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South African higher education institutions as learning organisations : a leadership process model

Thesis (PhD)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT:Reform is one of the most controversial elements in higher education and has therefore
attracted much attention from within the academic community and from outside. The
present higher education scene is characterised by demands for transformation and
change, not only in South Africa but in Africa and the developed countries as well. The
pressures and demands for change come from outside the field of higher education as
well as from within. Some countries have been involved in the process of change and
transformation for a period of over thirty years, while others have just embarked on the
route or still have to start the change process.
The post-apartheid era has marked an era of profound change for South African higher
education institutions with concomitant legislation to ensure the change process. If
effective and successful transformation of higher education institutions and systems can
take place in South Africa with new models of transformation and the effective
integration of cultures and openness to change at all institutional levels, these models
could be instructive not only to Africa but also to the rest of the world and to academic
life universally. However, the demands for change worldwide indicates not only
towards new legislation but also towards flexible approaches and new forms of
institutional structures and leadership to accommodate the significant, rapid and
fundamental changes taking place in higher education and the realisation that
institutions of the future will be different from those of the past and the present.
In this study the influence of organisational models are used to establish a conceptual
framework towards the development of learning organisations. The study reflects on
how these new types of organisations will influence higher education institutions as
organisations. It also considers what will be expected of higher education institutions to
become learning organisations. Learning organisations have special qualities and higher
education institutions or teaching institutions do not automatically qualify as learning
organisations. The promise of the new millennium provides the higher educationcommunity with the opportunity to take stock of their position and to find out if they
possess the necessary skills and have the enabling structures to accommodate a new
world. Becoming a learning organisation involves more than a paradigm shift for higher
education institutions. It requires a revolution, a quantum leap towards individual
recognition and growth, leadership development and empowerment and institutional
learning. The Academic 'Process Leadership' Super structure provides the space,
structure and process for higher education organisations to re-organise and re-create
itself to fit the demands of a new world.
An analysis of leadership, leadership development and institutional change in higher
education institutions brought to the fore that these institutions have not been effective
in providing programmes that develop leaders because they simply do not know what is
necessary for effective leadership development. Institutions do not have an in-depth
understanding of leadership and they have not enculturated leadership development as a
core aspect and activity in higher education institutions. There is grave concern
regarding the development of 'soft' people skills. The qualitative research investigation
into the process of change towards learning organisations in higher education
institutions indicate that there are profound problems in the areas of leadership,
leadership development, people management and satisfaction, knowledge management
and learning dynamics. These areas form the core aspects within the new structures, that
of learning organisations.
The insights gained from the process analysis of five higher education institutions
indicate that the implementation of the academic leadership model as described in the
study will provide individual leaders with the necessary leadership skills to fulfill their
roles in the recreated empowered institutions. This process of leadership development,
as indicated in the study, could enable institutions to become learning organisations. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING:Die huidige konteks van hoer onderwys dui daarop dat verandering een van die
belangrikste, maar ook mees kontroversiele aspekte aangaande die studieveld is. Die
hoeronderwysomgewing asook hoeronderwysinstellings verkeer onder geweldige druk
van beide binne en buite die akademiese gemeenskap om te verander.
'n Analise van die huidige stand van sake en konteks van hoeronderwysinstellings dui
daarop dat verandering nie net in Suid-Afrika 'n faktor is en baie aandag geniet nie,
maar dat Afrika sowel as die ontwikkelde lande ook onder geweldige druk verkeer om
te transformeer. Sommige lande is al vir meer as dertig jaar betrokke by die proses van
verandering. Dit wil egter voorkom dat sommige van die ander lande Of nog glad nie
begin het nie 6f pas begin het met die proses van verandering en transformasie.
Die tydperk na 1994 en die oorgang na 'n nuwe demokratiese regenng m Suid-
Afrika was ook die begin van dramatiese verandering in die Suid-Afrikaanse
hoeronderwysomgewing. Die kwessie van verandering is nie net in sekere nasionale
beleidsdokumente aangespreek nie, maar ook in meegaande wetgewing. Indien
Suid-Afrikaanse hoeronderwysinstellings in staat sou wees om nuwe modelle te
kan akkommodeer en te kan verwesenlik terwyl hulle besig is met die transformasieen
veranderingsproses, kan hierdie modelle van nut en van waarde wees, nie net
vir Afrika nie, maar ook vir die ontwikkelde wereld en die internasionale
hoeronderwysgemeenskap.
Nuwe strukture en modelle kan ongelukkig nie net deur wetgewing daargestel word nie.
Instellings sal toeganklik moet wees vir moontlike nuwe vorms van leierskap,
leierskapsontwikkeling en die konsep van veranderde strukture om sodoende te kan
aanpas by die eise van 'n voortdurend veranderende wereld en die geweldige impak wat
verandering op hoeronderwysinstellings het. Hoeronderwysinstellings sal moet besef
dat instansies wat op die toekoms gerig word nie kan vashou aan ou uitgediendemodelle nie. Toekomsgerigte modelle verskil van die huidige vorms, sowel as die van
die verlede.
Die invloed van organisasiemodelle op hoeronderwysinstellings verskaf konseptuele
verwysingsraamwerke vir die ontwikkeling van nuwe begrippe en konsepte.
Die konsepte help om rigting aan te dui en te bepaal wat van instansies verwag
word om sodoende te kan verander na lerende organisasies. Dit is belangrik om
kennis te neem dat lerende organisasies spesifieke eienskappe het en dat
hoeronderwysinstellings nie sonder meer gereken en geklassifiseer kan word as lerende
organisasies nie. Hierdie nuwe vorm van organisasiestruktuur sal 'n fundamentele
invloed he op institusionele prosesse asook op die manier waarop instellings in die
toekoms bedryf sal word. In die nuwe millennium sal hierdie paradigmaskuif die
geleentheid aan hoeronderwysinstellings voorsien om nie net revolusioner te verander
nie maar ook om 'n kwantumsprong te maak na die belangrike mens- en
leervaardighede. Hierdie vaardighede is nie net noodsaaklik vir die ontwikkeling om 'n
lerende organisasie te word nie, dit maak ook die kern uit van hierdie nuwe
organlsaSles.
Die proses van akademiese leierskap en leierskapsontwikkeling, soos wat voorgestel
word in die model van die Akademiese Leierskapsproses Superstruktuur sal aan
instellings die geleentheid bied om die noodsaaklike leierskapsvaardighede te
ontwikkel. Dit sal ook die kreatiewe en innoverende omgewing skep wat dit vir hierdie
soort organisasie strukture moontlik sal maak om nuut te kan ontwikkel en sodoende in
staat sal stel om te kan herorganiseer binne 'n konteks van groter aanpasbaarheid.
Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie en navorsingsanalise ten opsigte van leierskap,
leierskapsontwikkeling en die proses van verandering en transformasie het aangedui dat
hoeronderwysinstellings in Suid-Afrika nie effektief ontwikkel ten einde lerende
organisasies te word nie. Die ondersoek dui daarop dat instellings nie die onderliggende
elemente van die begrip "leierskap" verstaan nie. Leierskap en leierskapsontwikkeling
maak tans nie deel uit van die huidige institusionele kultuur nie.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/53059
Date January 2002
CreatorsVan der Westhuizen, André Jeánne
ContributorsKapp C.A., Bitzer E.M., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Education. Dept. of Curriculum Studies.
PublisherStellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Source SetsSouth African National ETD Portal
Languageen_ZA
Detected LanguageUnknown
TypeThesis
Format420 p
RightsStellenbosch University

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