levels, where the goal to have a long-term and forward-looking focus, may stand aside. The unit managers describe that other things take up their time, where a large proportion of the worktime is spent on staffing, with the right competence. The study shows how the unit managers use or develop their own competence tools to facilitate competence management. Support from the organisation is in many issues lacking but demanded. About half of the unit managers use the region's competence tools. The unit manages describes some elements of a learning organization, but the holistic approach for the entire hospital is not in focus. Leadership is described as clear, present and that the goals of the unit are linked to the employees' motivation and development needs. The lack of nurses remaining, and the lack of experienced nurses in the unit affects the unit managers' daily work. A large part of the worktime is spent on recruitment, but also on constantly developing the competence of the employees in order to ensure good patient care.