Instituto de Estudios Políticos y Derecho Público "Dr. Humberto J. La Roche"
de la Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Políticas de la Universidad del Zulia
Maracaibo, Venezuela
Publicación cientíca en formato digital
ISSN-Versión Impresa 0798-1406 / ISSN-Versión on line 2542-3185
Depósito legal pp 197402ZU34
ppi 201502ZU4645
Vol.40 N° 74
2022
Recibido el 01/07/22 Aceptado el 15/09/22
ISSN 0798- 1406 ~ De pó si to le gal pp 198502ZU132
Cues tio nes Po lí ti cas
La re vis ta Cues tio nes Po lí ti cas, es una pu bli ca ción aus pi cia da por el Ins ti tu to
de Es tu dios Po lí ti cos y De re cho Pú bli co “Dr. Hum ber to J. La Ro che” (IEPDP) de la Fa-
cul tad de Cien cias Ju rí di cas y Po lí ti cas de la Uni ver si dad del Zu lia.
En tre sus ob je ti vos fi gu ran: con tri buir con el pro gre so cien tí fi co de las Cien cias
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avan ces o re sul ta dos de in ves ti ga ción en las áreas de Cien cia Po lí ti ca y De re cho Pú bli-
co, los cua les son so me ti dos a la con si de ra ción de ár bi tros ca li fi ca dos.
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Re vis ta Cues tio nes Po lí ti cas. Av. Gua ji ra. Uni ver si dad del Zu lia. Nú cleo Hu ma nís ti co. Fa-
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Vol. 40, Nº 74 (2022), 474-496
IEPDP-Facultad de Ciencias Jurídicas y Políticas - LUZ
Characteristics of a school in the
political context of what a learning
organization means
DOI: https://doi.org/10.46398/cuestpol.4074.26
Paulina Palujanskiene *
Biruta Svagzdiene **
Abstract
The main objective of this article was to identify the
characteristics of a school that eectively becomes a learning
organization and the need to improve it in the political context
of the learning organization. To reveal the theoretical and
empirical bases of the article, methods of analysis, synthesis,
quantitative research and results processing were applied. The
results presuppose that school administration, peer support
and favorable infrastructure have a positive impact on the
development of personal skills of community members. In this sense, the
improvement of learning competence and innovation is identied with
openness to the environment, to other communities and a high level of
internal communication culture. It is concluded that, schools as fundamental
learning organizations to identify themselves and their environment as
a team, to develop an intuitive systematic sense (part of the system; we-
system), need to drive a clear and eective communication structure, in
coherence with the strategic and systemic processes of adequate response to
the needs of the community, all of which legitimizes it with social approval
and more internal and external supports.
Keywords: school; learning organization; political context;
communication; political meanings.
* Lithuanian Sports University, Kaunas, Lithuania. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5737-
5407
** Lithuanian Sports University, Kaunas, Lithuania. ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6016-
6019
475
CUESTIONES POLÍTICAS
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Características de una escuela en el contexto político
de lo que signica una organización de aprendizaje
Resumen
El objetivo principal de este artículo fue identicar las características
de una escuela que se convierte, efectivamente, en una organización
de aprendizaje y la necesidad de mejorarla en el contexto político de la
organización de aprendizaje. Para revelar las bases teóricas y empíricas
del artículo, se aplicaron métodos de análisis, síntesis, investigación
cuantitativa y procesamiento de resultados. Los resultados presuponen
que la administración de la escuela, el apoyo de los compañeros y la
infraestructura favorable tienen un impacto positivo en el desarrollo de las
habilidades personales de los miembros de la comunidad. En este sentido,
la mejora de la competencia de aprendizaje y la innovación se identica
con la apertura al medio ambiente, a otras comunidades y un alto nivel
de cultura de comunicación interna. Se concluye que, las escuelas como
organizaciones fundamentales de aprendizaje para identicarse a sí mismas
y a su entorno como un equipo, para desarrollar un sentido sistemático
intuitivo (parte del sistema; nosotros-sistema), necesitan impulsar una
estructura de comunicación comunicación clara y efectiva, en coherencia
con los procesos estratégicos y sistémicos de respuesta adecuada a las
necesidades de la comunidad, todo lo cual la legitima con aprobación social
y más apoyos internos y externos.
Palabras clave: escuela; organización de aprendizaje; contexto político;
comunicación; signicados políticos.
