Abstract
Schools currently face rapid change due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Research has shown that organisations that can reconstruct their resource base and apply knowledge management under volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) conditions can endure and persist despite severe disruptions. The three primary activities of dynamic capabilities, namely sensing, seizing and reconfiguration, can create value for all stakeholders affiliated to public schools amidst disruption when paired with knowledge management activities, such as the creation, sharing and application of knowledge. This study aimed to explore how school leaders in a South African public school perceived dynamic capabilities and knowledge management to deal with rapid change brought on by COVID-19 in a VUCA environment. Semi-structured individual and group interviews were conducted with school leaders at a public school in Johannesburg, South Africa. Findings revealed that resources such as technology as a means of online communication and training played a significant role to facilitate rapid change in this specific VUCA school environment. The reconfiguration of technological resources was perceived to improve teaching skills, team coherence, time efficiency, storage space, and monetary savings. Knowledge management played a significant role in supporting resource configuration, suggesting the interdependent relationship between dynamic capabilities and knowledge management. This study indicated that dynamic capabilities and knowledge management were critical for this school to adapt to rapid change. Knowledge gained from this study can impact policymakers in the Department of Education and school leaders by increasing their abilities to sense, seize and reconfigure existing capabilities and knowledge in the face of rapidly changing environments. Finally, this study recommended extensive training for principals and deputy principals regarding creating, sharing, and applying technology as a means of communication and training. A lack of communication from the senior school management team (Principal and deputy principals) due to technological inefficiency was perceived as a fundamental cause for communication breakdowns between stakeholders in the school.
M.Ed. (Educational Leadership and Management)