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Organisational Structure
Since its establishment, the organisational structure of
Western Cape College has been continuously refined to further
streamline procedures and processes. In 2001 when the College
was formed there was a key emphasis on creating a model of
organisational effectiveness which generated individual teacher
accountability. The vision was for the education facility
to achieve a common vision. This vision at the time was to
increase the rate of secondary school completion for Indigenous
students across the Western Cape. This vision would therefore
enable the College to meet its obligations outlined in the Western
Cape Communities Co-existence Agreement (WCCCA).
To ensure success the organisational structure would have
to achieve aligned curriculum, pedagogy and assessment across
all four sites; supporting successful transitions to secondary
school at the Weipa Campus. An innovative management structure
was required to achieve the vision with new delegations of
authority created. Additionally, accountabilities and responsibilities
for staffing, financial and physical resources, business
operations, teaching operations, professional development
and training and community partnerships all required alignment
across the four sites to enable the College to function as
a single entity. This task was one which took a great deal
of planning and consultation to ensure the needs of individual
communities were met whilst ensuring the initiative of turning
four schools into one dynamic organisation with a strategic
purpose remained on course. Weipa, with its resource base,
central location and schooling capacity, became the regional
hub for the College.
To build an aligned organisational
structure, ‘Systems
Leadership Theory’ was adopted and implemented. Effective
partnerships between Comalco and Education Queensland made
this possible, with Comalco providing the initial funding
for the College to employ the services of an organisational
effectiveness consultant. After consideration of the strategic
direction and systemic operations of developing the College
the consultation process generated two recommendations; primarily
that an Executive Committee be established and secondly that
specific roles and accountabilities were required.
The governing structure of Western Cape College from inception
to present remains under an Executive Management Team which
takes on a deliberative role and a College Board with an advisory
role. The organisational structure of Western Cape College
is constantly evolving as the environment changes and as systems
streamline. The one constant within the organisational structure
is a stable senior leadership. This is achieved by attaining
the commitment of a College Director, accountable for the operational
and strategic outcomes of the College as an organisation and
education provider. Accountable to the Director are the Heads
of each Campus, responsible for the operational and strategic
outcomes for their assigned site. Each Head of Campus has a
flow down structure with accountabilities and responsibilities
clearly defined. This structure enables Heads of Campus to
concentrate on the core business of teaching and learning to
improve education outcomes. The other aspects of business are
organised at a College level by the College team, including
the Director, Head of Business and Finance and the Heads of
Staged Schooling.
Look
at the College organisational chart…
The
stability of the leadership team is not the only component
which enables the organisational structure of the College
to thrive. High turnover of staff is an issue for all schools
across Torres Strait and Cape District. This is a core reason
the ‘Systems Leadership Theory’ is an essential
component of the College. The application of this methodology
provides a strong and continuing foundation of systems, process
and accountability setting. The systems, processes and procedures
need to be effectively established and adhered to, ensuring
consistency and stability with the constant cycle of staff.
This ensures the work of staff members is not attributed
to the individual but to the role, thus maintaining the momentum
to improve education outcomes. The continuum below highlights
how the implementation of strong systems has enabled the
College to move toward self-actualisation. It is emphasised
though that this progress could not have occurred without
a primary foundation built on consistency.
Look
at the leadership continuum… |