Introduction
The creation and development of an information and knowledge-based
society and knowledge economy are perceived as one of the most important
priorities for the multifaceted development and progress of modern society
(Melnikas et al., 2017; Lau et al., 2018; Švagždienė et al., 2020). This change
has intensied as the world moves into the knowledge and information
society (Kvedaraitė, 2009).
Inevitably, educational institutions face the need for competencies in
the formulation and implementation of competition policy, the meaning of
learning and skills to inuence the organization as new opportunities, which
in itself requires knowledge based on innovative approaches (Sabaitytė,
2017; Šneiderienė et al., 2020).
According to Kudokiene and Juodaitytė (2005), the Lithuanian general
education school needs new competencies and resources, therefore the
476 Paulina Palujanskiene y Biruta Svagzdiene
Characteristics of a school in the political context of what a learning organization means
education strategy becomes inseparable from the perspectives of economic
and social development. In this case, it is no longer enough for the school,
in a broad sense, to follow traditional norms of activity organization or
classical models (Peleckienė, 2014; Garbenis and Palujanskiene, 2021).
There is a great responsibility in choosing the diverse, interdisciplinary
knowledge required for performance improvement (Kvedaraitė, 2009).
Another equally important stage is the creative use of this knowledge
in designing and modeling the activities of the organization. This requires
the continuous improvement of the school as an organization and it is
becoming dierent, qualitatively new, i. y. a learning organization that
justies the expectations that dene the ability to eectively organize
improvement processes, the development of a systemic approach, the
concentration of knowledge, skills, human resources for individual and
teamwork (Valuckienė et al., 2015; Joyce and Paorella, 2016; Tortorella et
al., 2020).
The functioning of the school as a learning organization, the analysis of
the current situation, the case studies of which are lacking, can presuppose
the conditions for more ecient processing of this knowledge and its
practical application.
The work aims to determine the features of a school that becomes a
learning organization and the need for their improvement in the political
context of the learning organization.
Problematic questions:
• What are the features of a school becoming a learning organization?
• What is the need to improve the features of a school that becomes a
learning organization?
1. Material and methods
Research methods. The analysis of scientic literature and document
content is applied to reveal the theoretical basis of the work to dene the
possible behavior of the school as a learning organization on a theoretical
and practical basis during the measurement of current results and seeing
its perspectives.
The main advantages of document content analysis, which determined the
choice for analysis, are that this method allows working with a large amount
of text, allows broad and diverse interpretation of data while distinguishing
strict, clear, and standardized analysis rules, which increases the objectivity
of results. Also, for the empirical part, the method of quantitative survey
(questionnaire prepared according to Senge (1990) conceptual models) was
used, grouping the answers of the questions according to the Likert scale.
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The study was conducted in 2020 June - September 22 teachers and
administration representatives from 5 dierent schools were interviewed.
The research was organized following the provisions of research ethics.
2. Theoretical aspects of a school learning organization in a
political context
In the European education area, as well as in Lithuanian general
education, the economic, cultural, and social context of the country is
important in the process of constant dynamic processes, initiating and
planning changes in the education system, discussing the scenarios of
general education development. The creation and development of an
information and knowledge-based society and knowledge economy are
perceived as one of the most important priorities of the multifaceted
development and progress of modern society (Melnikas et al., 2017).
All these aspects are based on information and knowledge, so there are
many identical concepts, explanations, and descriptions in the scientic
literature, but which cannot always be considered synonymous: information
society, knowledge society, knowledge-based society, knowledge
management, knowledge economy, learning organization, etc. (Melnikas et
al., 2017; Švagždienė et al., 2020).
Analyzing the meaning of learning and its impact on both the
organization and the individual, its professional and personal development,
it is emphasized that learning is a way of survival, capacity building,
enabling it to change, i. y. to cope with changes and take advantage of new
opportunities (Garbenis and Palujanskiene, 2021; Šneiderienė et al., 2020).
Many authors in the scientic literature have described the concept
of the information society, knowledge society, learning organization
(Örtenblad, 2018). The dierence between the denitions of a learning
organization developed by these authors is highlighted by the presentation
and development of dierent ways of learning.
Analyzing the concept of the information society, following the chain
principle presented by Jucevičienė (2007), which reects the cause-and-
eect relationship, such a formulation is usable in studying models of how
technical-technological development preconditions are created in society,
knowledge society the practical possibilities of the learning organization are
realized in the society and the learning company. According to Atkočiūnienė
and Petronytė (2018), the knowledge society is a continuation of the
information society, a higher stage of the development of the information
society, covering social, cultural, economic, and political aspects of
transformation.
