Chapter 1: Introduction to Educational Leadership and Management in Learning Organizations

What is a leader? What is a manager? Are the two subjects separate or do they follow the same thread? Most textbooks give a succinct description of the similarities and differences between leaders and managers.  Ours, however, will place it in the context of the learning organization, which in turn leads to the question: What is a learning organization? Generally, a learning organization continually adds knowledge, which is similar to an educational organization: a group of individuals located in a specific place to impart knowledge[1].

In this chapter, we will discuss leadership and management by describing the learning organization in greater depth.  Self-awareness in leadership and management, an outsider’s view of leadership and management, and the use of metaphors to understand organizational complexity will also be addressed. The world of leadership and management is an ever growing, ever expansive idea that changes with time.  Here is an introduction to that world.

The learning outcomes for this chapter are:

1. Define the classical definition of leadership and management.
2. Define what a learning organization is and how it functions.
3. Develop an understanding of self-awareness and how it is used by leaders and managers.
4. Contextualize the different descriptions of leadership and management.
5. Use of metaphors to understand leadership, management, and organizational complexity.