When leading change of any kind, one of the greatest challenges is getting everyone involved on board and working together. Sheninger (2014) describes six elements that are important and that he utilized in leading organizational change to transform his school into the leading model that it is today. These elements are summarized as; Connectedness, Vision, Value, Support, Professional Development, and Embracement.
Sheninger (2014) begins with connectedness and explains that it was the starting point in his transformation as a technology leader. This has always been the place to begin. In the past, through collaborative learning groups in the classic conferencing style and now through technologically linked global professional learning networks. As a district leader, this connectedness allows stakeholders to share information instantly and to learn from each other without boundaries created by meeting times and distance. By starting with this process for himself, Sheninger showed authentic leadership in the way Alavi and Gill describe (2016). He acted accordingly and was true to himself and his vision by learning and using the technology he wanted others to delve into. This also served as an example of his core values in action. In district leadership leading by example in this way, rather than mandating, is powerful.
Creating a unified vision is a crucial step in the early process of complex change. As Sheninger (2014) states, “The seeds for change will only germinate if a coherent vision is established”. In leading district change, this can be quite challenging because the stakeholders are often spread over a large area and working in different environments with different objectives. To build this vision, it is important to include the stakeholders in developing the plan and seeing why the change is needed. This is an area where data can play an important role. Through the use of data, areas of need can be identified and the change can be designed to address these areas.
By using data in this way, leaders can also build in value for the change. Finding ways that all stakeholders can use technology to address a need for improvement will attach value to the process. Because most educators have experienced change that has followed the most recent trends, only to be abandoned for the next trend soon after, it is also important to plan for incremental implementation that can be used to measure proof-of-concepts before leveling up (Toh, 2016). This is especially important because there is often a hesitation to take on technology integration in sweeping reforms based upon the challenges of large, sweeping changes and the experiences that have failed to transform teaching and learning in the past (Toh, 2016).
Implementing change in logical, manageable phases can also increase the support available to educators during the process. Sheninger (2014) mentions taking three-and-a-half-years to implement technology into twenty classrooms. In many cases, infrastructure must be upgraded in order to accommodate the technology being integrated. Designing a plan that allows users to learn at a reasonable pace and ensure that the systems needed are able to support the use of new technology will build confidence in the system as well as the process.
To support complex technology changes that last, it is also imperative to provide adequate and ongoing professional development. Using educators with experience with the systems being implemented and empowering them as leaders is invaluable. Ensuring that the implementation is integrated in manageable stages that allow time for learning is another key element is this phase. Utilizing the connectivity of social media will enable stakeholders to support each other on an ongoing basis as well.
Approaching professional development in this way will allow users to embrace the technology and become comfortable and creative with it together. They will have time to collaborate and find creative ways to solve problems related to their established vision and goals in the project and will be encouraged by small successes. Through the ongoing use of data, the goals can be reassessed and adjusted as needed as well.
References:
Alavi
S. B., Gill C., (2016). Leading change
authentically: How authentic leaders
Influence follower responses to complex
change, Journal of Leadership &
Organizational Studies, 24(2), 157-171, doi: 10.1177/1548051816664681
Sheninger,
E. (2014). Digital leadership: Changing
paradigms for changing times.
Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin
Toh
Y.J., (2016). Leading sustainable pedagogical reform with technology for student-
Centered learning: A complexity
perspective, Journal of Educational
Change, 17(2), 145-169, doi:10.1007/s10833-016-9273-9
Roger,
ReplyDeleteYour post was great this week on change in schools. Educational leaders have such a giant task when implementing change in schools. Not only in the change itself, but I think the largest obstacle is getting all of the people involved on board with the change. No matter how great a program, how much money is invested, how great it will be for the school, if the staff will not put forth the effort to implement the change it will fail. I have seen this happen so many times in the public school system. From the district level it is an even larger task to implement change across a district and get everyone to actually participate in the change. Over the many years that I have been in the public school system, I have attended many district wide trainings for the next greatest program that will revolutionize public schools. These programs and training cost the district a lot of money. After all the training, the program fizzles out because teachers go back to their classrooms, file the training materials away, and never look at them again. The more experienced teachers go back to doing what they always did because no one is pushing them to make the change. The newer teachers don’t have the time and are too overwhelmed to focus on the new program. The administrators make sure that all the staff attended the training and then go back to the other million things that need their attention. The district fails and administrators fail because they are not following up with actual implementation of some perfectly effective programs. In some administrations I have served under, they actually thought that if they commanded it then everyone would actually do it and they didn’t need to get out of their offices to see it what was going on.