478 Paulina Palujanskiene y Biruta Svagzdiene
Characteristics of a school in the political context of what a learning organization means
It should be emphasized that the concept of realization of lifelong
learning is reected in the learning society. Peleckienė (2014) notes that all
descriptions of the concept of a learning organization refer to the acquisition
of knowledge, its updating, interpretation, transfer, transformation. Other
researchers (Kuşcua, 2015; Örtenblad, 2018) have found that a learning
organization can be described as an institution with specic responsibilities
that are constantly concerned with proper decision-making.
It is mostly based on the provision to focus more resources and resources
on its activities. An organization, as a service organization, is a learner when
its employees act in a consensual manner, sharing information properly,
acting in a planned manner, clearly developing their foundations, pursuing
operational policies, and making decisions. The formation of a learning
organization in Lithuania in the context of lifelong learning remains a
challenge.
The learning organization must act according to what employees need
to know about the organization itself when making decisions, i. y. according
to its operational objectives, goals, environmental factors, and structures
or culture (Kuşcua, 2015; Shao et al., 2017), a learning organization is a
learning process in which managers try to increase the ability of members
to better manage the organization and its environment.
Learning organizations are those organizations where people are
constantly increasing their competence to achieve results, where team
aspirations are freely expanding, and where people are constantly learning to
see the whole (Skrickienė et al., 2018). Golmoradi and Ardabili (2016) note
that learning organizations are constantly renewed, and the knowledge and
value base of the organization changes during the learning process. These
changes lead to better problem-solving skills (Garbenis and Palujanskiene,
2021).
It should be noted that members of society who lose or do not have a
real opportunity to initiate the creation of new knowledge and innovation,
do not have real conditions and abilities to disseminate and eectively use
new knowledge and ideas, in principle become mere executors. They have
very limited powers and perform exclusively executive functions, even in
areas where signicant innovative changes are taking place (Melnikas et
al., 2017).
Tortorella et al. (2020) notes that organizational learning can be seen
as a process of improvement based on a clearer understanding and deeper
knowledge directly related to the organizational culture and environment.
Therefore, in dening the characteristics of a learning organization.
Learning is linked to organizational strategy; employees are actively
involved in creating a learning organization; encouraging cooperation,
creating a favorable climate; exible remuneration; inter-organizational
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learning; self-education opportunities for all; encouraging managers
to constantly learn, improve, take an interest in new things, respond to
the suggestions of other employees (Atkočiūnienė and Petronytė, 2018;
Švagždienė et al., 2020). Senge (1990) argues that only a comprehensive
holistic approach to an organization, assessing various aspects of its
development, can bring the eorts of the members of the organization the
closest to the result.
Analyzing the content of scholars who interpret the content of the
Learning Organization Theory dierently (Örtenblad, 2018), the pioneer
Senge (1990) stands out. According to this author, the overall quality of the
whole is determined not by the individual parts, which consist of a common
vision of the organization, thinking patterns, personal mastery, teamwork,
and systemic thinking, individual performance, but by the qualitative
compatibility and close connection of all these parts. It is this action that
presupposes synergy and, consequently, the expected result.
Knowledge, learning, and innovation are the foundation of a modern
organization’s success, as acquiring information and learning new ways
to do things are essential to improving an organization’s performance
(Pea and Cole, 2019). Putrienė and Vaičekauskienė (2014) state that after
analyzing various social parameters, it can be predicted that in Lithuania
and the future it will not be possible to distance oneself from unique cultural
experiences and essential values.
In addition, in the light of current trends in Europe, it must be emphasized
that the social environment will become increasingly important, with living
and working conditions, income levels, education, and the choice of values
and subcultures in the communities to which they belong, the behavior of
individual groups (and thus of society as a whole) is formed. As information
and communication technologies penetrate more and more rapidly into
everyday life, the nature of learning will change, lifelong learning and
lifelong learning will expand.
3. Analysis of learning organization theories
When analyzing the topic of the work, it is important to follow the
rationale of the relevant theories. This work was based on the theories of
the Learning Organization (Senge, 1990; Peleckienė, 2014), Self-taught,
and Social Constructivism (Vygotsky, 1978). It is important to give a brief
overview of each of them when discussing the applicability of this article.
