Do organizations learn? Results of a Hungarian longitudinal school-research program

Authors

  • Tamás Kersánszki
  • Tibor Baráth
  • Ágnes Fazekas

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3311/ope.473

Abstract

Our study was based on the results of longitudinal research conducted between 2015 and 2021, which examined the schools learning organizations and sought to answer the question of what factors may be most decisive in the operation of schools that can effectively support student achievement, and how they change over time. After describing the theoretical models describing the learning organization of schools, the correlations of quantitative data and models and their five-year change are analyzed.It is clear from the data that educators and leaders see shared goals and a vision, and a willingness to take risks and innovate as the most advanced. There is a lack of responsibility and a collaborative atmosphere, and a dimension of knowledge sharing and partnerships. The shift in primary variables and more advanced statistical analyzes predict the emergence of newer learning organization model alternatives that can more accurately describe changes and areas of learning organization dimensions.

Author Biographies

Tamás Kersánszki

Tamás Kersánszki has been working in the field of innovation and knowledge management at Óbuda University for 11 years. He has a social politics (MA) and project manager specialist qualification. He has been a manager and professional implementer of several innovations and researches international and national projects in recent years. His field of research is secondary and higher education innovation and STEAM.

Tibor Baráth

Dr. Tibor Baráth was graduated on MSc level as a Mathematics and Physics teacher. He used to work in secondary grammar school, later he worked for a county educational institute where he was responsible for the field of evaluation and assessment. He became school director in 1988 and he carried out several development projects (internal evaluation, new subject structure, etc.). He took his doctor’s degree in Mathematics in 1986, and he taught Mathematics in higher education from 1981 while he joined the University of Szeged in 1992.

Tibor Baráth took part in leadership and expert training programs offered by the NSO and UvA in Holland. He acts as the director of the HUNSEM since 1998 leading several (national and international) RDI projects in the field of school leadership and development.

He is a change manager (PwC) and quality assurance, adviser. His specific field is leadership, organizational and human resource development. He leads the Learning, Organizational Development and Innovation Department at Kodolányi János University. He takes an active role in the European Network for Improving Research and Development in Educational Leadership and Management. 

He is the managing and research director of the Qualitas Consulting and Service Ltd., which provides HR, OD and training services, carries out complex RDI projects in the field of public and higher education. He led and conceptualized over 12 RDI projects during the last decade. He is deeply involved in the development of the learning environment and learning quality in higher education. He established a team – called Learning Experience Laboratory – for researching and improving the learning in HE institutions. He has invited editors of different journals and books.

Ágnes Fazekas

Ágnes Fazekas is a senior lecturer at the Institute of Research on Adult Education and Knowledge, Faculty of Pedagogy and Psychology of University Eötvös Loránd (ELTE) in Hungary. Her research interests are curriculum-development, policy implementation, development interventions, change management, and local innovations in the education sector. She started to work in this area in 2010 at the Hungarian Institute for Educational Research and Development. In the last years, she published several studies and participated in various conferences on these topics. At present, she is working on a project designed to describe and analyse the emergence and diffusion of local innovations and their systemic impact. She teaches - among others - policy implementation, strategic and project management, organizational change and development at ELTE and at Hungarian-Netherlands School of Educational Management of the University of Szeged.

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Published

2021-09-30

Issue

Section

Studies