A Vision of Collaboration and Scholarly Community - Research Paper Example

A Vision of Collaboration and Scholarly Community To run any educational institute, Proper and effective collaboration among all stakeholders of the institute is very important in order to ensure success of the institute. The stakeholders include the community of scholars working for the institute, as well as all other people working outside the institute. It is the fact that the better the relationship between all stakeholders will be, improved will be the performance and image of the institute. In doing so, the need to incorporate the concerns of all stakeholders in forming the vision and culture is necessary to achieve synchronization between all of the people involved in running the organization. It is true that having a vision for a collaborative culture and a scholarly community does not seem to be enough for a higher education leader. The need for the leader is to effectively communicate the vision and culture of the organization to all stakeholders in order to make them shared vision and culture. A shared vision is important in conveying the roles of all stakeholders to them regarding management of the organization. On the order hand, communicating the culture to the stakeholders leads to a common culture that supports effective collaboration and building of a community of scholars. In this assignment, the focus will be on the way a higher education leader can effectively create a shared vision and culture that should support effective collaboration, as well as building of a community of scholars. The paper will also include the way collaboration can connect both alumni and the community at large for the purpose of forming a lively and dedicated community of scholars. Let us first discuss how an educational leader can create a shared vision among the stakeholders. Creation of a shared vision is possible only when the leader will incorporate the needs and concerns of all stakeholders while developing the vision statement of the educational institute. A shared vision holds an invaluable place in the success of an educational institute. The reason behind this is that when all stakeholders will have an idea of what their organization aims to achieve, they will exert their efforts towards accomplishment of the goals and objectives in a collaborative manner (Cranston, 2013). All stakeholders, including representatives of the parents, teachers, administration, the board members, and the educational leaders should develop a mutual consensus to develop a shared vision statement. For example, a survey should be conducted to know the demands and vision of the parents. In the survey, the parents should reveal what they want from the educational institute, as well as their viewpoints about the learning environment. Similarly, teachers’ representatives should also be interviewed to know their viewpoints about creation of an interactive teaching and learning environment, as well as to get their viewpoints about the ultimate goal of the institute. Moreover, the board members should also reveal what they want to achieve and the ways to achieve those goals. For example, if they want to move the institute to the top ranks and through providing quality education to the students, then their vision statement should read like ‘To be the premier provider of education through the highest quality of learning and teaching standards’. After knowing the viewpoints of all stakeholders, a focused group discussion should be arranged in which the educational leader should put forward the viewpoints of all stakeholders on the table for discussion, analysis, and creation of a shared vision on which all stakeholders should agree. This is the way through which an educational leader can be successful in creating a shared vision among the stakeholders of the institute. Let us now talk about the way to create a shared culture among stakeholders. Leaders need to create an inclusive culture for the purpose of bringing improvement in the educational and professional performances of students, teachers, and all stakeholders (Ainscow & Sandill, 2010). Accepting and respecting the differences is critical in maximizing the relationships with the stakeholders which ultimately helps in the creation of a shared culture. A shared culture is helpful for all stakeholders of a higher education institute to work towards accomplishment of the goals and objectives as each of the stakeholders knows what practical environment is there for them to organize their efforts. Leaders of any educational institute need to take steps for creating a shared culture by addressing the professional needs of all stakeholders and developing policies to create a productive working environment. Leaders also need to build proper collaborative relationships with the board, faculty, and the community to remain engaged with them and to define and develop cultural competences. Creation of a shared culture is possible only when there is trust, respect, and sense of accountability between all stakeholders of the higher educational systems (Migliore, 2012). The commitment and dedication of the top management is particularly important for supporting the continuality of information sharing cultures in the higher education institutes (Abdillah, 2014). To create a shared culture, leaders should arrange discussions and meetings in which various trends, knowledge, and working standards and environment related to higher education institutes should be discussed. After creation of a shared culture of knowledge and information sharing, it becomes easier for the stakeholders to put into practice their efforts towards achieving the organizational goals and objectives. Formation of a vibrant community of scholars is equally important as creation of a shared vision and culture in higher education institutes. This can be done through forming a collaborative culture between all stakeholders of the institute in which both alumni and the community should be connected to form a lively and dedicated community of scholars. It is the responsibility of the educational leaders to harness a collaborative culture in the higher education institutes. This can be done by involving the representatives of the community and the alumni setting up the educational and learning standards for the institute. Loyal alumni can play a wonderful role in the advancement and improvement of higher education (McAlexander, Koenig, & Schouten, 2006). Community engagement is vital for the institutes to succeed and prosper in today’s world of competition among higher education institutes (Hart & Wolff, 2006). Former students can tell what steps the institute needs to take in making the learning and teaching environment more interactive and productive. They can tell from their experience about the existing weaknesses in the educational system. Similarly, collaborating with the community is also helpful in knowing what people think of a better higher education institute and what steps should be taken to create an all-inclusive and better learning environment in the institute. References Abdillah, L. (2014). Managing information and knowledge sharing cultures in higher educations institutions. Computers and Society. Retrieved from http://arxiv.org/ftp/arxiv/papers/1402/1402.4748.pdf Ainscow, M., & Sandill, A. (2010). Developing inclusive education systems: the role of organizational cultures and leadership. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 14(4), 401-416. Doi:10.1080/13603110802504903 Cranston, N. (2013). School Leaders Leading Professional Responsibility Not Accountability as the Key Focus. Educational Management Administration Leadership, 41(2), 129-142. Doi:10.1177/1741143212468348. Hart, A., & Wolff, D. (2006). Developing Local ‘Communities of Practice’ through Local Community – University Partnerships. Planning, Practice & Research, 21(1), 121-138. Doi:10.1080/02697450600901616 McAlexander, J. H., Koenig, H. F., & Schouten, J. W. (2006). Building relationships of brand community in higher education: A strategic framework for university advancement. International Journal of Educational Advancement, 6(2), 107-118. Doi:10.1057/palgrave.ijea.2150015 Migliore, L. (2012). Leadership, governance, and perceptions of trust in the higher education industry. Journal of Leadership Studies, 5(4), 30-40. Doi:10.1002/jls.20241 Read More