The theory of the learning organization is based on the experience
of the learning organizations. It is stated that only a comprehensive,
holistic approach to the organization - considering various aspects of its
480 Paulina Palujanskiene y Biruta Svagzdiene
Characteristics of a school in the political context of what a learning organization means
development, can bring the eorts of the members of the organization the
closest to the result.
The pioneer Senge (1990) criticized the fragmentation of the modern
world, the fragmentation, and the view that the improvement of individual
elements of the system will determine its successful operation. It is
important to mention that many other scholars explain the content of the
Learning Organization Theory in their way, but this could be explored more
widely and in more detail in future scientic works.
Figure 1. Systematic image of a learning organization
Source: Palujanskiene and Svagzdiene (2020) based on Senge (1990); Valuckienė et. al. (2015)
When analyzing the systematic representation of a learning organization
by researchers (Senge, 1990; Valuckienė et al., 2015), it is important to
identify the circumstances and components of the functioning of the
learning system (see Figure 1). A space of learning and change, depicted as
a constantly rotating circle of organizational structure (area of action) and
deep learning cycle (area of long-term change).
It reveals how new experiences improve existing competencies
(professional and personal). The (expected) result is not individual skills
that have been improved or acquired, but that all of them are relevant
competencies.
It has a positive eect on the formation of a positive, trust-based
relationship between the individual and the organization, promotes
motivation, conscious responsibility, and fosters together, the transformation
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of self-identication from “them” to “we”. Over time, the goals set by the
organization and its community members no longer become higher goals-
aspirations, but the strategy is recognized by the entire organization, in
which the processes of learning and change are implemented organically.
This stage is characterized by a change in the understanding of the
relationship between personality self-perception and the surrounding
environment, being able to observe and objectively assess not only the
consequences of processes or phenomena but also to substantiate and
explain the reasons for it. Jucevičienė (2007) states that a learning
organization is created over a long time, although individual changes can
occur quickly.
The “learning circle” rotates in interaction with the activity space
(Valuckienė et. al., 2015) denes the term activity space as the social
environment surrounding the individual in the organization and its
formation process, which is depicted as a rectangle in the systematic
learning organization model, emphasizing that all these schematic parts
are equally important and closely related to each other. It is important to
recognize that essential ideas do not arise by themselves in an organization.
The added value of an organization is created by the people who work
in it, so it is important to focus not only on infrastructural innovations,
search for operating methods or tools, renement of key ideas or vision, but
also full empowerment of human resources. It must be acknowledged that,
in many cases, professional competencies can be acquired or improved as
needed over time - they are acquired. In contrast to personal ones, they are
often not acquired but only improved.
The internal vision of the members of the organizational community
must coincide with the vision of the organization. Decision-making and
sharing of responsibilities is also a joint process of the organization and its
members. However, for the eective assumption of such responsibilities,
adequate and wide-ranging understanding of organizational situations,
rational decision-making, members of the organization’s community must
be ready - “mature” in terms of awareness and rationality.
According to Zakarevičius (2012), when objective conditions requiring
change are created, only organizations with the so-called internal critical
potential that can ensure the increase of business opportunities can develop.
The main factor in this formation is the increase of sta qualications to a
level that can inuence positive changes.
Thus, the preconditions for the development of a fundamental
organization do not lie in the changes in its external environment, but
the “critical mass” of internal potential (sta of appropriate maturity). If
this “critical mass” is too small, the organization cannot move to a higher
quality state, it cannot even adequately assess and respond to changes in
the environment.
482 Paulina Palujanskiene y Biruta Svagzdiene
Characteristics of a school in the political context of what a learning organization means
Thus, an organization that has not examined the “maturity” of its
employees before the start of organizational-change processes risks
encountering diculties in the process. This in turn will slow down,
disorganize activities, require unplanned nancial, time, and energy
investments, reduce concentration and work ethic, and possible employee
rotation in the middle of a process-change can negatively aect overall
motivation or even the microclimate. The way to avoid this, or at least to
prepare for it, is to implement a multifaceted self-audit of human resources,
which would allow community members to be directed to work in areas
where their competencies would be most eective, thus minimizing the risk
of risk.
An equally important element is the self-reection and feedback of the
members of the organization’s community, which allows individuals and
the organization to monitor and record progress, identify diculties, solve
and improve them, rene the most eective methods and tools.
Self-education researchers emphasize theories of social learning,
experiential learning, and action, which reveal the transformation of the
educational paradigm from the traditional (teaching paradigm) to the
modern (learning paradigm) and justify a new approach to human learning
through continuous observation and reective study of the environment.
experience, knowledge, activities, both individually and in partnership.
