Cognitive Flexibility and Organizational Learning as Drivers of Innovation and Performance Excellence in Educational Institutions

Abstract

The United States educational institutions are experiencing a rapid change in technology, accountability, fluctuation of funding, and increasing competition among students and research resources. Institutional excellence in such dynamic environment does not just lie in structural reforms but also cognitive and learning capabilities entrenched in the systems of leadership and organisations. This paper will discuss the importance of the cognitive flexibility and organisational learning capability as strategy drivers of innovation and excellence of performance in institutions of higher learning in the United States. The patient conceptual model was created and empirically research tested on survey data of 312 academic and administrative leaders in public and private universities. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) which was used to examine direct and mediated relationships between the constructs. The findings reveal that cognitive flexibility plays a significant role in increasing the learning capacity in the organisation ( = 0.61, p < 0.001). Organisational learning is in its turn a strong predictor of institutional innovation ( = 0.54, p = 0.001) and directly relates to performance excellence ( = 0.29, p = 0.01). Part of the connexion between organisational learning and performance excellence is mediated by innovation ( 0.47, p < 0.001). According to the findings, the institutions that managed to develop an adaptive leadership attitude and formalised knowledge-sharing mechanisms that convert learning into the outcomes of innovations are likely to experience a lasting level of excellence. This research can further add to the body of literature related to quality management and higher educational since it incorporates both cognitive and organisational views of learning into the performance excellence models.