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Harnessing Systems Thinking to Support Professional Learning in FE

Dr Kevin Brosnan, University of Stirling

Introduction

The external and internal environment of further education colleges is complex and growing more so almost on a daily basis. Navigating this complexity—let alone thriving within it—poses significant challenges for senior leaders and staff alike. One possible way to respond is to turn to some key-ideas in systems thinking to inform our thinking about creating and supporting effective professional learning strategies for college staff.

In this short piece, Dr Kevin Brosnan, draws on his10+ years as Programme Director of the ‘Teaching Qualification Further Education’ programme at the University of Stirling and his collaborations with many of Scotland’s Colleges.

Systems Thinking

College managers are confronted daily with a vast and shifting array of responsibilities—ranging from quality assurance and compliance to learner engagement and curriculum innovation. Supporting meaningful, effective professional learning is a vital but increasingly demanding part of this landscape. However, revisiting some key (and relatively simply) ideas from systems-thinking may help in thinking afresh about some of these challenges. Below. I explore three key-ideas (requisite variety, emergence and positive feedback loops) that have been significant in my thinking and practice in trying to develop and support professional learning across the FE sector in Scotland.

Requisite variety

W. Ross Ashby’s ‘Law of Requisite Variety’ asserts that for any system to survive and thrive its internal processes must exhibit the same degree of variety that exists in its environment. Given the high degree of environmental variety that a typical FE college faces (the wide variety of students, employers, qualifications, government policies and regulations etc), approaches to professional learning for staff must also be varied. Professional learning opportunities for FE staff can range from the highly formal at one end (e.g. focused training sessions with clearly specified outcomes) to the highly informal at the other (e.g. casual conversations at the coffee machine which may result in a ‘…I never thought of doing that…’ moment).

John Naughton (University of Cambridge) provides a useful synopsis of the application of Ashby’s Law – read it here.

Practical suggestion:
Undertake a simple, high-level, mapping exercise to identify the various types of professional learning (including non-formal activities) that staff are engaging in and how many staff are involved in each. This should provide a good indication of ‘…requisite variety…’ across the spectrum of professional learning activities within your college.

Although it is relatively easy to ensure there is ‘…requisite variety…’ across professional learning activities, a far more challenging issue is trying to ensure that these varied opportunities are integrated in a meaningful way – something I will return to below under the heading ‘positive feedback loops’.

Emergence

In systems thinking, emergence describes how complex patterns or outcomes can arise from simple, localised actions—often unplanned and unpredictable. In the context of FE, this underscores the importance of creating space for bottom-up as well as top-down approaches to professional learning. Emergence arises when unanticipated/unplanned outcomes arise from simple, small (often very localised) actions. A bottom-up approach can be quite a challenge as it involves trusting staff to identify their own learning needs and offering flexibility in how staff respond to those needs i.e. allowing staff to exercise a degree of agency. There is no guarantee that adopting a ‘bottom-up’ approach will result in the emergence of valued outcomes at the organisational (system) level, but this kind of approach can generate momentum and insight that formal strategies alone may not.

The potential value of the idea of emergence is highlighted in the following RSAnimate video by Dan Pink which explores autonomy, mastery and purpose. Watch here.

Practical suggestion:
Support regular ‘…share-to-learn…’ sessions where staff are invited to actively engage with colleagues from across the college. Participation should be voluntary, but attendees must bring an example of a change / innovation in their teaching practice which they are willing to share and discuss with colleagues. Notable changes / innovations can be recorded and disseminated via college wide communication.

Positive feedback loops

I have already alluded to the importance of ‘positive feedback loops’ earlier. Positive feedback loops occur when a behaviour or intervention reinforces itself over time—leading to improved outcomes and increased adoption. Identifying and supporting positive feedback loops in the context of professional learning can help leaders amplify what is effective and disseminate it across the college. For example, when a peer-mentoring initiative leads to improved teaching confidence and learner engagement, capturing and promoting that success can prompt replication across departments.

Peter Senge has written about positive feedback loops in the context of ‘learning communities’ Read more here.

Practical suggestion:
Encourage staff to create ‘professional learning communities’ with a focus on Joint Practice Development (JPD). JPD supports collaborative, iterative practice enhancement by encouraging staff to give and receive feedback on real-world issues. This peer-driven model not only supports emergence and integration but also builds positive feedback loops across teaching teams.

More on JPD is available from the Society for Education & Training:

Using Joint Practice Development

Final Thoughts

Systems thinking doesn’t offer quick fixes—but it does provide powerful, adaptable tools for thinking about and managing complexity. Giving careful attention to concepts like requisite variety, emergence, and feedback loops, may be helpful in supporting professional learning that is not only more effective, but also more engaging, inclusive, and future-facing.

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this blog post are solely those of the author, Dr. Kevin Brosnan, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of The College Alliance or any other institution.