The theory of social constructivism emphasizes learning not as an
autonomous activity of social life, especially in an educational institution,
but as an interaction between cognitive behavior and environmental
determinants, when the learner and the environment interact. As the
boundaries between education, leisure, work, and learning activities
disappear, the organization of education becomes only one of the many
environments in which individual learning takes place (Linkaitytė and
Žilinskaitė, 2007).
According to Lithuanian researchers (Žydžiūnaitė et al., 2012; Garbenis
and Palujanskiene, 2021), it can be stated that an individual learner is
characterized by the following competencies and abilities: the ability to,
identify learning needs; meta-learning competence (learning planning;
selection of the necessary learning strategy; realization of learning feedback;
adjustment of the learning plan and its implementation in a managerial
sense); ability to learn in social interaction processes (to recognize and
use educational and learning environments); lifelong learning competence
(motivation for continuous improvement and learning); reection
competence (learning from experience and learning in and out of activity);
the ability to take responsibility for learning, the need to be independent.
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4. The schematization of features in the context of a school
learning organization
According to researchers (Örtenblad, 2018; Peleckienė, 2014; Valuckienė
et al., 2015), today’s schools undoubtedly face the challenges of a dynamic
environment. Naming the causality of this, it should be mentioned that
the change of the society, becoming more and more a knowledge and
information society, had a decisive inuence on this, and the school had to
reconsider its direction from its organizational point of view.
As the world moves into the knowledge and information society, the
Lithuanian general education school operates in a changing and constantly
evolving environment, where it faces the ability to act in dynamic conditions,
problems and challenges, and the need for new competencies and resources.
The school has to select the diverse or interdisciplinary knowledge needed
to improve its activities and use it creatively in designing and modeling
these activities, new strategies.
This requires the continuous development of the school as an organization
and it is becoming a dierent - qualitatively new - learning organization,
guided by the features of a modern organization. Senge (1990), the pioneer
of learning organization research, in his book The Fifth Discipline, outlines
ve disciplines (see Figure 2) that are specic to a learning organization.
Figure 2. Five disciplines of a learning organization according to P. Senge
Source: Senge, 1990.
Disciplines include the importance of personal excellence as members
of an organization name and deepen their visions, concentrating their
energy on knowing reality. The signicance of thinking patterns, when to
change the quality of the result, it is necessary to change the actions as well,
and for the actions to change, the decisions inuencing them, which are
determined by the changed thinking, must change.
Peculiarities of shared vision in an organization are also dened when
according to Senge (1990) it is not the exact wording that is important in
this process, but the fact that all participants in future activities would have
484 Paulina Palujanskiene y Biruta Svagzdiene
Characteristics of a school in the political context of what a learning organization means
the opportunity to actively participate in developing the organization’s
overall vision.
Equally important is team learning, where the work team is considered
the most important unit of the learning organization, and when the team
focuses on learning, the competencies of each of its members increase.
And all-encompassing System thinking. This discipline unites all the
previously mentioned disciplines and their activities. Systematic thinking
helps members of an organization understand that both the world and the
organization are made up of dierent individual parts, and allows them to
see the big picture.
However, the methodologies of a learning organization according
to Senge (1990) are not the only tools to guide an organization towards
becoming a learner. Other authors (Pedler et al., 1991; Jucevičienė, 2007)
identify 11 managerial characteristics of a learning organization that the
organization must follow and distinguish, as well as the Invest model (Pearn
et al., 1995). It can be observed that Senge’s (1990) model is more focused
on highlighting the learner than on enabling him to learn.
The characteristics identied by Pedler et al. (1991) are intended to enable
learning but do not emphasize learning itself and the questionable reality
of applying such a list remains questionable. The INVEST model takes an
intermediate position, emphasizing both learning and empowerment.
After analyzing and summarizing the information of these researchers, it
is possible to dene the general features of the school-learning organization
(see Figure 3).
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Figure 3. General features of a school-learning organization
Source: Palujanskiene and Svagzdiene (2020) based on Senge (1990); Pedler et al.
(1991); Pearn et al. (1995).
It is important to emphasize that an organization seeking to answer
whether it is a learning organization and how it can become a learner should
answer ve questions (Senge, 1990; Jucevičienė, 2007; Peleckienė, 2014)
about whether the organization has a dened learning agenda. whether it
is open to conicting information, or avoids repetitive mistakes, or loses
essential knowledge when key people leave or act based on what it knows.