Ruth
Hi Ruthie,
DeleteIt sure is true that buy in from all stakeholders is crucial for making sustainable change. If those involved are not fully invested, it is always easy to go back to the old norms and leave the new behind. To help ensure that buy in is genuine, leaders should include the stakeholders in the process of developing the program. As Sheninger (2014) discuses it is important to ensure that they understand, and even assist in identifying the how and why of the need to change.
Hi Roger,
ReplyDeleteI thought the ideas you posted on Sheninger’s elements of change were insightful and I enjoyed listening to your viewpoint. I agree with your idea that data can play a significant role when implementing changes in a school. The teachers are more easily convinced to incorporate technology into their learning environment when they see the benefits from using it properly. In addition, the data feedback can be effective throughout the entire process of transformation. The school leaders and educators can look to the data to see if the new changes being implemented are working. Hopefully, the results are positive and this will encourage teachers to keep using the new technological tools that are available. Another aspect of driving change that you mentioned was implementing the new concepts in different stages or phases. The idea is beneficial because it allows the teachers and students to adjust to the new methods being practiced in the learning process. The administration cannot expect their educational staff to immediately adjust to the new strategies being implemented because changes like this need time in order to be most effective. Furthermore, having a plan that is properly organized will be a key to the success of the changes in the school. In my own experience in education this has been an important factor when administrators wish to implement changes into the school building. In some circumstances the school leaders were not well organized and the concepts they wished to be applied in the learning process were not implemented by the teachers because their ideas lacked organization. In addition, the educators were not given the time to be properly informed about how to best use the new method. It is for this reason that a well-organized plan along with a significant about of time to implement the alterations is necessary when employing change in a school.
Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times. Corwin Thousand Oaks, CA
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi Roger,
ReplyDeleteI thought the ideas you posted on Sheninger’s elements of change were insightful and I enjoyed listening to your viewpoint. I agree with your idea that data can play a significant role when implementing changes in a school. The teachers are more easily convinced to incorporate technology into their learning environment when they see the benefits from using it properly. In addition, the data feedback can be effective throughout the entire process of transformation. The school leaders and educators can look to the data to see if the new changes being implemented are working. Hopefully, the results are positive and this will encourage teachers to keep using the new technological tools that are available. Another aspect of driving change that you mentioned was implementing the new concepts in different stages or phases. The idea is beneficial because it allows the teachers and students to adjust to the new methods being practiced in the learning process. The administration cannot expect their educational staff to immediately adjust to the new strategies being implemented because changes like this need time in order to be most effective. Furthermore, having a plan that is properly organized will be a key to the success of the changes in the school. In my own experience in education this has been an important factor when administrators wish to implement changes into the school building. In some circumstances the school leaders were not well organized and the concepts they wished to be applied in the learning process were not implemented by the teachers because their ideas lacked organization. In addition, the educators were not given the time to be properly informed about how to best use the new method. It is for this reason that a well-organized plan along with a significant about of time to implement the alterations is necessary when employing change in a school.
Sheninger, E. (2014). Digital Leadership: Changing Paradigms for Changing Times. Corwin Thousand Oaks, CA
Roger,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post concerning this weeks blog prompts. Personally choosing a different option, it was nice to learn about a different topic. You did a great job clearly and concisely relaying the necessary information about the topic. The line you stated from one of your references about having to get everyone on board to lead change, really spoke to me. Just starting in a new school district which as formed a new program, many of these thoughts are seen in real life.
The administrator/coordinator who is in charge of our newly formed team is a seasoned educator when it comes to leading change. She is a smooth talker and is good about getting her point across to everyone. While getting her point across she also does her best to sell whatever she is pushing for. She obviously does a good job because she get results. Another important point you mentioned was data to drive change. Continuing with the administrator I work for, she is very data driven. Unsure of where our team would initially focus, she turned to the data. The data showed students in the elementary school levels were struggling with measurements. Our first focus then became measurement for numerous weeks.
Another point you discussed was the adequate and ongoing professional development. This position I am now in has the most professional development opportunities I have ever seen. All which are easily available and at no cost to myself. Not having the freedom to go major distances for professional development, even within my current city opportunities were found for me to participate in. Hopefully the school system, and administration in general will continue to provide the professional development opportunities for years to come.
Jason