Date of Submission
8-9-2022
Document Type
OIP
Degree
Doctor of Education
Department
Education
Keywords
Complexity leadership theory, adaptive space, strategic foresight, interdisciplinary collaboration, organizational architecture, Centre for Teaching and Learning
Abstract
In response to the myriad of pressures we are experiencing across the higher education landscape, many colleges and universities are exploring different ways to manage and drive change within their institutions. Centres for Teaching and Learning (CTLs) are well-positioned to be high-impact drivers of change in this evolving educational arena. With this comes the expectation that they will emulate and promote innovative practices and creative approaches when addressing many of our most complex academic challenges. Increased agility, cooperation, and strategic foresight within these centres are necessary to detect, respond, and adapt to anticipated future changes and disruptions. However, coordinating such a broad array of resources among CTL departments coupled with interpersonal implications often associated with organizational change and transformation can pose ongoing challenges for leadership. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) will address these issues within the context of a teaching and learning centre at a mid-sized college in Southern Alberta. It will focus specifically on the fluctuating demands and functionality of the centre and the need for increased agility, cooperation, and collaboration among CTL departments to respond more effectively to our continuously shifting circumstances. This is accomplished by exploring the relational and systemic nature of the problem through the lens of complexity leadership theory and its three entangled leadership models: adaptive leadership, enabling leadership, and administrative leadership. The outcome is a strategy theoretically grounded in social cognition theory and a leadership model for cultivating adaptive capacity and leadership competence in strategic foresight.
Recommended Citation
Doherty, J. H. (2022). A Blueprint for Promoting Innovation, Interdisciplinary Teamwork, and Collaboration. The Organizational Improvement Plan at Western University, 304. Retrieved from https://ir.lib.uwo.ca/oip/304