LEARNING REFLECTION

Learning Reflection

Learning Reflection

Introduction

In time of profound change, the learners inherit the Earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists (Al Rogers, quoted in Bierly et al., 2000).

The nonprofit sector is not shielded from the continuous changes that are buffeting the world. Resources are shrinking. Demands for accountability, particularly board and executive accountability, are increasing. Competition (for funding, skilled staff, dedicated board members, clients, and the attention of the community) is fierce. Technology has exponentially increased the amount of information available in an instant, while time to sort and process new information has evaporated. Leaders everywhere are facing challenges that they did not anticipate and are expected to act quickly, decisively and honorably, under the pressure of increasing public cynicism and litigiousness invoked by ethical and legal scandals in every sector. Vaill (1996) coined the term “permanent white water” to describe environments of continual change in which novel problems emerge regularly and need to be dealt with swiftly, the cost of mistakes is high, and no amount of planning or foresight can prevent or forestall the next wave of inevitable change. The dynamic nature of today's environment and the recent dramatic increase in public scrutiny has increased the nonprofit sector's urgent need for leaders who can incorporate vast amounts of information, synthesize it in new ways and develop innovative new approaches. More than ever before, nonprofit leaders are required to be active and skilled learners.

This study explores the relationship between nonprofit professionals' learning strategies and their leadership practices with the belief that an effective leader also has to be an effective learner. In particular, the research will examine the relationship between various learning strategies and transformational leadership. This relationship has implications for the design of leadership development programs, particularly those for nonprofit organizations.

The current emphasis on leadership development raises significant questions about the relationship between the two constructs. Leadership development has been identified as a key priority in both the business and the nonprofit sectors, and increasing resources have been invested in publications, workshops, and training programs focused on this goal. A recent Internet search by the authors yielded 1,370,000 hits for a search on nonprofit leadership development. Bolt (1996) interviewed hundreds of corporate executives and argues that there is a serious leadership development crisis in the for-profit sector. He further asserts that structured leadership development methods have not kept pace with the changes in the world and that the on-the-job experiences and real-life learning have not been sufficient in producing effective future leaders. Ackoff (1999) observes that all the attention being paid to leadership development has not led to a notable increase in the quantity or quality of leaders in all sectors, particularly transformational leaders.

While leadership development is of continuing importance for all organizations, it is particularly true for nonprofits at this time. The sector is experiencing rapid growth in the US. Between 1977 and 2001 the national employment growth rate for nonprofit organizations ...