Date of Submission
7-26-2020
Document Type
DiP
Degree
Doctor of Education
Department
Education
Keywords
internationalization, engagement, dual operating system, adaptive leadership, system leadership, social network theory
Abstract
This organizational improvement plan, undergirded by social network theory, addresses the lack of engagement by many organizational members with an ambitious internationalization goal at Sky College (a pseudonym). The institutional climate is one in which day-to-day challenges prevail and motives for internationalization are questioned. Drawing on system and adaptive leadership, and within the functionalist paradigm, the case is made for advancing 4 factors to increase engagement with internationalization: a shared vision and understanding of internationalization, improving internal communication systems, fostering knowledge creation and sharing, and increasing connections in the network. The proposed solution is a 12-month series of focus on internationalization workshops, presentations, knowledge sharing, and dialogue (Series). To achieve these goals, deliver a successful Series, and advance internationalization as a greater strategic initiative, an integrated framework of change based on the change path model and the dual operating system is presented. Series implementation is situated in the awakening and mobilization phases of the change path model. The framework of change emphasizes creating and maintaining urgency around the big opportunity of internationalization, refining the change vision, and clarifying and adjusting Sky College’s internationalization change initiatives. Although the proposed Series may appear to be a simple solution, from a system leadership perspective, it can prove impactful. This approach can create opportunities for collaboration, mobilize stakeholders, and foster an environment in which the change becomes self-sustaining, becoming embedded within the institution. Similarly, from an adaptive leadership perspective, the Series promotes stakeholders as becoming change agents who collaboratively find their way to solutions. Change leaders work to deepen the debate, facilitate focus, and awaken and mobilize the system toward the desired future state. The Series aims to accomplish this outcome and prime Sky College and its organizational members for achieving the internationalization plan’s ambitious goals.
Recommended Citation
Wheeler, I. (2020). Advancing Employee Engagement With Internationalization Through Networked Leadership Approaches at a Canadian Community College. The Organizational Improvement Plan at Western University, 164. Retrieved from https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/oip/164