Networks: the FM, medium or short-wave approach

Robert Owens, in Organisational management, written sometime in the 1970s, suggested that ‘no organisation operates in a vacuum’. There are, and will be, linkages between organisations and between those within individual organisations. Without doubt, networking and the interactivity that the meshing of relationships can generate can be powerfully building for any organisation. ‘Stand alone’ persons and balkanised units within organisations are minimalist in terms of their capacity to contribute. Closing the borders and failing to interact within, and between, organisations is anathema. That is particularly the case for schools within systems, where the development of people is prime business.

Learning about networking

A number of years ago, I learned a very important lesson about networking. Promotional positions within the Northern Territory (NT) Department of Education were being evaluated, in order that position level and salary structure might better align with the responsibilities of tasks attached to jobs. Other sectors of the NT public service had undergone job evaluation prior to the exercise extending to include schools. In those contexts, people completing Job Analysis Questionnaires (JAQs) had worked in enclaves and not shared neither the JAQ preparation nor the outcomes. It seemed that people did not want others to know how they were working in self evaluative mode because of the possibility of individual response somehow gaining greater advantage in job recognition for those who worked alone.

When it came the turn of school principals, assistant principals and senior teachers, the focus on JAQ preparation became collective. Within their schools, leadership teams worked together in analysing their positional responsibilities and responding to the questionnaires. Between schools, there was the coming together of principals, assistant principals and senior teachers, in order that collective insight and group wisdom might prevail in the way questionnaires were completed. This sharing opened up a vista of realisation about what we did collectively, both within and between our schools. Not only did that strengthen the case that was advanced for position reclassification, recognition and recompense - it gave us a new and enhanced appreciation for the responsibilities we undertook within our workplaces. We traded ideas, gained insights and developed an appreciation for collective approach that had previously, been less well understood.

Networking dimensions

I think of networking as being not unlike an analogy that equates to radio wavelength because, while that might be simplistic, it is effective.

FM

Frequency Module (FM) radio is all about networks which are localized and very short term in distance outreach. FM radio reaches a limited audience and there are a lot of networks from which to choose. Within an organisation, FM networking is important in terms of linking those within organisational subsets with one another. FM represents leadership teams working together, administrative staff interacting and teachers within school sections or faculties establishing the dialogue necessary to the smooth operation of their particular areas of responsibility. If within each subsection of the school, there are people who are isolated and non-sharing, they miss out on interactivity and deprive others of what they might contribute.

Similarly, FM dialogue exists (or needs to establish) within, and between, sections of the educational enterprise residing in the non-schools or support areas. Staffing and Recruitment, People and Learning, Schools Division, Teaching Learning and Standards, Student Services, the Business Enterprise and Statistical Sections and the Indigenous Education Division are examples of units that will be less than successful if there is not clear communication, dialogue and networking between those within their areas.

Medium wave outreach

Within schools, success will be limited if subsections, regardless of the communications vibrancy within their domains, do not link together in oneness and unity for the good of the school unit as a whole. Within primary schools, the connections that exist between the teaching and administrative areas are critical to holistic organisational approach. Similarly, there must be close connection between the early childhood, middle and upper primary sections of primary schools in order to ensure the smooth flow and transition of children as they move up the grades and through the years. Nothing can be worse than children being moved from one section of a school to the next without their being an awareness between staff of their progress.

Secondary schools need that same dialogue to exist between faculties to better guarantee the smooth passage of students through their high school years. Within the non-schools sector, support services can only be enhanced if each sector of the corporate section has a strong affiliation with the other. Units, be they within schools or support sectors, enhance the services they offer if strong ‘medium wave’ affiliations are in place. This ensures a compact that enables each organisational element to operate with a full awareness of what is going on elsewhere with the school or educational corporate workplace. Trading ideas and information, being transparent, seeking and giving advice, sharing celebrations and mutually discussing challenges are qualities that identify organisations devoted to networking within.

While organisational components (units within the whole) are important, that cross-over linkage (section interfacing with section) helps schools in their overall building and developmental programs. ‘Groupship’ and total sharing build synergetic schools where people as a whole network together in collective terms. This is an approach that identifies selfless organisations, schools and support sections that are there for the good of all.

‘Short-wave’ approach for broadbanded outreach

Without doubt, the most powerful networking embrace is one all encompassing in outreach. In times past the best and most effective radio networks were short-wave. (I guess these days that one would say they were broadband in terms of effectiveness).

My analogy for powerfully effective educational organisations with excellent and all embracing communications networks is that they are ‘short wave’. For schools, this means quality communications and linkages within and between all those who connect. The further outreach embraces, links and networks the support community, other schools (the region or cluster) and the support sections of the organisation. For the educational corporate division, total networking must embrace all sections within, while outreaching to schools and extending to affiliate interdepartmentally in areas where those organisations overlap in support of children and students. In the Northern Territory, this would bring together the key departments of education, health, police, community services and business and industry.

Networking to overcome inhibitors

Based on experience, I feel the biggest let down that can happen within education, is for those connected with its delivery to be overly mindful of guarding the boundaries of their domain. We can over guard the culture inherent within the frame of our place within the wider organisation. Education is not unlike a province of agricultural land. This is made up of farms, with each farm being divided into paddocks. I think of a school as being a farm with divisions within being the paddocks. Adjacent farms are adjoining schools while the ‘next province over’ might represent our departmental structure and that of other departments. If the province and region is devoted to grain growing, then a rich harvest will be the result if the total resource is devoted to producing the best possible crop. Similarly, those working within schools, across schools and within education and societal organisation as a whole, will do the best by their crop - their children and students - if they work together in harmony.

For this to happen, communication, caring devolved from sharing and quality networking is of critical importance. Children and students are tomorrow’s adult citizens and leaders. We need to do the very best we can in preparing them - as parents, carers, educators and support agents - for the future. To do this, we must link through a collective effort that cannot happen without quality networking. Part of that networking has to be the way in which we engage children and listen to student voice.

With outstanding networks in place as part of our overall structure we can embrace the present and the future with confidence.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Mr Henry Gray is Principal of Leanyer Primary School, in Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.

 

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