school leaders as change agents
Transforming schools into true learning organizations and effectively implementing knowledge management into education will take leaders able to be successful change agents within their school systems. Michael Fullan, author of Leading in a Culture of Change, describes five essential components or competencies that school leaders need to guide a culture of change:
Fullan's Framework for Leaders as Change Agents
Moral Purpose
According to Fullan (2002), school leaders need to have a sense of moral purpose regarding the systematic improvement of all schools and actively seek to make a positive difference to close the achievement gap between low and high performing students (p. 16). This sense of moral purpose should guide school leaders in feeling a sense of social responsibility within the organization and community. This sense of moral purpose should extend to all school within the school community, as well as those beyond the boundaries of the district.
Understanding Change
Fullan (2002) suggests that to be truly innovative, leaders must understand the change process by following these six guidelines:
Understanding the complex nature of change is an important component of facilitating true cultural change. An awareness of the complexity will assist school leaders in developing lasting change.
Improving Relationships
Fullan (2002) states that “the single factor common to successful change is that relationships improve” (p. 17). Cultural change leaders realize the importance of using emotional intelligence to motivate, energize and connect people within the school to implement change and move in a positive direction.
Knowledge Creation and Sharing
According to Fullan (2002), cultural change leaders foster environments where everyone is involved in ongoing lifelong learning (p. 19). Fullan suggests school leaders should serve as the lead learner by:
Coherence Making
Fullan (2002) suggests that having a moral purpose, understanding change, improving relationships and creating and sharing knowledge foster coherence towards a culture of change, but that it is critical for leaders to be attuned to the complexities of leading this type of cultural shift. Effective change leaders attempt to keep the focus on student learning and try to prevent the overload of external ideas and fragmentation. Like Senge, Fullan suggests that school leaders keep the "big picture" in mind and not just "settle for the solution of the day" (p. 20).
Resource: Fullan, M. (2002). Beyond Instructional Leadership: The change leader. Educational Leadership, 59(8), 16-21.
Fullan Graphic copied from: http://arlingtonplc.pbworks.com/w/page/28134176/LeadinG0inaCultureofChange
Moral Purpose
According to Fullan (2002), school leaders need to have a sense of moral purpose regarding the systematic improvement of all schools and actively seek to make a positive difference to close the achievement gap between low and high performing students (p. 16). This sense of moral purpose should guide school leaders in feeling a sense of social responsibility within the organization and community. This sense of moral purpose should extend to all school within the school community, as well as those beyond the boundaries of the district.
Understanding Change
Fullan (2002) suggests that to be truly innovative, leaders must understand the change process by following these six guidelines:
- The goal is not to innovate the most. Innovating selectively with coherence is better.
- It is not enough to have the best ideas. Leaders help others assess and find collective meaning and commitment to new ways.
- Appreciate early difficulties of trying something new - the implementation dip. Leaders should realize the first six months or so will be bumpy.
- Redefine resistance as a potential positive force. Leaders should listen to the doubters as they sometime have important points.
- Reculturing is the name of the game. Transforming culture leads to deep and lasting change.
- Never a checklist, always complexity. The work of changing culture involves difficult work and day-to-day reculturing. (Fullan, 2002, p. 17)
Understanding the complex nature of change is an important component of facilitating true cultural change. An awareness of the complexity will assist school leaders in developing lasting change.
Improving Relationships
Fullan (2002) states that “the single factor common to successful change is that relationships improve” (p. 17). Cultural change leaders realize the importance of using emotional intelligence to motivate, energize and connect people within the school to implement change and move in a positive direction.
Knowledge Creation and Sharing
According to Fullan (2002), cultural change leaders foster environments where everyone is involved in ongoing lifelong learning (p. 19). Fullan suggests school leaders should serve as the lead learner by:
- sharing relevant information and encouraging action research and inquiry groups;
- continually modeling and encouraging others to engage in scientific discovery and knowledge refinement;
- and using social processes to guide the moral and intellectual development of everyone in the school system. (Fullan, 2002, p. 19)
Coherence Making
Fullan (2002) suggests that having a moral purpose, understanding change, improving relationships and creating and sharing knowledge foster coherence towards a culture of change, but that it is critical for leaders to be attuned to the complexities of leading this type of cultural shift. Effective change leaders attempt to keep the focus on student learning and try to prevent the overload of external ideas and fragmentation. Like Senge, Fullan suggests that school leaders keep the "big picture" in mind and not just "settle for the solution of the day" (p. 20).
Resource: Fullan, M. (2002). Beyond Instructional Leadership: The change leader. Educational Leadership, 59(8), 16-21.
Fullan Graphic copied from: http://arlingtonplc.pbworks.com/w/page/28134176/LeadinG0inaCultureofChange
Fullan's 9 Elements of Successful Change
(from http://arlingtonplc.pbworks.com/w/page/28134176/LeadinginaCultureofChange)
1. Define closing the gap as the overarching goal (achievement gap & income gap)
2. Attend initially to the 3 basics
3. Be driven by tapping into people’s dignity and sense of respect
4. Ensure the best people are working on the problem
5. Assume that lack of capacity is the initial problem and then work on it continually
6. Stay the course through continuity of good direction by leveraging leadership
7. Build internal accountability linked to external accountability
8. Establish conditions for the evolution of positive pressure
9. Use the previous 9 strategies to build public confidence
Fullan, M. (2002). Beyond Instructional Leadership: The change leader. Educational Leadership, 59(8), 16-21.
1. Define closing the gap as the overarching goal (achievement gap & income gap)
- To be effective, leaders have to be on the dance floor and the balcony simultaneously
2. Attend initially to the 3 basics
- Literacy
- Numeracy
- Well-being of children
- Link the cognitive and emotional environment
3. Be driven by tapping into people’s dignity and sense of respect
- Respect is the motivational starting point
- Suspend judgment and be less pejorative
4. Ensure the best people are working on the problem
- Most difficult circumstances are not attractive from an incentive perspective for the highest quality people
5. Assume that lack of capacity is the initial problem and then work on it continually
- Start of capacity - you can’t change beliefs without new behavioral experiences
- Behavior first & attitude second
6. Stay the course through continuity of good direction by leveraging leadership
7. Build internal accountability linked to external accountability
- Individual
- Collective
- Focus on Standards
8. Establish conditions for the evolution of positive pressure
9. Use the previous 9 strategies to build public confidence
Fullan, M. (2002). Beyond Instructional Leadership: The change leader. Educational Leadership, 59(8), 16-21.