Blazing New Trails - Connexions

Superintendent Leadership as the Catalyst for Organizational Learning 75
organizational level while also promoting, facilitating, and strengthening interactions and
relationships among district staff to transform the core technology of curriculum and
instruction (Leithwood & Aitken, 1995; Morgan & Petersen, 2002; Murphy & Hallinger,
1986; Petersen, 1999). These interactions result in the sharing of ideas to solve problems in
groups and networking that foster high levels of personal growth and commitment to the
organization (Elmore, 2000; Leithwood & Aitken, 1995; Leithwood et al., 1998; Marzano et
al., 2005; Seashore Louis et al., 2010). For schools to successfully address the demands of the
myriad of external pressures emphasizing improved academic outcomes requires a model of
leadership that capitalizes on social influence and transforms school practices and beliefs
leading to instructional effectiveness.
This study depicts leadership for organizational learning as a process that expands the
capability of an organization by integrating the vision, communication, routines, and context
within an environment of external pressures. District leadership emerged in this study as the
catalyst to create and sustain a climate conducive to organizational learning by linking
curriculum and instruction, personal motivation, and structural elements to create norms and
collective practices leading to improved academic achievement. However, in order to promote
this process in an educational environment, and to ensure the academic improvement of
students, this study demonstrated that the superintendent must have the ability to transform
members’ beliefs and strengthen interorganizational relationships. Relational communication
was evident and required for organizational learning, and organizational learning is essential
to school effectiveness (Kowalski, 2005).
Evidence from this district demonstrated an ability to sustain improved academic
achievement and suggested the superintendent’s utilization of the entire organization to
increase commitment and shared purpose influenced the degree in which learning occurred at
the organizational level. The actions and behaviors of the superintendent focused on
strengthening the network of relationships across and within the organizational levels of the
district rather than the typical organization’s communication structure, intentionally
establishing a line of authority. District personnel worked together toward the same goal to
collaborate for problem solving and self reflection on practices and to maintain open
communication among all levels of the organization. The implication of these findings as they
relate to organizational learning suggested that a leader’s focus on the interplay between
followers and less on the role of leader and follower builds the capacity for organizational
learning. The result of the superintendent’s actions established effective lines of
communication where stakeholders realized the benefits and were motivated to meet both
informally and in the districts formally established routines. This environment promoted twoway
communications to perpetuate a change toward academic achievement where all staff
members became change agents. Leadership effectiveness was dependent on the
superintendent’s capacity to establish a sense of community throughout the district by
encouraging and supporting horizontal communicative interactions through dialogue focused
on the vision.
Based on the findings of this study, public accountability discussions through a shared
practice of problem solving would strengthen the expectation of school improvement.
Discussions served as a tool for reflection, problem solving, and development of an action
plan based on shared experiences and expertise within a collaborative team among teachers as
well as principals. While it was not explicitly stated, public accountability resulted in a shared
practice of problem solving and a deeper understanding of issues impacting their school site.
There was a shared norm of accountability among all levels of the district, and no single
administrator was left to resolve issues alone. The strength of this communication network