Implications and recommendations for the study

In response to this question I anticipate that this study will give other lecturers, line managers and senior staff of universities a better understanding of the multi-faceted experiences and social relationships lecturers are subject to within an institution of higher education. In addition I hope that it will assist South African, and other overseas universities in creating organisational cultures which facilitate valuable and positive informal learning experiences for lecturers. Examples of this may include improved strategies for staff induction which blend into ongoing professional development in terms of learning experiences which are facilitated.

There are other studies which focus on professional identity development of teachers in schools, for example Connelly and Clandinin (1999), but there is little evidence of comprehensive studies on professional identity development for lecturers in higher education. The research findings of this study may lead to a wider, more comprehensive study encompassing a number of higher education institutions in South Africa to further validate the findings of the study.

I make the following recommendations based on the findings of this study

Ø Informal induction programmes need to take the needs of new lecturers into account rather than assuming what their needs are. In turn professional identity can be further developed through informal mentoring encouraging lecturers to join and contribute to communities of practice. Management at this university need to identify potential communities of practice that will enhance the university’s strategic capabilities, provide the infrastructure that will support such communities and enable them to apply their expertise effectively, and use non-traditional methods to assess the value of the university’s communities of practice (Wenger & Snyder, 2000:6).

Ø Informal mentoring relationships are needed straight after the induction process which may or may not be formally required by a university, to provide a one-on-one relationship where the new lecturer begins the socialisation process. This relationship, as mentioned above, should strive toward the initial development of professional identity through the building of self-esteem, the building of personal relations with other lecturers which can develop into informal learning relationships with them later and coaching into the roles that the lecturer needs to operate in. If these supportive relationships are successful the lecturer becomes more adept in reflection, examining his or her cognitive process and assessing his or her strengths and weaknesses. In turn the lecturer, through increased self-esteem, will assume more daring and enterprising attitudes and behaviours (Daloz 1986, 1999, in Mott, 2002:6). When the lecturer reaches this stage of professional identity development he or she should start to feel a stronger sense of community membership with his or her peers.

Ø Recruitment of staff needs close attention. Human Resources Departments need to ensure that the recruitment process is timeous allowing staff to settle into their new roles and learn the organisational culture before they are thrown into teaching schedules and research obligations. If a new staff member is appointed timeously

time may be spent with more experienced peers at work where they are guided into an understanding of their professional roles through informal mentoring. I advocate the use of informal mentoring which is planned and purposeful in nature. If recruitment is timeous mentoring will not become a haphazard and unproductive process tailing off as soon as the new lecturer’s weight of business takes over (Boice,1990; Diehl & Simpson, 1989 in Boyle & Boice, 1998: 159).

Ø Management needs to invest time and money in helping lecturers reach their full potential (eg – promotion systems that overlook community or teaching contributions and reward systems that discourage collaboration). The organisational culture needs to be collectivist in nature where the emphasis is placed on learning collectively towards more concrete understandings of what it is to be a lecturer at a university.

In a university where the culture is said to be characterised by people sharing goals, beliefs and values it can be inferred that lecturers cannot work individually through individual tasks, roles and responsibilities. If lecturers are afforded the opportunity to work together in social activities the university stands to benefit in that it becomes more effective through teamwork and collaborative thinking and problem solving. The university is strengthened through the consolidation of different knowledge and skills from lecturers in varying disciplines. In turn the lecturer benefits in that he or she is able to learn informally in social contexts thereby developing a professional identity.

Ø More knowledgeable and experienced lecturers at universities need to be rewarded for mentoring efforts in facilitating the development of professional identity of new lecturers. These efforts need to be formalised on performance management documents and could be used as one aspect for consideration in the promotion process or for salary increments.

Ø The use of personal development plans in the performance management system of lecturing staff for the university should facilitate and encourage the informal learning

of the lecturer. Marsick and Watkins (in Cofer, 2000:2) explain that informal learning can be planned either before the planned learning takes place or after in order to reflect and learn from past experience. Bell (1977, in Cofer, 2000: 3) concurs with Marsick and Watkins by encouraging organizational managers to take advantage of the career development process to incorporate planned opportunities for informal learning. Practical ways for implementing the above may include serving as a tutor for a new lecturer, taking responsibility for a staff meeting, or designing training as a member of a training steering committee (ibid). Rusaw (1995, in Cofer, 2000:3) also explains the value of membership in professional associations as another opportunity for informal learning by stating that these provide more possibilities for mentoring opportunities. In addition he also encourages placing new employees in suitable leadership positions which extend beyond their position descriptions as this provides exposure to knowledge, skills and abilities required for future anticipated future roles which may be linked to promotion.

Ø The university needs to see lecturers and other staff in the university as its most important asset. The university cannot be viewed as a machine but rather as an organic self-adjusting system made up of people who make meaning of the university by narrating their learning experiences. The argument of Brown, Denning, Groh and Prusak (2005:3) extends narrative to organizations and the inherent role that narrative has to play within them. From this the need to create common times for staff to come together informally to exchange experiences narratively cannot be emphasised enough. Common lunch hours for all staff members are needed as well as blocked time in the university timetable where all staff are free to discuss issues informally, debate and solve problems and mentor or be mentored. These times should not be used by management to hold formal training, courses or complete formal tasks – lecturers only need the support of management to come together in formally so that they can learn their roles and in turn develop a professional identity.

5.8 Conclusion

This study reported on research aimed at investigating how lecturers develop their professional identity as well as the learning processes involved in professional identity development. To achieve this I used narrative as well as constant comparison methods of analysis after collecting data through interviews. Furthermore, I consulted literature on theoretical perspectives of identity development, communities of practice and mentoring in an informal and situated context. This theory seemed to contribute to the lecturer’s development of professional identity. Through the collection and analysis of data I presented and discussed the findings.

The findings of this study resulted in a pattern rather than a set of categories. The pattern can be described by stating that lecturers develop their professional identity through informal learning experiences in a university context. These experiences are characterised by support or a lack of support from more experienced and knowledgeable lecturers or whether the lecturer enters the university with already well developed social skills. A lack of support leads to the strengthening of a personal identity. Support gained leads to a strengthening of social identity and implies the development of professional identity. Mentoring and communities of practice are the support structures required which form supportive collegial relationships. These relationships are characterised by narrative which is the primary learning process involved in the development of professional identity.

Through informal learning in a situated context lecturers are empowered to take more responsibility with others for the results of their work – thus developing a professional identity. I contend that university management do not presently see the merits for lecturers or the university itself for developing the professional identity of lecturers. Such an initiative would lead to more innovative, quick and effective problem solving through collaboration and shared efforts. In today’s economy and with competition for

student numbers in private universities there is a need to seek new ways to understand and deliver learning outside formal contexts – this is fuelled in part by radical changes in the market that have pushed many other organisations to work, organize and think and learn in very different ways. Private universities in South Africa cannot be solely driven by their need for student numbers – the need to develop staff and guide them into fulfilling the requirements of their roles is just as crucial to the success of the organisation as a whole.