Leading change,
changing leadership
Leading improvement , innovation and change
Dame Pat Collarbone
November 2011
Improvement
The thicker the plan, the less it
affects classroom practice. As the
educational environment becomes
more complex and the demands on
schools increase, the solution cannot
be longer and more detailed school
plans.
Much of the work on planning in
schools has been linear and
incremental in nature, and no longer
meets the needs of schools. New
demands and new times call for
radical thinking.
(Davies, 2001)
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“Everyone wants
to change the
world, no one
wants to change
themselves”
Leo Tolstoy
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Page 3
Innovation
Minor
change
Major
change
Incremental
Near to innovation
existing
practice
Far from
existing
practice
Radical
innovation
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“Next practices –
emergent innovations
that could open up new
ways of working – are
much more likely to
come from thoughtful,
experienced, selfconfident practitioners
trying to find new and
more effective solutions
to intractable problems.”
Charles Leadbeater
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The Standard
Improvement, innovation & change
Principals work with others to
produce and implement clear,
evidence-based improvement
plans and policies for the
development of the school and its
facilities.
They recognise that a crucial part of
the role is to lead and manage
innovation and change to ensure
the vision and strategic plan is put
into action across the school and
that its goals and intentions are
realised.
The National Professional Standard for
Principals
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It is only through the power of
evidence that we can bring about
change.
David Attenborough
Change
For a change and innovation to be successful and
sustainable (C), there must be:
•
A compelling reason for change (R)
•
A clear vision of the future (V)
•
And a coherent plan for getting there (P)
R + V + P = C
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Plan and act
Work with the school community to
promote and sustain school
improvement informed by school
effectiveness research.
Lead and facilitate through teams the
necessary innovation and change to reflect
changing demands on and expectations of
the school and use project management to
foster both efficiency and effectiveness in
achievement of goals.
Take a strategic role in the development
and implementation of new and emerging
technologies to enhance and extend
teaching and learning experiences.
The National Professional Standard for Principals
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Page 9
From your experience
What has helped you bring
about change?
What has blocked change? And
what could you have done to
overcome this?
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Your critical challenge
Achieve
Avoid
What do you want that you don't
have?
What don't you have that you
don't want?
Preserve
Eliminate
What do you want that you already
have?
What do you have now that you don't
want?
No
Do we have
It?
Yes
Yes
No
Do we want It?
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Leadership focus
Moral
imperative
Sponsorship
and
governance
Ambition
and vision
Blind
spots
Feasibility
and
desirability
Impact
Operational
need
Change
champions
Vision and
reality
Root
causes
Solutions
Deliverables
Managerial focus
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Success factors
In our experience, success is ensured by having:
• Top level sponsorship
• A clear and compelling vision
• Involving staff in change teams
• Providing clear and accurate communications across the
organisation
• Focusing on the emotional & political factors as well as
the rational
• Having a robust plan for implementation
• Transferring skills and building teams after the changes
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Page 13
Review
Develop quality assurance and
review strategies to
demonstrate the need for and
effectiveness of innovation and
change to secure improvement.
Ensure the vision for the school
is shared, clearly understood
and acted upon effectively by
all.
The National Professional Standard for
Principals
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Where do I need to start?
My staff understand why we
have to change
I have involved everyone who is
affected by the change
I have described my vision of the
future to staff
I decide ‘what’ my staff decide
‘how’
I have a structured way of
bringing about change
I will know when we have made
the change
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Rank yourself
against these
statements
1 – not at all
6 – Fully
Select the
three with the
lowest score
and describe
to your partner
what you are
going to do as
soon as you
get back to
work
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If it can't be measured, it
can't be managed.
BUT
Measure what counts
rather than counting
what is measured.
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Page 16
What needs to measured?
MANAGERIAL FOCUS
LEADERSHIP FOCUS
“DOING THINGS RIGHT”
“DOING THE RIGHT THING”
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Overheads
Unit cost
Staffing ratios
Staff turnover
Staff morale
Customer satisfaction
….
• Value for money
• Return on investment
• Outcomes e.g.
student results
• Pupil teacher ratio
• ….
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Three things I am going to do
Our critical challenge
I will
By when
1
2
3
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Respond
Motivate and work with others to
foster creativity, innovation and the
use of appropriate new technologies
to achieve excellence.
Demonstrate personal commitment to
continuous improvement using
problem solving, creative thinking and
strategic planning.
Use appropriate leadership styles
sensitive to the stage, growth and
development of the school.
The National Professional Standard for Principals
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Page 19
Typical ‘response’ behaviours
Good leader
Poor leader
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• Empowerment
• Clear vision/
understanding
• Case for change
Rational
Political
• Plan of activities
• Agreed way
forward
Emotional
• Groundswell of
support
• Senior
management
consensus
• Personal agendas
aligned
• Visible stakeholder
support
•
Enthusiasm
•
Appreciation of need
•
Confidence and clarity
•
Engagement
•
Willingness to act
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Containing anxiety
We have a
great team
We are
going to
tackle
this
We can
involve
others and
build
success
There’s an awful
lot to do
This isn’t easy
This is really
challenging
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We have
plans
We know we
have options
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Cultural change journey
Co-dependence
Dependence
Independence
Interdependence
System focus
Confused
Centralised
Localised
Personalised
Leadership
based upon
Fear
Control
Rules
Trust
Accountability
Remedial action
Inspection
Self evaluation
Peer review
Ways of working
Conflict
Consultation
Negotiation
Partnership
Approach to
change
Status Quo
Reactive
Proactive
Creative
Workforce
response
Denial
Compliance
Development
Professionalism
Maturity of the individual, team, organisation and sector
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“Progress is impossible
without change; and
those who cannot
change their minds
cannot change
anything”
George Bernard Shaw
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