Depending on the results, raise them as your organization’s aspirations
until they become incorporated features of the organization. To determine
the duration, how long it may take an organization to become a learner of
others Jucevičienė (2007), in the opinion of a learner organization is not
created in a short time, although some changes can occur quickly.
A comprehensive assessment of the school’s self-creation dispute
suggests that the impact of societal change is inevitable. The most eective
strategy for becoming a learning organization depends on the situation of
the individual organization. The best methodologies for every organization
are not available today. However, organizations and their communities are
taking a crucial step in becoming learners by agreeing that learning can
be managed and directed towards streamlining, achieving, and sustaining
organizational performance, rather than a process in itself. As stated earlier,
school research exclusively as learning organizations is still lacking.
486 Paulina Palujanskiene y Biruta Svagzdiene
Characteristics of a school in the political context of what a learning organization means
Analyzing the theoretical material in terms of the processes and
structures of the learning organization and assessing the positive changes
in schools in recent decades, hypothetical considerations emerge that
a school characterized by the characteristics of a learning organization
strengthens the range of services provided. It does this by developing inter-
institutional cooperation, developing the dissemination of good practice to
create a wider choice of services, improve their quality, increase students’
involvement and motivation in the services oered, which has a positive
eect on their success, more productive prospects, and more.
5. Results
Analyzing the research data from the point of view of personal mastery
discipline, managers ‘attention to teachers’ learning is positively assessed
and accepted (86% of respondents fully agree with the statement), other
members of the community favor each other, noticing and emphasizing
another member’s progress (68% agree partially, 23% - fully agree),
developed infrastructure and accessibility to ensure learning conditions
(86% of respondents are in favor). There is a desire to improve and
encourage the relevant areas in the organization to be highlighted as an
improved provision, regardless of how favorably the area is viewed at the
moment.
Figure 4. Percentage of the statement “The individual ability of each member of
the community to learn is assessed at school”
Source: composed by the author
According to the respondents, the work of organizations is positively
correlated with the personal goals and expectations of community members.
The position on improvement, support of learning coincides. As can be
seen in Figure 4. as many as 68% of respondents say that the individual
ability of each member of the community to learn is assessed at school,
27% - partially, but in terms of perspective development, opinions diered:
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64% agree with the statement partially or completely agree that this area
should be continuous, constantly is being developed and maintained, with
36% believing that the assessment level is currently sucient and there is
no need to invest additional time or energy costs.
Personal mastery, according to Senge (1990), discipline emphasizes the
importance of personal mastery as members of an organization name and
deepen their visions, concentrating their energy on cognition of reality.
Employees, realizing that they are part of the organization, constantly
develop their creativity, ll in their knowledge gaps, and want to become
more motivated, so the developed personal mastery makes it easier for the
employee to take on challenges. in terms of the ability to reasonably assess
the situation and express a position, individually according to the needs of
each member of the community, which are undoubtedly dierent.
It can be said that the support of the administration, colleagues, and
favorable infrastructure has a positive impact on the development of
personal mastery in a community member organization. Learning learners
develop a broader attitude, critical thinking, set high professional goals, are
demanding of themselves and the surrounding environment, community
participants.
Analyzing the research data from the disciplinary point of view of
thinking models, a responsible approach and real initiation of actions
are observed (59% of respondents say so) concerning the community’s
conscious and consistent relations with the external school environment
(community, other schools, social partners, etc.). Demonstration of support
and awareness that these relationships need to be continuously developed
is demonstrated (73% welcome this).
Figure 5. Percentage of the statement “School and its community are prone to
innovation?”
Source: composed by the author
It is noticeable (see Figure 5) that there is a predominant community
expectation in terms of organizational innovation to be improved. 41% of
488 Paulina Palujanskiene y Biruta Svagzdiene
Characteristics of a school in the political context of what a learning organization means
respondents say that the school and its community are prone to innovation,
but 59% of respondents believe that they are skeptical or completely unsure
about this statement. Moreover, 82% of respondents believe that this area
should be strengthened. One can see the links between the answers to this
statement in terms of need:
• Monitor, collect, analyze and respond to information on changes in
the external school environment (41% say that these processes are
running smoothly, 78% think that this area should be strengthened).
• To strengthen the level of tolerance of community members to other
members, their opinions or feelings (46% of respondents state that
there is no need for development in this area, while 32% doubt it
and 73% indicate that it should be strengthened).
