Unrecognized contradictions are opportunities lost: Refocusing attention for learning

The value of contradictions in relation to learning has mostly remained unrecognized and undermined, barring the recent contribution made by the 'Activity Theorists' in relation to organizational learning (OL). The bulk of literature on school improvement, in general, puts huge emphasis, for example, on 'collaboration', 'shared mental models' and 'alignment' - notions that have contributed much to undermining the value of contradictions. In the context of developing countries, 'contradictions' have always been viewed as a threat to power and authority; thus, a broader culture of compliance and submission has prevailed. This is where the paper aims to make a unique contribution by sharing findings from an empirical study on OL in a developing country, Pakistan. The paper brings forward interesting dimensions on how contradictions either remains unrecognized and/or addressed in a limited way in the context of submission and compliance, and therefore has implications for learning of organization. Based on the findings from this case study of OL, the paper also draws significant insights for academicians and practitioners alike to understand the existing capacity of schools for learning and how that can be enhanced further.