Stories with potential – storytelling in leading a school as a learning organisation

Abstract

The subject of the analysis undertaken is the potential of storytelling in leadership work. The main purpose of this article is to present storytelling as a method to help shape the culture of a school as a learning organization and to inspire others to recognise and explore the potential of storytelling in the process of school leadership. In light of the constant changes taking place in the world, there is a need for a profound change in the school model – from a teaching institution to a learning one. The basic premise of the process of leading a school as a learning organisation is the development of cooperation based on open communication involving revealing and agreeing on different points of view, accepting different perceptions of events taking place and practicing critical reflection in order to change and improve daily practices in learning communities. In schools developing as learning organizations, the co-creation of a vision by all actors and the implementation of changes necessary to achieve jointly developed values become more important. The text attempts to answer the question: What qualities of storytelling can be used to support managerial efforts to shape the culture of the school as a learning organization? The universal nature of storytelling is presented here in a synthetic way and how it may be used in the practice of school leadership.