According to Senge (1990), the activity of thinking models is especially
signicant, when changing the quality of the result it is necessary to
change the actions, and to change the actions, the decisions inuencing
them, which are determined by the changed thinking. In other words, the
following sequence of actions is necessary: Changed thinking Inuencing
decisions Changed actions Changed the quality of the result.
Analyzing the obtained results, it is noticeable that the direction of
the organizations’ processes is appropriate, but the expectations of the
community members for innovation or the speed of process implementation
dier slightly. It is dicult to answer the personal contribution of community
members to its development, as the organization may not always have a
signicant inuence on individual thinking (tolerance towards others),
but deepening work on analyzing problem areas is necessary as it directly
correlates with (expected) outcomes in others.
Analyzing the obtained research data from the point of view of Shared
Vision discipline, it is noticeable that 91% of respondents are positive that
all members of their community: teachers, students, and their parents
can participate in school management processes or general strategy
development, relevant decisions, rules, initiating agreements, forming
customs or traditions and resolving problematic situations, etc.
Assessing the perspective of the situation, it should be noted that almost
all respondents believe that work in this area should still be developed
because community involvement is an ongoing, never-ending process. 50%
of the respondents’ state that the strategy developed by the school is real,
relevant, and close to the personal goals of the employees.
It should be emphasized that the school strategy is directly correlated
with national and regional education policy documents, therefore such
a result shows that according to the respondents, the school community
sets high professional goals, is not far from current issues in education,
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innovative and dynamic. Undoubtedly, a great deal of work is required to
achieve such a result.
The possible result of this is reected in the respondents’ answers about
the equal partnership prevailing in the school, fostering personal respect
and creating an atmosphere of trust - 46% of respondents say that it is
undoubtedly so, the rest (36%) see strong positive signs. However, both in
terms of the relevance of the strategy to the community (46%) and in terms
of fostering respect in the community (36%), there is a signicant share
of those who say that this is not the expected result (maybe even more)
attention than it currently is.
It also suggests that community trust is one of the aspirations and
priorities of a successful organization. This is a permanent job: 64% of
respondents say that seeking advice or help is seen naturally, but 55% agree
that this activity needs to be constantly strengthened and developed.
Figure 6. Percentage of the statement “Community members prefer to work and
study in a group than individually?”
Source: composed by the author
No less interesting aspect is teamwork in the community (see Figure 6).
Analyzing the data, it can be seen that, on average, one in ve (23%) survey
responses indicate that community members prefer to work and learn in
a group. It can be said that individual work predominates, as 46% of the
respondents indicate a rather insecure position regarding the prevalence
of teamwork in the community. According to Senge (1990), Shared vision
is a vision and perspective of activity that is acceptable to everyone and
every person involved in that activity, i. real vision. What is important in
this process is not the precise wording, but the fact that all participants in
future activities should have the opportunity to take an active part in the
development of the common vision and in considering its wording.
The organizers of such deliberations need special skills so that their
participants can feel important and needed. It should be noted that 82%
of respondents welcome the statement that this competence should be
490 Paulina Palujanskiene y Biruta Svagzdiene
Characteristics of a school in the political context of what a learning organization means
strengthened because the importance of teamwork from a synergistic point
of view is visible and valued.
Analyzing the obtained research data from the point of view of the team
learning discipline, it is noticeable that 91% of the respondents positively
assess the opinion that teamwork and learning are constantly promoted
at school. Accordingly, 59% of respondents fully agree with the statement
that the school has a system that allows learning from the practice of other
members of the community by observing lessons, sharing good practice,
consulting, etc., and 37% agree.
However, from both perspectives, respondents see the desire and need to
strengthen and develop these activities (an average of 38% of respondents
said positive), which shows the community members’ insight into the
theoretical, practical, and systematic processes of teamwork and the ability
to see opportunities in these areas. more ecient.
It was also found that 50% of respondents fully agree and 32% partially
agree - 32% with the statement that teamwork and learning is an important
element not only of work but also of everyday life. Respondents’ responses
also express the view that, whatever the instantaneous results, this area
needs to be continuously improved and strengthened.
Figure 7. Percentage of the statement “Teachers and school administration can
call their colleagues a team”
Source: composed by the author
It can be seen in Figure 7 that communities lack a strong and clear
position in stating that teachers and administration can call their colleagues
a team. A signicant proportion of respondents agree with this in full (41%),
in part (also 41%), but 18% of respondents are skeptical. Also, there is a clear
insight into strengthening this area in the future (87% agree). According to
Senge (1990), the work team is considered to be the most important unit of
a learning organization. When a team focuses on learning, the competencies
of each of its members increase.
