A New Theory of Organizational Ecology, and its Implications for Educational Leadership

Description

This book provides a timely and comprehensive response to the widely acknowledged serious failings in our current knowledge of organizational leadership and culture, providing an ecologically inspired approach which unifies knowledge and practice across all of the pivotal organisational elements of leadership, culture, teamwork, creativity, complexity and wisdom. Drawing on case studies from Australia and New Zealand, Branson and Marra argue that just as ecosystems are systems of connected elements through which the energy needed to maintain the health of the system must readily flow, an organisation is also a connected system that equally requires a healthy flow of energy in order to achieve its core purpose. Their theory of organizational ecology describes how organizational connectivity, as revealed by the quality of the relationships among the people and the parts of the organization, provides the conduit through which the essential energy (in the form of knowledge, information, ideas, innovation, and support sharing) must flow. Through the application of the theory of organizational ecology, Branson and Marra illustrate how a leader must grow their leadership knowledge and wisdom in order to develop the organization's people and culture so that it is fully able to accomplish the desired vision, mission and core purpose.

Christopher M. Branson is Professor of Educational Leadership and Director of Catholic Leadership Studies in the Faculty of Education and Arts at the Australian Catholic University, Australia. Maureen Marra is Director of the inLeadership consultancy based in Waikato, New Zealand.

This book offers more than a new perspective, it provocatively presents new theory, premised on the recognition that people make organisations. Incorporating conceptualisations of CAS, it challenges seminal and contemporary work before focusing on implications for education and its leadership. Each chapter includes an abstract and conclusion, clearly signalling the connectivity between the main themes. * Dr Deirdre Torrance, Senior Research Fellow in Educational and School Leadership, University of Glasgow, UK *