Wiley Handbook of Learning Technology

25Surviving the Next Generation of Organizations—as Leaders

Eugene Kowch

25.1 Problematic: Bridging a Gap for a New Generation of Educational Technology Leaders

Education technologists are seldom found among the most influential leaders in K-12, higher education or industry organizations (Kowch 2003, 2007, 2013a). This may be evidence of an important knowledge gap emerging between the important fields of educational technology and educational leadership. Yet our world is trending toward new organization forms embedded with technology-enhanced learning, leadership, and training processes as “givens”’ (Lowyck 2014). The next generation of organizations and learners may require different collectives of leaders with more interdisciplinary skills and knowledge (Brooks and Kensler 2011). The chapter begins with an in-depth exploration of some similarities and differences in the way education technologists and leaders understand our complex education organizations. Today, relatively few educational technologists are found in the education leadership suites leading any sector and very few educational leaders are found in educational technology work. For example, some people are surprised to find that modern technology is a process and not just a tool (Franklin 1990) or that contemporary leadership means networked collaboration, not just top-down direction by people in specialized roles, for example (Hazy 2011).

First, this chapter critically examines six common domains of theory and practice ...