CHANGE MANAGEMENT

The School Leader as Change Agent

Why Change?

MOST SCHOOLS HAVE BEEN

DESIGNED TO SOLVE YESTERDAYS
PROBLEMS, RATHER THAN
CAPITALIZING ON TODAYS
OPPORTUNITIES TO EFFECTIVELY
CONFRONT THE ISSUES OF
TOMORROW

THAT WHICH GOT US WHERE WE ARE

IS NOT VERY LIKELY TO GET US WHERE
WE WANT TO GO!

PEOPLE USUALLY SUPPORT IMPROVEMENT

--ITS CHANGE THEY DONT LIKE!

THERE IS NOTHING PERMANENT

EXCEPT CHANGE

Barriers to Change
Why do people resist change?
The status quo provides a certain
comfort zone
Need for stability
Need for predictability
Fear of the unknown
Others???

Model of Employee Decision to Actively

Resist an Organizational Change Effort

Tools to Facilitate Change

Managing Complex Change
Force Field Analysis
Consensus Building

Management of Complex
Change: Critical Components
Vision

Strategic Planning
Skills
Incentives
Resources
Action

Plan

Management of COMPLEX CHANGE

VISION

VISION

VISION

SKILLS

SKILLS

+
+

SKILLS

INCENTIVES

ACTION
PLAN

=CHANGE

RESOURCES

ACTION
PLAN

=CONFUSION

RESOURCES

ACTION
PLAN

=ANXIETY

RESOURCES

ACTION
PLAN

=GRADUAL

RESOURCES

INCENTIVES

INCENTIVES

CHANGE
VISION

VISION

+
+

SKILLS

SKILLS

+
+

INCENTIVES

INCENTIVES

+
+

+
RESOURCES

ACTION
PLAN

=FRUSTRA-

TION
=FALSE
STARTS

Management of Complex Change

Activity
With a person sitting next to you, go through
the complex change matrix with this
situation:
You are asking every staff member to
incorporate cooperative learning strategies
into their lessons.
Decide what must be done to make sure each
component of the matrix has been addressed.

Force Field Analysis:

Critical Components
Desired

Change
Driving Forces Favoring Change
Restraining Forces Resisting Change
Equilibrium or Current Status

FORCE FIELD ANALYSIS

State Desired Change Here

DRIVING FORCES

Forces favoring the change

RESTRAINING FORCES

Forces resisting the change

(EQUILIBRIUM OR CURRENT STATUS)

Force Field Analysis

Activity
With a person sitting next to you, work with
the force field analysis using this
situation:
You have decided to ask staff to help you
increase parent involvement at your school.
What are the driving and restraining forces
involved? How can you increase the driving
forces and decrease the restraining
forces?

How Can Leaders Best

Support the Improvement
Effort?
(From McREL, 2000)

I. Recognize the Differences

Between Leadership &
Management

II. Give Up the Notion of

the Hero-Leader

III. Develop Broad-Based

Leadership

IV. Encourage Individual

Initiative

V. Develop a Learning
Organization

VI. Take a Balcony View

Effective School Leaders Must:

Increase their own knowledge base

Take risks, break new ground, and cultivate
a climate of experimentation
Share leadership with competent staff --put
less competent staff on a short leash
Help others to acquire reform-related
knowledge and skills
Be persistent
Appreciate incremental change (baby steps)

Overlapping Arenas of Management Expertise

Needed for Change to Take Root & Thrive

Management of day
to day school issues
Management of long
term school issues
Maintenance of
relationships with the
governing body
Maintenance of
relationships with the
community

Conclusions from a Body of Recent

Research:
Effective

school leaders are those

who are visionary and skillful learners,
as well as strong and competent
partners in facilitating and sustaining
reform

 Conclusion:

One can become a notably

successful school leader given any of a
considerable array of gifts and
tendencies.
Its what you do with what you have
that really counts!

How Do These Puzzle Pieces Fit

Together to Make a Coherent Whole?

Effective School-wide Leadership

Requires Understanding of

The System- context in which you

operate, including school/agency/district
norms, local, state, and federal policies,
and standards of accrediting bodies for
public & private programs
Yourself- leadership style, preferences
for change, facilitation skills, philosophy
of teaching and learning
Others- those who serve as levers and
those who must make changes

Relational Leadership Model

SYSTEM
OTHERS
SELF

You as a Leader
Your

own orientation to change,

leadership and management styles, and
philosophy of teaching and learning
provide the pathways for determining
how you, as a unique individual, can be
successful

Relationship to Others
Nearly

all studies show that without

buy-in from teachers, change is
doomed.

At

the very least, you need a critical

mass of support.

Building Consensus:
What Is Consensus?

Group decision-making process

Everyone's opinion is encouraged and valued
Differences are viewed as helpful rather than
hindering
All voices are heard and understood before an
effort to finalize a decision is made
After full discussion, those who continue to
disagree indicate willingness to experiment for
a prescribed period of time
All members share in final decision-making

Advantages of Decision-Making by
Consensus

Can be informal or use formal procedures

Members are more likely to support the
decision
Provides for a win-win solution
Facilitates open communication
Requires members to listen and understand all
sides of the issue
Sets the stage for action - who, what, where,
when, how & why

Disadvantages of Decision-Making by
Consensus

Trust is needed among members of group to

encourage sharing
Group leaders must use facilitation rather than
control
Takes more time to reach consensus,
especially in larger groups
7 magic number for reaching group consensus
One or two people tend to dominate larger
groups

Steps in Facilitating Consensus

1. Identify and define problem, situation, or
issue
2. Brainstorm list of alternatives suspend
judgment; do not discuss or reject any ideas
3. Review, change, consolidate, rewrite and set
priorities as a group through discussion
4. Make a decision and put in writing
5. Later, review and evaluate results; revise as
needed

Consensus Building:
Activity
As a group, come to consensus in regard to the
following scenario:
Everyone in the group is a teacher at the same
school and each staff member must have 15
clock hours of professional development per
year. All have personal preferences for the
topics of upcoming professional development
workshops.
You must decide as a group what areas you want
further training in and reach consensus on
three topics.

Summary

To be effective as a change agent,

consider and understand:
The system or context in which you
work
Yourself as a leader
What it takes to motivate and
involve others