The Transformation of Attitude in the Process of Organizational-Pedagogical Professionalization

• In Event: The Armageddon Club: Educating for the Future of Humanity — Educating Toward Equitable Futures 1

Abstract

The diagnoses of the end times go further the ones of the 'VUCA world' – but both pose global questions. While traditional strategies of organizing have caused the challenges of our times, still loosely coupled networks and organizational networks have to deal with governance challenges (Schwarz/Weber 2011). How can the challenges of collective transformation be addressed, how can education and learning be supported at the level of organization and networks? How can sustainability strategies (Heidelmann/Klös 2021/forthcoming) support coping with and transforming global crises? The paper argues, that in the field of organizational education consultancy for sustainability and crisis management, process-oriented and academically trained professionals are needed (Dahm/Thode 2018). Based on a justice and responsibility based approach, organizational and network consultancy positions itself against a value pluralism, which won´t be able to focus action towards sustainability (Heidelmann 2020).
As universities are spaces of knowledge formation, they can contribute shaping a critical and future-oriented professionalization for the future of humankind. Innovative approaches in research and practice address ethical-normative positionings and tie back organizational education professionalization as well as consultancy practice. Supporting global research perspectives and against “toolism”, the paper reflects on the orientational patterns, the inner attitude, the "consultant stance" of value orientation increasingly becoming relevant for organizational and network based complex transformation.
From a Foucauldian discourse-oriented perspective and adopting a critical stance means to pay attention to the "relations between power, truth and subject" (Foucault 1992: 15). In order to face the multiple challenges of interests and world views, the paper suggests a power and domination critical stance stance of 'epistemic reflexivity', which aims to even break up existing power relations (Kessl/Maurer 2012: 48).
The organizational education continuing professionalization approach 'Learning to Design Sustainable Futures' (Weber/Heidelmann 2019) conducted at Philipps-University Marburg in 2018 and 2019 represents a theory- and practice-interlaced program of continuing education. Here, students were professionalized in the field of organizational education network consultancy. The training headed towards educating towards an organizational educational consultancy stance of ‘epistemic reflexivity’, positioning oneself critically beyond an anthropocentric and personalized analysis of power. Image-based peer interviews and group discussions supported not only the analysis, but the support of processual changes in self-narratives and the developments of attitudes in consultancy. These shows based on metaphor- and discourse-analytical research methodologies (Weber/Heidelmann 2020).
From a transformational ‘Bildung’ research perspective (Koller 2012), the paper addresses the processual-emergent development. Starting from students´ positionings of the self in pre-reflexive-habitual as well as institutional limitations (Meyer-Drawe 2010: 806), the presentation refers to the transformation towards epistemic reflexivity as an educational project (Heidelmann 2021/forthcoming).
The longitudinal qualitative and image based research approach supports analysis and professionalization at the same time. The presentation refers to the concrete empirical findings from a longitudinal and process oriented perspective.

Author

• Marc-André Heidelmann, Philipps-University Marburg