As a former English teacher, I have always loved metaphors — their ability to illuminate simple things as well as complex ideas, to reveal hidden connections, and to help us see familiar things in new ways. Metaphors are more than simply literary devices; they are great tools for understanding.
Over the years I have come to see that when applied to organisations, metaphors can allow us to describe complex systems, relationships, and cultures in ways that simple charts or descriptions cannot. They help us see how people interact, how knowledge flows, and how shared values shape behaviour; offering insights into the very heart of an organisation.
Gareth Morgan (1986) explores a range of metaphors that can help shape our understanding of an organisation.
Among these, the organisation as a living organism feels particularly resonant for us at LIFE Education Trust. Because it is such a relatively new structure, a Multi Academy Trust has to be an adaptive, relational, and evolving entity. In this sense it is what Margaret J. Wheatley (1999) describes as a “living system” — one that thrives not through control but through connection, curiosity, and shared purpose.
LIFE’s value of Courageous Optimism reflects this perspective: the belief that growth and renewal are always possible, even in challenging environments. Many of us have grown up with the notion that organisations have to be well managed, well organised and well led. That we need strong and solid systems and structures. But there is a danger that this approach leads to “command and control” leadership, stifling management and depersonalisation.
Morgan talks of the organisation as a brain — a learning, adaptive system. Here is another biological metaphor stressing life and vitality. Both Morgan and Wheatley describe learning as the lifeblood of a living organisation. LIFE’s vision of building great learning communities where children flourish clearly highlights this and does our value of Boundless Creativity which encourages us to foster collaboration, innovation, and reflective practice across our schools.
A Trust can equally be understood as a culture, shaped by shared values and collective meaning. Wheatley reminds us that “life organises around meaning. Her idea emphasises the pre-eminence of purpose for any organisation. Here, we are at a distinct advantage as educators, knowing that we can change children’s lives for the better every day, a highly meaningful purpose. This is why we have kept LIFE’s vision clear and simple: “Everyone Flourishes”. Our value of Heartfelt Compassion, also ensures we work with empathy, fellowship, and care across our community.
Finally, LIFE may be viewed as a bridge, connecting schools, people, and communities. As Wheatley writes, “nothing living lives alone.” Through shared learning and partnership, LIFE builds bridges of understanding and opportunity, enabling collective growth.
Multi-academy trusts know that they must be more than the sum of their parts. Each school is valuable and is vital to the whole, but the organisation’s true strength lies in the relationships between schools and the people in them — the sharing of knowledge, creativity, and care that generates something greater than any single institution could achieve alone. This is David Carter’s idea of the “Trust Dividend” — the additional value created when schools collaborate, support each other, and leverage collective expertise within a Trust. The whole must be greater than the sum of its parts. Wheatley puts it simply: living systems flourish best through networks of relationship and mutual support.
There are of course many other metaphors that we could use as lenses to explore our Trust, any Trust and any organisation but what has become clear to me recently is that biological metaphors are incredibly poignant. They highlight perfectly the complex, complicated and vibrant way that a trust can grow and can add value. It is in this way that we want LIFE Education Trust to emerge; as a living, learning, and compassionate system — one that is truly greater than the sum of its parts. One that enables the organisation itself, and everyone and everything in it to flourish.
References
Morgan, G. (1986) Images of Organization. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage Publications.
Wheatley, M. J. (1999) Leadership and the New Science: Discovering Order in a Chaotic World. 2nd ed. San Francisco: Berrett-Koehler.
Mbiti, J. S. (1969) African Religions and Philosophy. London: Heinemann. (for the concept of Ubuntu)
Carter, D. (2017) The Trust Dividend: How Multi-Academy Trusts Add Value. London: Bloomsbury Education.
