In order to become "the most competitive and dynamic knowledge-based economy in the world capable of sustainable economic growth with more and better jobs and greater social cohesion" the European Union realizes its people as the most important asset. Moreover, every human becomes a value for the whole society. It makes significant to…

This field guide provides a look into education in relation to a concept that has already been established in science, business and therapy. This book will encourage and educate readers about systemic thinking through examples and ideas pertinent to education and its reform. Following a Foreword (Michael Fullan) and Introduction (Blane Despres),…

Background: The Council of Chief State School Officers' State Collaborative on Assessment and Student Standards Health Education Assessment Project (SCASS-HEAP) allows states to pool financial and human resources to develop effective ready-to-use health education assessment resources through a collaborative process. The purpose of this article is…

If the goal is to fundamentally change the culture inside schools, people need to move beyond the superficiality of professional learning communities and focus on a system of learners. Professional learning communities are in fact about establishing lasting new collaborative cultures. Collaborative cultures are ones that focus on building the…

System theory, which attests that any change in one component of a system will change other components, is fundamental to the communication discipline. Students are often provided with verbal metaphors (e.g., the machine metaphor) when learning about this theory but many times are not shown its complexity in an engaging manner. Additionally,…

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to review a systemic organizational change initiative for improving collaboration, innovation and value creation at a global telecom. Design/methodology/approach: Based on a comprehensive internal assessment Telenor identified core issues and challenges in supporting collaboration after several years of…

Addressing educational change through systems design allows disciplined inquiry into the complex and emerging social structures of this dynamic system. One such method, narrative story, provides a way to examine the historical and current-lived practice of those engaged in the educational system. As a design conversation, it encourages the…

Student data are gaining increased attention in education, spurred by accountability policies such as those contained in the federal No Child Left Behind legislation. Student data are useful for informing classroom practice, and user-friendly technologies for organizing and accessing data are enabling access by all teachers. In this study, we…

If fundamental change in education is to be lasting and effective, it must be a systemic transformation that pervades all aspects of the organization. The New American Schools Development Corporation (NASDC) mission requires rapid, comprehensive change. The Community Learning Centers program described in this document features systemic change with…

This book argues that schools are doing a better job than is commonly portrayed by the media and various commission reports. However, it cautions that schools must move beyond incremental improvements. One need not assume school failure to propose school reform. Chapter 1 examines limitations of the research that has portrayed a national…

This paper presents a newly-revised information technology curriculum and an interdisciplinary curriculum which couples information systems (IS) and computer science. Discussion includes changes in teaching and learning methods; technological developments; partnerships with businesses and educational institutions; a collaborative curriculum…

Although educational researchers are beginning to recognize the influence of organizational culture on organizational productivity, the term "organizational culture" has been defined from a variety of perspectives. This paper presents findings of a case study that investigated the cultural characteristics of a junior high school recognized for its…

This article provides a brief introduction to learning organization and systems thinking. It contains three experiential learning activities designed to teach systems thinking concepts. The first activity, "Pellets," helps learners discover the advantages of applying systems thinking to the solutions of workplace problems. The next two…

In response to a growing shift from management by activity to results-based management systems, the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) undertook a study to identify issues, expected outcomes, and recommended approaches related to the implementation of a results-based system for the Canadian College Partnership Program (CCPP). Data…

The education literature has not adequately considered the notion of change at its most fundamental level. This paper considers notions of institutional or social change from the ontological perspective of H. R. Maturana. The pattern of organization in living systems is defined by Maturana and Varela (1980) as "autopoiesis," a coined…