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Employees ‘energy, thinking, and knowledge are combined, creating
team-based learning that results in greater synergies for the organization.
It can be argued that it is important for organizations to identify themselves
and their environment as teams. The potential is great, but there is a need
for clarity within the organization, formed teamwork, and a position that
clearly denes the concept of team, processes, teamwork, and the formation
of the identity of team members.
Analyzing the obtained research data from the point of view of systemic
thinking discipline, it is noticeable that a signicant part of the respondents
agrees with the statements that state:
• creation of school work and activity perspective, taking into account
both internal and external elements of one’s system (55% of
respondents fully agree; 41% partially agree);
• constant cooperation of school leaders and problem-solving with
other members of the community or representatives of other
organizations (64% of respondents fully agree; 27% partially agree).
Although there is a strong positive attitude of the respondents towards
these statements in the current assessment and 41% agree with the need
to further develop these areas. It should be emphasized that according to
Senge (1990) the system thinking discipline unites all the previously named
disciplines and their activities.
Systematic thinking helps members of an organization understand that
both the world and the organization are made up of dierent individual
parts, and allows them to see the big picture. It is beginning to realize that
the actions performed by employees are not isolated, they create a common
organization.
Figure 8. Percentage of the statement “Community members perceive the
school as a system”
Source: composed by the author
492 Paulina Palujanskiene y Biruta Svagzdiene
Characteristics of a school in the political context of what a learning organization means
Notably, 36% of respondents fully agree with the statement that
members of their community perceive school as a system (see Figure 8),
but 46% agree that it is not entirely certain (“I partially agree”), and 14%
doubt it, thus noting the conscious eorts of community members to
“search and possibly nd” systemic features of the organization when these
features fail to be performed and without hesitation to name. Also, a large
proportion of respondents (55% in full; 37% in part) believe that this area is
not completely clear to members of the community and would still need to
be developed and improved.
Accordingly, when analyzing the statement that describes whether
the school sta perceives the connection of school goals with the issues
of education policy and social development, the results show that the
respondents are not sure about this (50% - partially agree; 9% - doubts
that). While a signicant proportion (41%) say they are certain about this,
32% say they are also sure about the need to strengthen and develop the
area.
The discipline of systemic thinking emphasizes integrated systemic
thinking, which is described as the human understanding that everything
is interconnected and that changing something in one area aects all the
parts involved. Kline and Saunders (1993) argue that this discipline is
the most important of the ve. Therefore, analyzing the obtained results,
it is noticeable that the activities of organizations are potential, but the
internal culture of agreements, information dissemination, and smooth
communication still needs to be strengthened.
Conclusions
The support of the school administration, colleagues, and favorable
infrastructure has a positive impact on the development of personal
mastery in the community member’s organization, and the improvement of
learning competence. Learning learners develop a broader attitude, critical
thinking, set high professional goals, are demanding of themselves and the
surrounding environment, community participants.
The innovativeness of the school as a learning organization is identied
with the openness to the surrounding environment, other communities,
and a high level of internal communication culture. Continuous and
eective communication in the community, mutual (organization-
employee) contribution to respect, and trust-based communication can
have a signicant impact on the formation of community members and,
consequently, organizational thinking patterns, as it directly correlates
with (expected) outcomes in other organizational areas.
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At the stage of forming the overall vision of the school as a learning
organization, community members not only value the relevance of the
strategy from a personal point of view, identifying interests, personal
involvement, but also respect and trust in the community, teamwork skills,
and their development, recognizing its synergistic importance.
Schools as learning organizations need to identify themselves and their
environment as teams, therefore clarity within the organization is essential,
teamwork and the organization’s position, processes, continuous formation
of teamwork, and team members’ identity are clearly dened. Clear and
acceptable teamwork opportunities (choice), an understandable teamwork
system that meets the attitudes and needs of community members - a
circumstance of eective teamwork.
Community members, when perceiving a school as a system, must
clearly understand the systematic signs or feelings of it, condently identify
them, without trying to consciously “nd” them. In this case, the theoretical
and practical understanding of systemic thinking of community members,
natural self-identication as a part and participant of the system is very
important, therefore clear and eective communication, coherence of
strategic and systemic processes and proper response, internal acceptance,
and support.
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